What is the Role of the Arts in a Primary School? - An Investigation of Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers in Australia

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

The arts are a compulsory subject area in Australian schooling, and the Australian National Curriculum for the arts is scheduled for implementation. While primary teachers are expected to teach the arts in classrooms, current teacher perceptions may differ from curriculum intent. This study examines pre-service teachers’ views through a survey of two Australian universities, analyzing data with descriptive statistics. Findings address beliefs about artists, gallery visits, personal arts engagement, and confidence to teach arts, with recommendations for teacher education, curriculum development, and policy support across Australia.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Teacher Self-efficacy and Perceptions

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 38 | Issue 9 | Article 1 | | --- | --- | 2013 What is the Role oftheArts in a Primary School?: An Investigation of Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers in Australia Narelle Lemon LaTrobe University, [N.Lemon@latrobe.edu.au](N.Lemon@latrobe.edu.au) Susanne Garvis Griffith University, s.garvis@griffith.edu.au Recommended Citation Lemon, N., & Garvis, S. (2013). What is the Role oftheArts in a Primary School?: An Investigation of Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers in Australia. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38 (9). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n9.7](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n9.7) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol38/iss9/1](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol38/iss9/1) Australian Journal of Teacher Education What is the Role of the Arts in a Primary School?: An Investigation of Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers in Australia Narelle Lemon LaTrobe University Susanne Garvis Griffith University Abstract: The arts are an important compulsory subject area in Australian schooling. In 2014, the Australian National Curriculum for the arts is scheduled for implementation . While the arts may be a compulsory subject area and expected to be taught in classrooms by primary school teachers, current perceptions held by teachers may be different to the view held in the Australian National Curriculum . This paper explores the views of pre-service teachers, who will be future primary school teachers. Through the use of a survey, data was collected from two Australian universities to develop an understanding of what pre-service teachers think about the role of the arts in a primary school. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings provide perceptions about the role of artists in schools, visiting arts galleries, current arts engagement in their own lives and confidence levels to teach the arts. Suggestions are provided for teacher education providers, curriculum developers and policy advisors about ways to support and enhance positive perceptions of arts in primary schools throughout Australia . Introduction Arts education is part of the new National Curriculum for Australia. In 2014, it is scheduled for implementation. For successful implementation however, the curriculum in primary school requires teachers to be capable and confident to teach all of the arts areas , who have the necessary knowledge and skills . Beliefs about the teaching of arts education inform a teacher’s capability to teach the arts (dance, drama, media, music and visual arts) . If beliefs are positive, the teacher is more likely to engage with arts experiences in their classroom (Garvis & Pendergast, 2010) . If beliefs are negative, they will either limit the exposure of arts education in their classroom or ignore it all together (Garvis and Pendergast, 2010) . It is for this reason the exploration of teacher beliefs about arts education is important. Many beliefs about arts education are formed during teacher education and from personal and professional prior experience. This paper explores the perceptions of pre-service teachers currently studying to become primary school teachers . Data was collected from two Australian universities to develop an understanding of teacher beliefs across two states via a survey. While the findings from the study cannot be generalised, they provide insights into what some pre-service teachers think about the role of the teacher with arts education . Findings provide information about engagement with artists, visits to arts galleries and museums and engagement with arts experiences in their own lives . An exploration of perceptions is important to support and enhance the teaching of arts education within the Vol 38, 9 , September 2013 1 Australian Journal of Teacher Education Australian landscape. Through an understanding of how

FAQs

What is the focus of the study about arts in primary schools?

The study explores pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the role of the arts in primary schools and how they view teaching arts education.

How were the data and findings developed?

A survey collected data from two Australian universities, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze responses.

Which aspects of arts teaching and engagement are covered in the findings?

Findings address perceptions about artists in schools, visits to arts galleries, engagement with arts experiences in the participants’ own lives, and confidence to teach the arts.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine