The Effect of Art on Attitudes Towards Immigrants: The Case of University Students

Abstract

In the multipolar world, forced or voluntary migration occurs as a result of wars, marginalization and utopias. The migration and migrant situation, which brings along social problems, has turned into a dilemma for countries. In this study, the effect of art education on attitudes towards immigrants was investigated. Can art, which is the common language of societies and cultures, be considered as an important element in the phenomenon of migration? In the 2020-2021 academic year, students studying at the state conservatory, faculty of fine arts and other departments without art education were preferred as the sample in the study. The research was designed according to descriptive and causal comparison design. There was no significant difference in the attitudes of students with and without art education towards immigrants in terms of age, class, and high school graduation variables. However, a significant difference was observed in the fields of music and fine arts in the context of gender variable. It was determined that the attitudes of male students were negative.