Arts Teacher Education in Lithuania: Aspects of Postgraduate Arts Education Research

Learning paradigm which takes stronger positions in contemporary education practise orients teacher to be a consultant, adviser, assistant, as well as a researcher ready to apply evidence based teaching. To prove acquired research competence on a Master's level future arts teachers have to perform arts education research. Our purpose in this study is to reveal field of arts education problems and research methods which postgraduates choose for their research as well as tendencies of these choices. Seeking to answer these questions methods of literature review and content analysis of one hundred thirty one final arts education Masters’ thesis were applied. The results of the research show wide range of pedagogical problems which interest future arts teachers: attitudes and motivation for artistic activities, formal arts education, arts teacher education and competences, arts for people with special needs, etc. Tendecies of research methods shift from quantitative towards qualitative including interviews, observation, action research, case study, etc. In conclusion it can be stated that future arts teachers despite pecularities of art branches (music, dance, theater, visual arts) are interested in similar arts education problems which they look at through qualitative research lens and by this showing interest in improving quality of education.