Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)
Art making is seen as an opportunity to express one's self imaginatively, authentically, and spontaneously, an experience that, over time, can lead to personal fulfilment, emotional reparation, and recovery (Malchiodi, 2003). Taking into consideration the South African context, and the many psychological, social and emotional and learning barriers, through the creation of art and reflecting on the art products and methods people can increase awareness of self and others. It will also aid in coping with symptoms of stress and traumatic experiences, and enhance cognitive abilities (American Art Therapy Association, 2002). The aim of the paper is to assess and provide feedback on how learners experience the introduction of creative expressive arts activities into their school curriculum within the Life Orientation subject,. The research followed a phenomenological research design through the purposive sampling of nine learners from a school for learners with special educational needs. Data was collected through the means of group interviews, incomplete sentences and observations, then analysed by means of thematic analysis. Using socio-cultural theory as my literature framework and a socio-constructivist research paradigm, two main themes emerged. The first was that the learners experienced inter-personal development, which linked to the second theme of intra-personal development, through a psychological timeframe. Furthermore, I was able to determine which activities the learners enjoyed and which would need to be included in future creative expressive arts activities for the enjoyment of the learners. Through the emergence of this research the school communities will be better informed as to the value that creative expressive arts engagement could have in a school setting.