Abstract

The Philosophy for Children Program (P4C) is an approach based on philosophical inquiry and discussion. This program aims to help children generate ideas within a democratic "community of inquiry." Reflecting on topics of art and aesthetics constitutes an important component of the P4C program. This study aimed to examine the effect of P4C sessions on children's approach towards aesthetic, art, and music concepts. Designed as a single-group pretest-posttest model, this study was conducted with 15 volunteer children attending secondary education across various provinces in Turkey. Data gathered through Word Association Test (WAT), P4C sessions, and interviews with participants were analyzed using thematic analysis, a qualitative data analysis method. Findings indicated that P4C practices increased awareness regarding art and aesthetics, enriched and deepened expressions, significantly transformed conceptual misconceptions, and had a positive, informative impact on children's artistic ideas.

Keywords: Philosophy for/with children, Aesthetics, Aesthetic inquiry, Art, Music

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Copyright and license

Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite

Çetinkaya, P. R., & Ebesek Büyükuğurlu, T. (2026). The effect of philosophy for children practices on the approaches of children towards aesthetic, art, and music concepts. Education and Science, 51(226), 359-378. https://doi.org/10.15390/ES.2026.2471