Mellan skaparglädje och prestationskrav - faktorer i bildsalen som påverkar elevers stressnivå

Sammanfattning

Abstrakt This study examines how the physical, social, and pedagogical learning environments in art education interact with upper secondary students’ experiences of stress and calmness. The study is grounded in previous research on school stress, learning environments, and aesthetic learning processes, highlighting how art classrooms can function both as spaces of recovery and as arenas of performance pressure. The aim of the study is to investigate which factors students perceive as stress-inducing and stress-reducing within art education. The study applies a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collected through a digital survey answered by 28 upper secondary students aged 18–19. The survey included both closed-ended and open-ended questions regarding stress, classroom atmosphere, pedagogical structure, social relationships, and bodily experiences of emotions. The empirical material was analyzed using thematic analysis. In addition to the written data, the study includes a visual and sculptural interpretation of students’ descriptions of stress and calmness. The findings show that time pressure, unclear instructions, performance demands, and graderelated anxiety are central stress factors within art education. At the same time, students describe teacher support, creative freedom, autonomy, and a safe classroom climate as important stress-reducing factors. The results indicate that stress is shaped through an interaction between external demands and students’ perceived ability to manage them. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that art education holds unique potential to support emotional regulation, recovery, and well-being when the learning environment is consciously designed to balance structure, support, and creative freedom.