Date Approved
8-5-2026
Graduate Degree Type
Project
Degree Name
Education-Instruction and Curriculum: Educational Differentiation (M.Ed.)
Degree Program
College of Education
First Advisor
Dr. Sherie Klee
Academic Year
2025/2026
Abstract
Visual arts education provides meaningful opportunities for students to develop creativity, self-expression, cultural understandings, and social-emotional competencies. However, the K-12 visual arts curricula do not intentionally integrate student choice, cultural responsiveness, and social-emotional learning (SEL) into a cohesive instructional framework, resulting in inconsistent implementation of these components across classrooms. As a result, students may receive varying opportunities to engage in meaningful art-making experiences that help to foster these skills. The purpose of this project was to address this gap by developing a research-based curriculum framework that intentionally integrates student choice, cultural responsiveness, and SEL into K-12 visual arts instruction. The project includes a sample instructional unit demonstrating classroom application of these components and a teacher professional development (PD) guide designed to support effective implementation. By providing visual art educators with practical instructional guidance and implementation resources, this project offers a structured approach for integrating these evidence-based practices into the existing visual arts curricula, which promotes more consistent learning experiences for students.
ScholarWorks Citation
Breiler, Ashley, "How A Lack of Curriculum Framework Impacts the Effectiveness of the K-12 Visual Arts Curriculum" (2026). Masters Projects. 736.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gradprojects/736
