The decline in senior secondary arts enrolments

Welcome to Episode 109 of The Research Files, and I've actually got 2 guests with me today – Professor Sandra Gatenhoff, Academic Lead Learning and Teaching in the School of Creative Arts at Queensland University of Technology, that's QUT of course, and Dr John Nicholas Saunders, Senior Lecturer in Education at Australian Catholic University, that's ACU. Now, their study was featured in the recent Australian Journal of Education (AJE) Special Issue on Arts in Education. In that paper (Gattenhof & Saunders, 2026), they warn the arts and creative sectors here in Australia are facing unprecedented challenges. We're going to be taking a look at what's happening in schools then in relation to that, starting with the declining enrolment numbers in year 12 arts subjects in Australian states and territories, and the implications of that. We'll also be talking about the challenge of out-of-field teaching in arts education and some of those practical supports and solutions for schools. Host: Jo Earp