An Action Research on the Tactile Sense of Materiality and Media Exploration in Diorama-Based Sculpture Classes: Educational Implications Found in High School Studentsʼ Formative Activities

This study examines the educational significance of a high school art class where first-year male students created dioramas with mixed materials. Conducted over four months in the first semester of 2024, the class followed an action research framework. Qualitative analysis of artworks, student reflections, and photographs identified four themes and twelve subcategories from 49 meaning units. Engagement with unfamiliar materials fostered formative thinking, while sensory immersion enhanced expressive exploration. Autonomous planning and making supported visual decision-making and agency. Through three-dimensional experiences, students restructured their perception of art, underscoring the pedagogical potential of material-centered art education to integrate sensory, conceptual, and aesthetic learning.