Doctoral dissertation: Planning art classes with purpose can also develop students’ key competencies
Estonia's national curriculum emphasises eight key competencies, but teachers often hesitate to integrate them into art lessons. In her doctoral thesis, Helen Arov shows how to make key competencies a natural part of the creative process, so that they support both the acquisition of subject skills and the holistic development of the student.
Art teachers consider key competencies to be important, but they are supported in lessons indirectly rather than through deliberately planned activities. This is supported by the fact that curriculum documents often remain vague about the links between the specifics of art education and key competencies, and that guidance is scarce. "Teachers understand that key competencies are important – it's more a question of how to teach them in a meaningful way on a day-to-day basis," says Helen Arov, PhD student at the Tallinn University School of Educational Sciences.
She set out to solve the problem with action research: planning and implementing art lessons in middle school over a period of three years.
Key competencies are developed in the creative process
The eight key competencies reflect the values and goals of the learning approach, ranging from entrepreneurship to self-determination and from cultural awareness to digital literacy.
A process model was developed during the action research to help teachers use the key competencies as a basis for planning learning activities. Analysing the research results, it can be said that the key competencies are not additional competencies that exist outside of the field of art, but that they directly support the achievement of the subject competencies. For example, communication skills can be developed when students discuss their ideas for their work, justify their choices, reflect on the creative process and give each other meaningful feedback. Learning competencies are developed when the creative process involves being aware of goals, planning steps, experimenting and evaluating progress.
How does it work?
Key competencies can be consciously integrated into art lessons if the teacher interprets the curriculum in terms of key competencies and chooses the right working methods and tasks for achieving the goal. It also requires constant reflection – consciously monitoring your own activities and the development of your students.
"Just as important as goal-setting is the reassessment of goals and activities throughout the process," says Helen Arov, speaking from her own experience as both a teacher and researcher. "It takes professional effort and thought, but my action research confirms that this approach makes the learning process more transparent, justified and holistic. The creative process is not just about the end result, but about brainstorming, discussion, experimentation and self-analysis."
The aim is a holistic approach
Thus, the doctoral thesis completed at Tallinn University shows that key competencies do not have to remain a mere list in a curriculum. The research offers a workable approach to how key competencies that have so far remained abstract in art lessons can be transformed into practice in everyday teaching.
Through new knowledge, the thesis creates the basis for an art education where the student learns art techniques as well as how to reflect, discuss and take responsibility for their own choices.
The thesis defence
Helen Arov is a PhD student at Tallinn University’s School of Educational Sciences. Her doctoral thesis is entitled Developing Pedagogy for Supporting Key Competencies in Comprehensive School Visual Art Education.
The public defence of the thesis will take place on 27 March 2026 at 10:00 in Tallinn University Hall M648.
The public can also follow the defence and ask the degree candidate questions through Zoom.
The supervisors of the thesis are Edna Vahter, Associate Professor at Tallinn University and Erika Löfström, Professor at the University of Helsinki.
The opponents are Eve Kikas, Distinguished Professor at Tallinn University and Seija Kairavuori, Senior Lecturer at the University of Helsinki.
The doctoral thesis is available in the ETERA digital environment of the Tallinn University Academic Library.
