Promoting student well‐being: Exploring participatory arts in a higher education institution

Abstract

The proportion of students studying in higher education institutions who are experiencing mental health needs is increasing and becoming a serious concern. Using participatory arts projects may be key to enabling students to maintain well‐being despite the pressures inherent in their student role. Therefore, this study aimed to ascertain whether such a course could be feasibly developed within a university setting, and to examine how esthetic experience influences university students' well‐being. To understand the differences in students' esthetic experience and well‐being before and after engaging in participatory art, this study implemented an intervention and collected quantitative and qualitative data. A total of 39 students volunteered to participate in the study. The results revealed that esthetic experience predicted student well‐being, as the more students had an esthetic experience by concentrating on a particular artwork, the more effective it was in terms of enhancing their well‐being. In addition, there was a significant difference between the pre‐ and postintervention, where students' esthetic experience and well‐being improved after completing the art activities. These findings have implications for our understanding of university students' well‐being, as well as the importance of considering participatory art, on its own, as a target for intervention.