Effect of Art Integrated Learning on Knowledge Retention Ability of Students at Upper Primary Level

The presented research study is related to the study of the effect of art-integrated learning strategies on the knowledge retention ability of students. The main objective was to examine the effect of art-integrated learning strategies on the knowledge retention ability of students. The researcher used an experimental research method to achieve the objectives. The researcher selected RS Public School, Sikandra, Agra governed by CBSE Board, India by Convenience sampling method, and the Random sampling method was used for the selection of class 7, 2 groups (Experimental and Control group). The number of students in both groups (experimental and control group) was equal 35-35. After conducting a pre-test using the Self-constructed Knowledge Retention Inventory to evaluate the knowledge retention ability of students in both experimental and control groups, the researcher taught social science using 20 lesson plans based on Art Integrated learning strategies to the experimental group. Meanwhile, in the control group, the same subject matter was taught by using conventional teaching methods. Afterward, a post-test of the knowledge retention ability of students was conducted by the researcher. In the context of students' knowledge retention ability, statistical analysis was performed on the obtained pre-test and post-test scores. Using the pre-test and post-test scores obtained in the context of students' knowledge retention ability, statistical tests such as mean, standard deviation, and critical ratio were used to examine the significance of Art Integrated learning strategies. Based on the results of the present research study, it was found that the use of Art Integrated learning strategies in teaching has a significant impact on students' knowledge retention ability. Therefore, the hypothesis made in the context of ‘There is no significant effect of Art Integrated Learning Strategies on the Knowledge Retention Ability of students at upper primary level in experimental after treatment.’ has been rejected. Based on the results of this research, it can be said that teachers should use Art Integrated learning strategies in their teaching-learning activities, so that students' knowledge retention ability can be raised to a higher level regarding social sciences, and they can also express their proficiencies in the context of various aspects of education.


Introduction
Nature, art, and science are intertwined.When this union carries within itself harmony, nature manifests its true form, both aesthetically and scientifically, contributing to the development of society.Therefore, when art and science are combined with teaching and learning activities, education inevitably achieves its desired objectives.Furthermore, based on various research studies, it has been proven that art brings vibrancy, enthusiasm, and inspiration to human life.Consequently, any activity which related to human life and that is connected with art becomes imbued with joy, enthusiasm, and reward.It becomes evident that every action related to teaching and learning through art becomes highly influential.As a result, students' interests, awareness, activeness, and engagement with various activities for education are positively influenced.Therefore, every subject taught through art begins to appear fascinating.This is confirmed based on the research study conducted by Shweta (2000).Art Integrated learning is a process that attracts all students and creates an enjoyable learning environment.Through Art Integrated learning, students can develop a greater interest, curiosity, and enthusiasm for most subjects.Art-Integrated learning encompasses both visual and performing arts.Visual arts include disciplines such as painting, sculpture, mural painting, craft work, and architecture, while performing arts encompass music, dance, theatre, and film.Both forms of art lead students toward a better understanding of various concepts and the creation of knowledge.These two types of arts in teaching-learning activities are used in different ways, based on factors such as the nature of the subject, the content, the student's age, abilities, background, lifestyle, society, and the availability of time.Regarding the context of artintegrated learning, an introduction is provided by Siyol Agenda (2010), which is as follows: "In today's world, while there is remarkable progress in the field of technology, there is also an undeniable presence of complex social and cultural injustices.In this rapidly changing world, the education system is struggling to fulfill the needs of students.Art education plays a significant role in the creative transformation of this education system."Therefore, it is evident from this definition that in the process of teaching and learning, along with integrating technology, art also needs to be given a suitable place.Through art-integrated learning, students can engage all their senses collectively, which enhances the possibilities of achieving knowledge at high in both quantitative and qualitative aspects.The direct effect of students' knowledge acquisition relies on their capability of knowledge retention.When students acquire knowledge at a higher level about various subjects, their abilities to retain that implicit knowledge and sustain it for a longer time increase.The term knowledge retention refers to deeply understanding a subject and retaining it in one's memory for an extended period, as well as being able to utilize it correctly when needed.An attempt has been made to clarify knowledge retention through the following definition according to an encyclopaedia: "Knowledge retention refers to knowledge that remains stored in long-term memory and remains available for retrieval when needed."In the context of knowledge retention capacity, different subjects taught in schools have distinct natures.Upon observation by researchers in the context of the social science subject, it was found that generally, students show less interest in the subject of social science.Additionally, the teaching of this subject sometimes also becomes monotonous.Students show a lower level of engagement and participation in the internal activities related to the subject matter conducted in different classes.The low level of interest among students not only affects their present achievement and performance but also hurts their future utilization of the subject when it becomes necessary.On the other hand, in various types of competitive examinations, the social science subject holds a significant important place.Generally, it has been observed that due to this subject, students are unable to perform well in various competitions and many achievements that could be obtained in the future remain out of their reach.Most of the time, when studying social science subject, students are physically present in the classroom but mentally absent.To reduce this mental absence among students, incorporating art in education is an excellent tool because art provides individuals with mental happiness, tranquillity, and peace.Wherewithal in the context of the social science subject, students' participation tends to increase in positive manner at a higher level.In this regard, it is also mentioned in the NCERT module that through the integration of art in education, students remain more actively engaged and contribute at a higher level in the teaching-learning process.Jonathan Lilledahl (2018) has also clarified that art-integrated education helps in leading teaching and learning in a positive direction.Therefore, it becomes the responsibility and duty of all subject teachers to make efforts to incorporate art-integrated education in their teaching-learning activities.This would elevate the level of students' interest, engagement, knowledge acquisition, memory retention, and creativity in all subjects, enabling them to internalize the subject matter in a way that they can effectively utilize it whenever needed in the future.The UNESCO document (2000) emphasizes that "art should be established as a compulsory subject for school education.They state that art education should be given the same recognition as science, physical education, and social sciences."This definition also makes it clear that art education assists in bringing about a positive and transformative impact on students' personalities.Therefore, it can be said that if teachers utilize influential subjects like art to make the teaching of every challenging subject impactful, not only will the teaching of that particular subject become effective, but it will also enhance students' interest, creativity, activity, and future utility in that subject, thereby increasing the likelihood of positive effects.Through the present research study, information was obtained regarding the use of art-integrated learning in teaching to enhance students' knowledge retention abilities.It was observed that the implementation of art-integrated learning in the context of social sciences had a positive impact on students' knowledge retention abilities and also contributed to their future utility.As a result, the research fulfilled the generated curiosity in the mind of the researcher, which was aimed at understanding the following aspects: • Have art-integrated learning effects on the teaching of social sciences subject?
• Does this art-integrated learning affect students' knowledge retention abilities?

