Creation of didactic materials at an art academy for children with developmental disabilities involved in equine-assisted learning interventions

Burai, Renata (author), Vuk, Sonja (author), Kutleša, Antonio (author)

This paper presents a practice-based exploratory project focused on the codesign and evaluation of didactic materials for children with developmental disabilities participating in equine-assisted learning interventions. The project was conducted during the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic years through a collaboration between the Art Education Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, the Don Kihot Association and partner organisations. Ten graduate students participated as part of their coursework in the subjects Pedagogy, and Methodology of Fine Arts. The primary aim of the project was to integrate theoretical instruction with artistic practice through project-based learning and gamification, while preparing future teachers to design inclusive didactic materials adapted to the needs of children with developmental disabilities. A secondary aim was to explore how such codesigned materials function in practice during equine-assisted learning sessions. The study adopted a qualitative, practice-oriented approach. Data were collected through student portfolios, teachers’ and collaborators’ reflective notes, and structured evaluation forms completed by practitioners during the application of the didactic materials with three child participants. The project resulted in ten original didactic toys and games. The findings indicate that student engagement and intrinsic motivation increased through real-world, socially relevant design tasks. Practitioner evaluations suggest that the usability and acceptance of didactic toys depend strongly on the child’s specific type of developmental difficulty as well as on task complexity, thus highlighting the importance of adaptability and individualisation. The study contributes to practice-based research in inclusive art education and equine-assisted learning by offering empirically grounded reflections on the design and use of didactic materials.

• Language: English
• Keywords: children with special needs, equine-assisted learning, didactic materials, gamification, project-based learning, inclusive education
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 103-131
• Numbering: Vol. 16, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181454
• UDC: 376
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.2207
• COBISS.SI-ID: 273992963
• Publication date in RUL: 08.04.2026

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: Priprava didaktičnih gradiv na umetniški akademiji za otroke z motnjami v razvoju, vključene v oblike učenja s pomočjo konj

Abstract

Ta članek predstavlja praktično-raziskovalni projekt, osredinjen na sooblikovanje in evalvacijo didaktičnih gradiv za otroke z motnjami v razvoju, ki sodelujejo v oblikah učenja s pomočjo konj. Projekt je potekal v študijskih letih 2022/23 in 2023/24 v sodelovanju med Oddelkom za likovno vzgojo Akademije za likovno umetnost v Zagrebu, društvom Don Kihot in partnerskimi organizacijami. V projektu je sodelovalo deset podiplomskih študentov v okviru predmetov Pedagogika in Metodologija likovne umetnosti. Glavni cilj projekta je bil povezati teoretično poučevanje z umetniško prakso prek projektnega učenja in igrifikacije, hkrati pa pripraviti bodoče učitelje na oblikovanje inkluzivnih didaktičnih gradiv, prilagojenih potrebam otrok z motnjami v razvoju. Drugi cilj je bil raziskati, kako takšna sooblikovana gradiva delujejo v praksi med učnimi urami s pomočjo konj. Študija je uporabila kvalitativni, v prakso usmerjen pristop. Podatki so bili zbrani na podlagi študentskih portfeljev, refleksivnih zapiskov učiteljev in sodelavcev ter strukturiranih ocenjevalnih obrazcev, ki so jih izpolnili učitelji med uporabo didaktičnega gradiva s tremi sodelujočimi otroki. V okviru projekta je nastalo deset izvirnih didaktičnih igrač in iger. Ugotovitve kažejo, da sta se vključenost študentov in notranja motivacija povečali prek nalog iz oblikovanja gradiv, ki so bile realistične in družbeno relevantne. Ocene učiteljev kažejo, da sta uporabnost in sprejemljivost didaktičnih igrač močno odvisni od specifične vrste razvojnih težav otroka ter od zahtevnosti naloge, kar poudarja pomen prilagodljivosti in individualizacije. Študija dopolnjuje v prakso usmerjeno raziskovanje na področju inkluzivne umetnostne vzgoje in učenja s pomočjo konj, saj ponuja empirično utemeljene refleksije o oblikovanju in uporabi didaktičnih gradiv.

• Keywords: otroci s posebnimi potrebami, učenje s pomočjo konj, didaktično gradivo, igrifikacija, projektno učenje, inkluzivno izobraževanje, vzgoja in izobraževanje oseb s posebnimi potrebami, učenje