Rooted in Art: Developing an Eco-Integral Art Education Framework for Junior High Students

Abstract

This art-based educational inquiry explores how creative practice can cultivate ecological and spiritual awareness among junior high students through the development of an Eco-Integral Art Education framework. Integrating Wilber’s Integral Theory (IT), Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle Framework (KELC), and Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) within the principles of ABEE, the study positions artmaking as both a reflective and relational act. Conducted within a Catholic school context situated on the traditional lands of Indigenous peoples in Western Canada, the research engaged students in nature journaling, eco-art projects, and contemplative practices that invited learning with, rather than merely about, the natural world. The study was conducted from January to May 2025: eco-art learning experiences took place January–March, journals and artifacts were collected in April following consent and assent, and analysis was undertaken April–May. Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) in dialogue with arts-based research practices, the findings reveal that aesthetic engagement fosters empathy, gratitude, and ecological consciousness, transforming both personal and collective understandings of place. The resulting Eco-Integral Art Education model offers educators a holistic pathway to reconnect spirituality, creativity, and ecology through an integrative and ethically responsive pedagogy.