Statement of the Problem
A Study on the Effect of Art Integrated Learning on Knowledge Retention Ability of students in Social Science subject at Upper Primary Level.

Objectives of the Study
1. To develop teaching-learning material on the bases of Art Integrated Learning of social science subject for upper primary level.2. To compare the Knowledge Retention ability of students at the upper primary level in the experimental and control group before treatment.3. To compare the Knowledge Retention ability of students at the upper primary level in the experimental and control group after treatment.4. To study the effect of Art Integrated Learning on the Knowledge Retention ability of students at upper primary level in the experimental group after treatment.

Hypothesis of the Study
1.There is no significant difference between Knowledge Retention ability of students at upper primary level in the experimental & control group before treatment.2. There is no significant difference between Knowledge Retention ability of students at upper primary level in the experimental & control group after treatment.3.There is no significant effect of Art Integrated Learning on the Knowledge Retention ability of students at upper primary level in experimental groups after treatment.

Delimitations of the study
The present research study was conducted under the following delimitations -1.The study was delimited to Agra City only.
2. The study was confined to a Government Intermediate school governed by the Uttar Pradesh government.3. The study was conducted on 7th-class students.4. The study was delimited to social science subject only.

Variables of the Study
The researcher selected the following variables for the present research study -  Control Group 35 Conventional Teaching Methods were used for teaching social science subject.

Sample of the study
The population for the present study was the students of class 7th or early adolescence developmental stage.The researcher used the Convenience sampling method of the probability sampling method for the selection of school for experiment.Therefore, RS Public School, Sikandra, Agra was selected by convenience sampling method for the present study.Further, students of Class 7th had selected by the random sampling method of the Probability sample selection method.The researcher had created 2 groups by fixed random sampling method.one group as a control group and second group as an experimental group for the experimental research.Both groups had 35-35 strength students enrolled in.Therefore, total of 70 students were selected as the sample of the study.

