Integrated Arts Education: Perspectives and Practices of Teacher-Educators and Student-Teachers

Integrated arts education (IAE) promotes authentic interdisciplinary connections, linking the arts with other subjects in meaningful ways. In this intrinsic case study, we explored perspectives of teacher-educators and non-arts student-teacher interns regarding the ways pre-service K-8 classroom teachers are prepared to incorporate IAE into their future instruction. We selected three higher education institutions requiring integrated-arts methods courses in the elementary education curriculum, then interviewed corresponding teacher-educators and surveyed student-teachers. We analyzed interview data inductively and deductively, while conducting cross-case analysis with focused coding. We found that teacher-educators' objectives and instructional activities aligned with their IAE perspectives, student-teachers indicated their intent to create and deliver IAE lessons, and participants highlighted strategies and barriers related to confidence and developing IAE pedagogy. We recommend practical, meaningful instruction that facilitates undergraduate students' arts integration practices and ongoing professional development for in-service teachers in order to promote in-depth interdisciplinary education and highlight authentic arts integration.