The Effects of Artificial Intelligence and STEAM Applications on Visual Arts Education

This research aims to examine the effects of artificial intelligence and STEAM applications on the academic achievement, attitudes towards the course, and learning retention of ninth-grade high school students in Visual Arts. A pre-test-post-test control group experimental design was used in the study. The research was conducted in a high school located in the Mamak district of Ankara during the second semester of the 2025-2026 academic year. The sample consisted of 60 ninth-grade students selected using a random sampling method. The experimental group included 30 students (16 girls, 14 boys), and the control group included 30 students (15 girls, 15 boys). The application was carried out in six sessions within the scope of the "Art Criticism and Aesthetics" unit. In the experimental group, web-based artificial intelligence and STEAM applications were used for instruction, while traditional teaching methods were applied in the control group. A 25-question achievement test developed by the researcher and the Visual Arts Course Attitude Scale developed by Ayaydın and Özsoy (2011) were used as data collection tools. A retention test was administered two months after the application. The findings initially showed no significant difference in academic achievement and attitude between the experimental and control groups (p>0.05). However, post-test results revealed that the experimental group, where artificial intelligence and STEAM applications were implemented, had significantly higher academic achievement scores than the control group (p