Experimental Method
Sampling Method

Teaching-Learning Material through Art Integrated Learning -
The researcher developed 20 lesson plans using Art integrated learning strategies for teaching social science at the upper primary level.These plans were administered in the experimental group, and every activity in the teaching-learning process was based on Art integrated learning strategies prescribed for the 7th-grade social science curriculum by the CBSE Board.

Knowledge Retention Inventory -
The Knowledge Retention Inventory (developed by researcher) was utilized in this study to assess the Knowledge Retention ability of the students.

Analysis and interpretation 1. To develop teaching-learning material on the base of Art Integrated Learning of social science subject for upper primary level.
In the present research study, twenty lesson plans have been developed based on Arts integrated learning for the seventh grade in the context of social sciences.These lesson plans include various types of activities and teaching aids based on the Art integrated learning.In all these lesson plans, a description of the activities, supplementary materials, teaching methods, techniques, teaching aids, etc., used by researcher in the context of Art integrated learning, is presented in the following table.

Questionanswering
Based on the above table, it can be said that the use of various activities of Arts integrated learning can make education more effective.Furthermore, through the implementation of these Art integrated activities, the interaction between teachers and students can be enhanced in each class, and by using these teaching methods, techniques, Strategies, etc students can understand the subject matter in a highly impactful manner.This is because these activities involve multiple sensory aspects for students, which leads to a more profound understanding of the content.As a result, studying through these different activities of Arts integrated learning helps students comprehend the subject matter to a great extent.

To compare the Knowledge Retention ability of students at the upper primary level in
experimental and control group before treatment.The description of the data collected by the researcher for the study of the aforementioned objective is provided in Table 3.The overview of the above table clearly indicates that the knowledge retention ability of students in both experimental and controlled groups is below the average level before given intervention.Furthermore, in the context of the aforementioned objective, based on the analysis of the value of critical ratio between both group's accumulated knowledge retention data before the intervention, it shows that there is no significant difference at the 0.05 significance level in the knowledge retention ability in between the students of both groups.Therefore, it can be confidently stated that both groups are similar in the context of knowledge retention.Thus, students from both the experimental and controlled groups exhibit similarities in their understanding of any knowledge.Based on this foundation, it can be asserted that there is no significant difference between the experimental and controlled groups, which allows the use of the parametric statistic for comparing the values of these two groups.Therefore, the hypothesis made in this context, 'There is no significant difference between Knowledge Retention ability of students at upper primary level in the experimental & control group before treatment' is accepted.

3.
To compare the Knowledge Retention ability of students at the upper primary level in the experimental and control group after treatment.The description of the data collected by the researcher for the study of the aforementioned objective is provided in Table 4.The above table indicates a significant difference in the knowledge retention ability of upper primary level students in both experimental and controlled groups after receiving treatment, with a significance level of 0.01.Table 4 further supports this observation by showing that the knowledge retention ability of students in the experimental group improved after learning through Art integrated learning strategies, while no such changes were observed in the control group.
Based on these findings, it can be concluded that Art Integrated learning strategies used in teaching can make certain subject matter more clear, interesting, attractive, focusing, effective, enthusiastic, and motivating for students, thereby this Art Integrating learning is positively impacting their mindset towards those subjects.This positive impact can increase knowledge retention ability for certain subjects and subject matter.Such efforts can also provide positive motivation and energy for students to learn, leading to positive impacts in other areas of learning.Therefore, it can be said that if teachers use Art Integrated learning strategies in their teaching, then there will be a possibility of a positive impact in other areas of learning along with the knowledge retention ability of the students in the future, which effect to students all learning activities.This conclusion is supported by research studies conducted by Hardimana (2019), Zhang & Jia (2022), Miller & Bogatova (2018) which demonstrate that Art Integrated learning strategies positively affect students' Memory of science content, language learning performance and satisfaction of ethnic minority students and students' engagement and learning habits in learning.Therefore, using Art Integrated learning strategies in teaching has the potential to positively impact students' knowledge retention ability.Therefore, the hypothesis made in the context of this objective 'There is no significant difference between Knowledge Retention ability of students at upper primary level in the experimental & control group after treatment' is rejected.

