Harnessing creativity through arts-based research to support teachers' identity development

Although prevalently focused on research-based outcomes (i.e. better understanding of a particular phenomenon, process or experience), arts-based researchers have widely emphasised the transformational potentialities of arts for individuals. In particular, the arts create space for thinking differently and provide opportunities to explore intuitive and emotionally connected ideas that do not rely on words alone. The arts are powerful instruments to activate individual and collective reflection, creativity and ability to approach life situations from different perspectives. Thus, arts are particularly powerful to promote the creative and transformational processes that are essential for professional identity development, including reflection and reflexivity on self. In this paper we aim at conceptualising the high potential of art-based research, as a creative process, for teachers’ identity development. Based on a systematic scientific literature analysis we intend to map the different ways arts can be used to support teachers’ professional identity development while clarifying which transformational and learning processes are involved.