Arts and Culture to Foster Self-determination in Young Adolescent Education

Being in contact with and being offered the opportunity to create art in its various forms has been shown to contribute to young adolescents’ development and flourishing. Indeed, it allows them to develop their innovation and critical thinking skills, while also favouring introspection, awareness, and regulation of their emotions, and building social skills. Through works of art, students are also in contact with pieces that echo their own existential questions and that widen their horizons, which can help further their understanding of the world that surrounds them and themselves. This better understanding, in turn, can fulfil their basic psychological need for self-determination, which has been shown to be beneficial for psychosocial adjustment. Interventions that cultivate self-determination, such as art-based interventions and the use of material culture, also promote citizen engagement and wellbeing in young adolescents. This chapter is divided into two sections and presents results from studies conducted in the province of Quebec, Canada pertaining to: (1) the impact of art-based interventions on young adolescents’ (ages 11–12) mental health and wellbeing; and (2) how the use of material culture can help adolescents (ages 13–15) think critically and foster their self-determination.