4.
To study the effect of Art Integrated Learning and conventional teaching method on the Knowledge Retention ability of students at upper primary level in the experimental and control group after treatment.The objective of this study was to analyse the values of pre-test and post-test scores of both groups using several statistical techniques on collected data.In order to examine the effect of Art Integrated learning on the knowledge retention abilities of the students in the experimental group, the researcher compared the pre-test and post-test values of knowledge retention ability among the students in the experimental group by using critical ratio.These results have been presented in Table 5.  2022) studied the visual art integrated teaching on language learning performance and satisfaction of ethnic minority students and found that it has a positive influence on all these aspects.The null hypothesis, which stated that There is no significant effect of Art Integrated Learning on the Knowledge Retention ability of students at upper primary level in experimental groups after treatment, is rejected based on the observed significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group at the 0.01 level of significance.This implies that the use of art-integrated learning strategies can bring about positive changes in the students regarding various scholastic, co-scholastic activities and psychological variables.Some studies have found that the effectiveness of art integrated learning strategies may depend on a variety of factors, such as the developmental stage of the students, teaching subject, topic, facilities provided by the school, and the specific strategies being used.However, it is generally agreed upon that art-integrated learning strategies can help students engage with the teaching-learning activities in a more meaningful way and promote correlation between different concepts effectively.This can lead to deeper learning and a greater understanding of the subject matter and enhance the student's capabilities in performing various task performance.
In addition, Art integrated learning can help students with their physical activities, and emotional state, which is essential for their success in the classroom and beyond.Overall, when teachers use artintegrated learning strategies in their teaching, they can help their students to enhance their ability of knowledge retention in the context of various aspects by providing them with various ways of art integration.This includes creating engaging and stimulating learning environments, using effective teaching techniques, and providing support and guidance when needed.Therefore, researcher can able to said that teachers should use art-integrated learning strategies in their teaching work, as it has a direct impact on the knowledge retention of their students.By doing so, teachers can help their students to develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life, both academically and beyond.

Finding and Conclusion
The results of this research show that the use of Art integrated learning strategies by teachers in their teaching has a positive impact on the knowledge retention ability of students.Therefore, it can be said that in order to enhance the knowledge retention ability of students, teachers should use art integrated learning strategies in their teaching specially for social science.This is because when knowledge retention are high, there is an increased likelihood that the level of education in the country will also rise, which can be seen to have an impact on various activities of students and school.Confirmation of this fact is also based on research studies conducted by Mohalik & Basu (2020), Miller & Bogatova (2018), Mariale & Hardimana (2019) & Zhang & Jia (2022) researchers it is confirmed that Art Integrated learning is extremely effective in enhancing the conceptual understanding in geography of students, students' lesson learning ability, memory of students regarding science and on language learning performance and satisfaction of ethnic minority students, students' academic behaviors and actions, to enhance their performance in various aspects.
In addition, knowledge retention ability also affects various academic activities of students, and when a student's knowledge retention ability is high regarding social science, there is a greater possibility of economic and social development in our country in the context of various professions, especially for IAS, IPS, UPSC, UPPCS, SSC etc.Therefore, keeping in mind the fact that "the development of the country takes place in the classrooms of the country," teachers should use Art Integrated learning strategies in their teaching to enhance the knowledge retention ability of students.This will make their teaching more effective, and students will be able to enhance their performance and contribute to various activities during educational learning and whole life, while understanding the subject matter in a practical way with interesting and attractive form.

Suggestions For policymaker
Policymakers should ensure that teachers at every level of education are made aware of the principles and strategies of Art Integrated learning through various workshops, seminars, conferences, and other training programs.Additionally, practical information related to these concepts should also be provided to teachers so that they can make meaningful use of them in their classrooms.

For Principal/institutional authority
The principal or institutional authority of the school should organize various Inservice programmes for example workshops, seminars, conferences, and training programs related to providing knowledge about Art Integrated strategies to teachers in their school.This will keep the teachers informed about the strategies from time to time for enhancing teaching effectiveness and increasing the involvement of students in various teaching-learning activities.Additionally, they would be able to improve their teaching based on Art Integrated learning according to changing social situations, circumstances, student's abilities & capabilities, facilities provided in the schools.The principals should provide teachers with high-quality books (for various subjects), computer and internet facilities, teaching aids, material for making visual aids, musical instruments for drama and music integration, an appropriate environment for learning, proper storage facility etc in their school premises.Furthermore, principals should provide necessary arrangements for teachers to teach through various Art Integrated learning strategies in each classroom.

