The Visual Journal as a Way to Strengthen Students’ Ability to Self-Reflect

Abstract

Art allows us to look within ourselves, to learn who we are and what interests us. It connects us to our thoughts, our feelings, our perceptions, and our external reality and experiences. Artistic expression enables students to think about themselves and their feelings, take the perspective of another while evaluating their artworks, set goals and organise the course of their creative work. Therefore, it is not difficult to establish a connection between artistic expression and strengthening social emotional competencies. In a study conducted in the 2023/24 school year, a case study explored whether creating a visual journal in the form of an artist’s book can help students recognise their thoughts, emotions and values. In the case study, we included one class of first-year secondary school students, who participated voluntarily, as well as their teacher. We first presented the CASEL model to the students in connection with the artworks of artists whose works deal with topics related to social and emotional competences. The mentor presented the artist’s book in the form of a visual journal as a special artistic form. The students’ task was to think about themselves, their wellbeing, values and actions, and to make real-time reflections on their day with the help of their own visual journal. In their spare time, the students compiled a visual journal over a few weeks, occasionally consulting with the teacher. Data were collected through an analysis of the resulting visual journals, a questionnaire for students and an interview with the teacher.