Abstract
Some students with special educational needs (SEN) may have innate talents or interests in creative disciplines such as art and design. However, these students frequently face obstacles when pursuing a career in these fields. Difficulties and failures diminish these students’ confidence and sense of self-efficacy, in turn affecting their personal development. To tackle these issues, this study explores the possibility of enhancing the strengths in art and design of students with SEN and converting these strengths into relevant design competencies that can benefit their future careers. The study begins with a review of essential topics pertaining to students with SEN: teaching and learning theory, design competency and self-efficacy theory. Hong Kong is then explored as a case study to examine the effects and constraints of current art and design education in special schools and the career prospects for graduates with SEN. The conclusion proposes a potential solution that may considerably benefit these students and involves project-based design sessions for students with SEN who excel in art and design. To help students with SEN realise their potential and make meaningful contributions to the art and design industries, considering factors such as students’ learning styles, career goals, design-related competencies and sense of self-efficacy in addition to their artistic and creative aptitudes is critical.
Keywords
art and design education, design empowerment, special educational need, career development
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.370
Citation
Liu, X., Lau, N., Chuin, A., Reginia, W.K., Ho, A.H., Das, M., Liu, M.,and Kwok, C.(2023) Enhancing design competencies for students with special educational needs for future career development, in De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.), IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.370
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
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Enhancing design competencies for students with special educational needs for future career development
Some students with special educational needs (SEN) may have innate talents or interests in creative disciplines such as art and design. However, these students frequently face obstacles when pursuing a career in these fields. Difficulties and failures diminish these students’ confidence and sense of self-efficacy, in turn affecting their personal development. To tackle these issues, this study explores the possibility of enhancing the strengths in art and design of students with SEN and converting these strengths into relevant design competencies that can benefit their future careers. The study begins with a review of essential topics pertaining to students with SEN: teaching and learning theory, design competency and self-efficacy theory. Hong Kong is then explored as a case study to examine the effects and constraints of current art and design education in special schools and the career prospects for graduates with SEN. The conclusion proposes a potential solution that may considerably benefit these students and involves project-based design sessions for students with SEN who excel in art and design. To help students with SEN realise their potential and make meaningful contributions to the art and design industries, considering factors such as students’ learning styles, career goals, design-related competencies and sense of self-efficacy in addition to their artistic and creative aptitudes is critical.