This article reflects on critical literacies and advances on the idea of performative literacies concerning non-schooled writing practices. Critical literacy posits that beyond literate-school practices there are alternatives to reading and writing. These include semiotic, multimodal, ritual and corporal elements that show knowledge of reality and…

In the post-pandemic era we're living through, it can seem as though real life resides in the virtual world -- the one driven by screens and the sedentary lifestyle that shapes a human being's posture and intellectual faculties (Vincent, 2018). As we look back over this period of enforced confinement, it is worth examining how being at home has…

Gender gaps in representation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields persist across many societies, although the size of the gap varies. Based on cultural psychological perspectives, we consider how the culturally ascribed meaning and purpose of academic choice (i.e., as a means of expressing the self or securing one's…

The article considers the beliefs and practices of elementary-aged children who write for personal fulfillment. Mobilizing Lips-Wiersma's (Lips-Wiersma & Morris, 2011) notion of "meaningful work," I examine the ways in which these children experienced writing and sharing their work in a voluntary after school writing workshop and at…

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the mental health of young children, and schools are being tasked with providing greater support for their emotional well-being. While gratitude practices have proven beneficial for the mental health of adults, less is known about the efficacy of their use in promoting positive character…

We propose genetic social psychology as a theoretical framework to render intelligible both the suppression of the expression of prejudice and prejudice reduction in childhood. In particular, we explore the role of positive in-group norms in prejudice reduction in childhood and adolescence and their interplay with realistic and symbolic threats…

The pervasive Eurocentric model of music education in the United States is hegemonic, pursuing a model of performance excellence in large ensembles that, by the time young people reach high school, excludes most from music making opportunities in school. Despite numerous efforts to challenge the dominant paradigm since the 1960s, little change has…

As the body of literature elucidating the experiences of transgender and nonbinary young people grows, there is a need to identify and utilize research methodologies that build knowledge, while also advancing participant wellbeing. Expanding a research ethic beyond "limiting harm" and toward "promoting wellness" can not only…

Background: There is a global consensus that stimulating and fostering children's creativity in education is crucial. Addressing creativity has become an imperative in educational policies and in school curricula internationally. School-based physical education (PE), and specifically the teaching area of dance, has been identified as an important…

Drawing instruction in Ghanaian high school art education traditionally emphasizes observational and technical skills grounded in realism. However, contemporary drawing has evolved to prioritize innovative techniques, conceptual thinking, and process-oriented approaches. This phenomenological study aimed to understand Bolgatanga high school…

This paper will explore the key findings identified in the five arts discipline-specific papers which comprise this special theme issue. Each of the participant researchers have situated Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music and Visual Arts within the context of the "Australian Curriculum: The Arts" and what they characterise as its social…

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pleasure, suffering, and work engagement, along with its dimensions, in the professional context of postgraduate scholarship students in Brazil. The study was conducted with 1,027 scholarship recipients from different states in Brazil. It utilized theoretical frameworks from the…

Despite the convergence of approaches to mental health in schools, criticisms have been levelled about the triviality of mindfulness and the reluctance of teachers to encourage more personal expression in the classroom, relying instead on a mixture of ancient practices and modern cognitive behavioural therapy. Furthermore, there are still real…

Music is an invaluable facet of everyday human life. Whether we are the music makers or someone else is "musicking" for us (in person or through our earbuds), we are drawn to it, touched by it, engaged in it, and often captivated by it. Adults and children alike spend a considerable chunk of their waking hours listening to music and…

Humans are arguably the most interesting subjects in computer vision. Modeling human 3D geometry from images captured by highly sophisticated production level cameras (10-100 cameras with precise calibration) enable a number of applications, e.g. telepresence, virtual try-on, motion analysis, etc. Despite its production level quality, the…