Institutional Support for Sustainable Art Education through Material Reuse

Abstract

The sustainable transformation of education increasingly demands systemic approaches that connect environmental awareness, social equity, and creative learning. Art education offers a distinctive context where these dimensions converge through the creative reuse of materials and reflective, participatory practice. This study examines how schools enable or constrain sustainability-oriented initiatives in art education across four European countries—Italy, Latvia, Slovenia, and Türkiye. Drawing on a cross-national, cross-sectional survey with a quantitative descriptive–comparative design, the research uses descriptive statistics and non-parametric group comparisons to analyse teachers’ responses on institutional support and social accessibility. Results reveal significant cross-national differences in organisational conditions, with Slovenian teachers reporting particularly strong leadership engagement and strategic support, and Turkish teachers perceiving high levels of social accessibility in art education. Across all four countries, teachers widely recognise material reuse as an effective way to enhance accessibility for financially disadvantaged students and to promote inclusive participation in art projects. The findings indicate that sustainability in art education relies not only on teacher creativity but also on systemic conditions such as leadership, infrastructure, and community collaboration. The study highlights art education’s dual role in fostering ecological responsibility and social inclusion, offering insights for school development and educational policy.