Congratulations to Sai Manjari Kaladindi, Stephen Sarmento, and Zhuqing Mei. They won the 2026 EDST Research Day Blog Publication Award for presentation. They presented their research at the event and published it on the blog. We appreciate their time and dedication.

A Comparative Study on the Purposes of Arts Education in Middle School in Canada, China, and India Through Teachers’ Perspectives

by Sai Manjari Kaladindi, Stephen Sarmento, and Zhuqing Mei

Art is taught around the world in different ways. Though the arts are often marginalized, arts education can contribute to a student’s holistic development and build intangible skills needed for an ever-evolving world. Arts education is unique in that it aims at personal development through experience rather than the more traditional academic skills of other school subjects, as outlined by educational philosopher John Dewey. Another thinker, Elliot Eisner, believes that the arts and the skills one develops through the arts are transferable to other disciplines and may contribute to successes in other academic subjects and supposed unrelated potential future professional situations for students. Despite its potential benefits, which also include increasing students’ sense of belonging and identity formation, within the context of middle years education, arts education and its purpose are being marginalized across the world’s education system. Different countries have different school systems, so teachers are forced to do all they can across different contexts are are affected by different global circumstances. 

We asked participants from Canada, China, and India what teaching art is like in their own countries. To delve deeper into this global phenomenon, we interviewed arts teachers in Canada, China, and India with the aim of acquiring greater insight into the plight of the arts and what could be done to improve the situation within all contexts. We wanted to know why they believed they should be teaching art, what rules they think should be followed, and what they found difficult. Additionally, we were concerned with what they did on a daily basis to facilitate a great classroom environment for their students, where art is creatively and confidently explored in their respective spaces. Utilizing a personal interview-based approach rooted in a qualitative lens, we were able to learn about day-to-day arts-based programs from teachers. We found that teachers had many different things to say, though their situations were quite similar in certain respects. Participants shared their views on the purpose of arts education, connections to policy and implementation, challenges and barriers they face, and what they do to adapt and succeed. 

Three representative quotations from participants in three countries are presented below. Pseudonyms have been assigned to participants to ensure ethical considerations are met.

“All art is a form of expression, and you’re trying to get your audience to interpret or feel something in some intended way or unintended way.”
– Brian (Canada)

“The arts allow people to express things that words cannot.”
– Yu (China)

” Music has the power to touch, reform, and influence the entire creation.”
– Priya (India)

Though Canada, China, and India differ in their political and education landscapes, we witness commonalities of marginalization, specifically regarding limited classroom time, resources and a feeling of subordination in favor of the academic subjects. Canadian teachers were comparatively more free to decide how art should be done in their classes. Chinese teachers were more confined by a stricter system where students were more restricted to reproduce art that emphasized Chinese nationalistic themes. Indian teachers wish they had more arts supplies and financial backing to use with their classes, as their system relegated the arts to the side lines of more academic pursuits. In all, teachers from Canada, China, and India agreed that they wish they had more allocated time to practice the arts with their students. Arts education is concerned with the education and evolution of the self, in an ever evolving and polarizing world, the arts ought to have a place as it continues to unite us all through human experience and emotional connectedness, unlike any other discipline.