Mediation processes in art education

The present research aims to discuss mediation processes in the art education practices. It analyses how students access and assimilate art knowledge in the learning environment. Furthermore, this research stresses the importance of the mediating elements in the process of transferring knowledge and the values being mobilized in art at a classroom level. To do so, a high-school student group, from 16 to 18 years old, at the Rotterdam International Secondary School was investigated. Using an ethnomethodological approach, the data collected through documental analysis, participant observation and interviews revealed there is a considerable gap between what is proposed by art education theorists, the theoretical framework guiding the school and how art education is performed in its practice. In addition, the findings demonstrate the great importance the mediator carries in the process of approximating students to art, being able to influence the way they perceive, engage in and relate to the subject.