Dr. Nurhayat Güneş Aytaç | Visiting Scholar, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. (PST) | Hybrid | Scarfe, Room 1328
*Note: this seminar is Hybrid (attend via Zoom, or join us in Scarfe 1328)
For Zoom details, please email edcp.educ@ubc.ca
View the Seminar Poster
Host | Dr. Anita Sinner
The Seminar recording will be available to view shortly after the event.
Abstract:
This seminar focuses on a study that investigates the learning experiences of medical vocational high school students, using an action research and case study design, in developing empathy and sympathy skills through arts-based practices within the context of intergenerational communication. The study group consisted of a total of 27 students enrolled in the 10th and 11th grades at a Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School located in a district of Elâzığ during the 2023-2024 academic year. The implementation phase lasted a total of eight weeks, covering 16 class hours and approximately 140 minutes of extracurricular activities. Data were collected through various methods, including semi-structured interviews, researcher journals, life writing, and artistic productions. The collected data were analyzed using content analysis. According to the study’s findings, students reported that the practice contributed positively to their learning experiences, helping them learn different techniques, create metaphors, and be original. Through art-based practices, students developed creative and divergent thinking skills, artistic abilities, writing skills, imagination, and self-confidence. Moreover, these practices played a significant role in establishing communication between the students and elderly individuals, helping students to better understand older adults, build empathy, and develop sympathy toward them.
Short Bio:
Nurhayat Güneş Aytaç is a Visiting Scholar in Art Education at EDCP. She is an Associate Professor of Art Education at Ziya Gökalp Faculty of Education, Department of Fine Arts Education, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Türkiye. She received her Ph.D. in Visual Arts Education from Gazi University in 2018. She has two years of teaching experience at middle and high school levels. Her teaching and research interests focus on teacher education, a/r/tography, public pedagogy, and arts-based educational research. In addition, she is interested in the role of art education in intergenerational communication and learning. Nurhayat is also a practicing artist, working primarily in painting across various techniques. Some of her works have received national awards. She is a member of the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA) and the Turkish Visual Arts Education Association (GORSED).
* The Faculty of Education and UBC seek to foster an environment in which respect, civility, diversity, opportunity and inclusion are valued.