The visual journal as a way to strengthen students’ ability to self-reflect

Batič, Janja (author), Rojc Črnčec, Natalija (author), Šulin, Nina (author)

Art allows us to look within ourselves, to learn who we are and what interests us. It connects us to our thoughts, our feelings, our perceptions, and our external reality and experiences. Artistic expression enables students to think about themselves and their feelings, take the perspective of another while evaluating their artworks, set goals and organise the course of their creative work. Therefore, it is not difficult to establish a connection between artistic expression and strengthening social emotional competencies. In a study conducted in the 2023/24 school year, a case study explored whether creating a visual journal in the form of an artist’s book can help students recognise their thoughts, emotions and values. In the case study, we included one class of first-year secondary school students, who participated voluntarily, as well as their teacher. We first presented the CASEL model to the students in connection with the artworks of artists whose works deal with topics related to social and emotional competences. The mentor presented the artist’s book in the form of a visual journal as a special artistic form. The students’ task was to think about themselves, their wellbeing, values and actions, and to make real-time reflections on their day with the help of their own visual journal. In their spare time, the students compiled a visual journal over a few weeks, occasionally consulting with the teacher. Data were collected through an analysis of the resulting visual journals, a questionnaire for students and an interview with the teacher.

• Language: English
• Keywords: artistic expression, secondary school, self-reflection, strengthening social emotional competencies, visual journal
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 33–50
• Numbering: Vol. 15, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179293
• UDC: 159.955.4:373.5
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.1997
• COBISS.SI-ID: 243375107

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC-BY 4.0 je naveden na spletni strani revije (https://ojs.cepsj.si/index.php/cepsj/about). (Datum opombe 10. 2. 2026)

• Publication date in RUL: 10.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS Journal: Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vizualni dnevnik kot način za krepitev sposobnosti samorefleksije pri dijakih

Abstract

Umetnost nam omogoča, da pogledamo vase, spoznamo, kdo smo in kaj nas zanima. Povezuje nas z našimi mislimi, občutki, zaznavami ter z našo zunanjo realnostjo in izkušnjami. Umetniško izražanje omogoča dijakom, da razmišljajo o sebi in svojih občutkih, zavzamejo perspektivo drugega pri vrednotenju svojih likovnih del, si postavijo cilje in organizirajo potek svojega ustvarjalnega dela. Zato ni težko prepoznati povezave med likovnim izražanjem in krepitvijo socialno-čustvenih kompetenc. V raziskavi, izvedeni v šolskem letu 2023/24, smo s pomočjo študije primera ugotavljali, ali lahko ustvarjanje vizualnega dnevnika v obliki knjige umetnika pomaga dijakom prepoznati njihove misli, čustva in vrednote. V študijo primera smo vključili en razred dijakov 1. letnika srednje šole, ki so sodelovali prostovoljno, in njihovo učiteljico. Dijakom smo najprej predstavili model CASEL v povezavi z likovnimi deli umetnikov, ki se ukvarjajo s temami, povezanimi s socialnimi in čustvenimi kompetencami. Mentorica je kot posebno umetniško obliko predstavila knjigo umetnika v obliki vizualnega dnevnika. Naloga dijakov je bila razmišljati o sebi, svojem počutju, vrednotah in o dejanjih ter s pomočjo lastnega vizualnega dnevnika razmišljati o svojem dnevu. V prostem času so dijaki nekaj tednov sestavljali vizualni dnevnik, občasno pa so se posvetovali z učiteljem. Podatki so bili zbrani z analizo nastalih vizualnih dnevnikov, vprašalnikom za učence in z intervjujem z mentorico.

• Keywords: likovno izražanje, srednja šola, samorefleksija, krepitev socialno-čustvenih kompetenc, vizualni dnevnik, psihologija, srednješolsko izobraževanje