This article was published in Teaching and Teacher Education, Vol. 26, Issue 3, Author(s): Dan Davies, “Enhancing the Role of the Arts in Primary Pre-service Teacher Education“, Pages 630-638, Copyright Elsevier (April 2010).
This research explored the impact upon pre-service teachers' orientations towards the arts of a performing arts week within a one-year postgraduate teacher education programme.
There is evidence from a range of data collected before, during and after the week that it had helped to strengthen participants' self-image as artistic individuals who recognise the value of the arts in children's education. Furthermore, the pre-service teachers have enhanced confidence in working with different professionals to teach the arts in a cross-disciplinary way.
Within a climate of compliance, this study suggests that pre-service teachers require such experiences to overcome their fear of curriculum innovation.