Art Education and Creativity in Midwifery Students

Overview

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of art education on imagination, individual creativity, and state mindfulness levels in midwifery students. The study will be conducted among third-year midwifery students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Selçuk University, Türkiye. A total of 110 students will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Students in the intervention group will receive at least 10 hours of structured art education (basic cross-stitch training) over four weeks, while the control group will receive no additional intervention. Data will be collected before and after the intervention using the Two-Dimensional Imagination Scale, the Individual Creativity Scale, and the State Mindfulness Scale. The primary objective is to compare changes in imagination, creativity, and mindfulness scores between the intervention and control groups. It is hypothesized that students who receive art education will demonstrate significantly higher levels of imagination, individual creativity, and state mindfulness compared to those who do not receive the intervention. The findings are expected to contribute to the development of holistic, student-centered educational strategies in midwifery education.

Midwifery education requires not only clinical competence but also cognitive flexibility, creativity, and the ability to remain attentive and emotionally regulated in complex care environments. Art-based educational interventions have been suggested as potential strategies to enhance imagination, creative thinking, and present-moment awareness. However, quantitative evidence examining these effects in health professional students remains limited. This randomized controlled trial will be conducted among third-year midwifery students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Selçuk University, Türkiye. All eligible students will be invited to participate. After providing written informed consent, participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group using a simple randomization procedure. The intervention group will receive structured art education consisting of at least 10 hours of basic cross-stitch (etamin) training delivered over a four-week period by the researcher. The training will focus on manual artistic practice requiring attention, fine motor coordination, and sustained engagement. The control group will not receive any additional structured activity during the study period. Upon completion of the study, students in the control group will be offered the same art training. Data will be collected at baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately after completion of the intervention (post-intervention). Outcome measures will assess imagination, individual creativity, and state mindfulness levels using validated self-report instruments. To minimize bias, group allocation will be conducted using a random number procedure. Data collection will be supervised by a department assistant, and the researcher will not be present during questionnaire completion. Statistical analysis will be conducted by a blinded statistician using coded group labels. The study aims to determine whether structured art education can significantly improve imagination, individual creativity, and state mindfulness levels in midwifery students. The results may provide evidence to support the integration of art-based approaches into health professional education curricula.