Redefining Creativity and Well-being: A Feasibility Study for a New Course at a Small Liberal Arts College in Japan

重新定义创造力与幸福: 日本一所小型文理学院开设新课程的可行性研究

Authors

  • Lee Friederich Akita International University, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5467-2764
  • Yuko Taniguchi University of Minnesota Rochester, Medicine and Arts, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1107-7991
  • Naoko Araki Akita International University, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Japan
  • Naeko Naganuma Akita International University, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Japan
  • Joel Friederich Akita International University, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Japan
  • Kathryn R. Cullen Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB), USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9631-3770

Keywords:

creativity, well-being, positive psychology, students, arts

Article Information

Considering the escalating mental health needs of college students and the stigma surrounding mental illness in Japan, this study explores how creativity impacts student well-being. Eleven students enrolled in an intensive 2-week course participated in the study, completing the Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving (CIT) and post-course interviews. Total CIT scores increased significantly from pre- to post-course (p=0.04). Post-course interviews suggested eight themes, three of which are explored here: safe spaces, redefining creativity, and self-acceptance and self-compassion. The article includes a case study of one student’s learning journey to synthesize quantitative and qualitative findings. This preliminary study finds that creative activities, combined with learning in positive psychology, can help college-level students in Japan achieve a greater sense of well-being.

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Author Biographies

Yuko Taniguchi, University of Minnesota Rochester, Medicine and Arts, USA

Yuko Taniguchi is an assistant professor of Medicine and Arts| Arts in Health at the Center for Learning Innovation at the University of Minnesota Rochester.  She is also the author of a volume of poetry, Foreign Wife Elegy (2004), and a novel, The Ocean in the Closet(2007), both published by Coffee House Press.  She regularly collaborates with artists and healthcare professionals to explore how creative activities lead to self-discovery and healing. 

Naoko Araki, Akita International University, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Japan

Naoko Araki (PhD) is a Professor at Akita International University in Japan. She teaches drama for communication, bilingual education, and English as a global language. Her career as an educational researcher focuses on the use of embodied learning for communication and additional language education. Her long-standing research interest in interdisciplinary approaches has provided scholarly opportunities to theorize everyday language and cultural practices. Her recent work introduces drama pedagogy for wellbeing. 

 

Naeko Naganuma, Akita International University, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Japan

Naeko Naganuma is an associate professor of the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program, also serving as Dean of Students, at Akita International University. Her research interests include integration of wellbeing education into curricula, student community building through experiences in theme-based on-campus residences, teaching reading and vocabulary with technology, and use of self-reflection in classrooms.

Joel Friederich, Akita International University, Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Japan

Joel Friederich is a creative writer and Associate Professor at Akita International University in Japan. His published collections of poetry include Blue to Fill the Empty Heaven (Silverfish Review Press), Without Us, and The Body We Gather. His home is in northern Wisconsin where he is an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire - Barron County.

Kathryn R. Cullen, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB), USA

Dr. Cullen is a tenured Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota, where she directs the Division of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. She leads an NIH-funded research team examining the neurodevelopmental underpinnings of depression, self-injury and suicide risk in adolescents and young adults, and investigating interventions aimed at promoting healthy trajectories in these youth. Lately she has developed a new focus on examining creativity in youth, and exploring creative arts-based interventions as a way to intervene for depression in youth.

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Published

2024-12-28

Cite this article

Friederich, L., Taniguchi, Y., Araki, N., Naganuma, N., Friederich, J., & Cullen, K. R. (2024). Redefining Creativity and Well-being: A Feasibility Study for a New Course at a Small Liberal Arts College in Japan: 重新定义创造力与幸福: 日本一所小型文理学院开设新课程的可行性研究. Creative Arts in Education and Therapy (CAET), 283 – 303. Retrieved from https://caet.inspirees.com/caetojsjournals/index.php/caet/article/view/489

Issue

Volume 10 (2024) Issue 2

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2024 Inspirees International. Creative Arts in Education and Therapy (CAET)