For Teachers
• Teacher should incorporate the use of art-integrated learning in their teaching activities to make their teaching more impactful.In this context, teachers should use various forms of art, such as drawing, clay, sculpture, mural painting, drama, music, theatre, puppetry, etc. • Teachers should encourage the active participation of students in the designated activities related to art-integrated learning in the classroom.This can positively impact students' conceptual understanding, knowledge retention ability, learning performance, learning outcomes, and other psychological factors, as well as provide teachers with personal satisfaction, resulting in higher performance levels in their schools.• Teachers should also consider incorporating various art forms into different teaching methods and creating diverse teaching aids to make the educational process highly effective.• This approach will help students perceive the educational activities as highly engaging and allow them to actively contribute to their learning.• Teachers can use drawing to clarify subject matter in their teaching activities and create various teaching aids, which have a positive impact on students.
• To enhance the effectiveness of their teaching, teachers can incorporate performing arts into their classes by using various masks and types of puppets.• During the teaching process, teachers should use clay in various activities to develop students' eyehand coordination skills.This will not only increase students' interest in the subject matter but also enable them to comprehend it in different logical ways In this regard, teachers should analyse each topic of their subject based on the principles of Art Integrated learning, and use AIL strategies to make teaching and subject matter more effective.

For students
• Students should actively contribute to the arts used in teaching by teachers.This will enable them to internalize the subject matter explained by the teacher and apply it practically in their lives.• Students should actively participate in the development of lessons by assisting teachers in the various forms of art used in teaching.• If teachers incorporate drama into their teaching, students should enthusiastically participate by attentively listening to the teacher's prior instructions and then performing the drama with enthusiasm.This will bring liveliness to the teaching process.

For Parents
In this context, parents should also contact teachers to learn various teaching-learning methods for effective teaching and use them when teaching their children at home.Additionally, based on these teaching methods, parents can provide various facilities to their children at home, so that their understanding and knowledge retention ability can take a positive shape in the future.Therefore, if the teaching-learning process is effective, children will be able to easily determine their future in today's competitive society.Parents should provide various facilities to their children such as various subjectrelated materials, various games, books, household items for experimental, and practical use of theoretical knowledge, etc. Parents should acknowledge and value the efforts of teachers who incorporate art-integrated learning into the classroom.They should actively support and encourage their participation in exhibitions organized by teachers to showcase various teaching aids and activities.

For Society
In the context of Art Integrated learning, social workers and social activists who contribute to various activities in society should incentivize and reward teachers (in the context of the implementation of artintegrated learning in classroom teaching) to encourage them, and those teachers who tirelessly strive to make their teaching effective should be provided with promotions, awards, and other forms of recognition as a means of motivation.

Conclusion
Therefore, based on the result of the presented research study, it becomes evident that incorporating artintegrated learning into teaching is an exceptionally effective practice, as students actively show their participation, resulting in a highly effective learning process.Additionally, Art Integrated learning strategies increase student involvement and interest in educational activities, positively impacting their knowledge retention ability.Therefore, teachers should meticulously select from various forms of artintegrated learning based on the nature of their subject and curriculum.They should use these activities diligently to make classroom teaching more effective.In this context, school administrations should support and appreciate the efforts of teachers.
The use of art-integrated learning in schools will elevate the level of knowledge retention ability among engaged students, enabling them to effectively apply learned subject matter in the future.In the context of social sciences, it is observed that students generally have a lower level of knowledge comprehension and retention, which often leads to them quickly forgetting the subject matter they have learned.
However, this will be positively impacted by art-integrated learning, allowing students to retain and effectively apply their knowledge in various competitions where proficiency in social sciences is required in the future such as IAS, IPS, UPSC, UPPCS, SSC etc.Additionally, art-integrated learning can help address the fear that students often associate with social science subjects.It can effectively alleviate these concerns, leading to a more confident and engaged student.
It is clearer when Art Integrated learning strategies are used in teaching and learning activities, various activities related to the knowledge retention abilities of students are also positively influenced, and students exhibit positive behaviour toward learning.Based on this research study, it can be said that teachers should use Art Integrated learning strategies in their teaching-learning process to increase students' knowledge retention abilities and make the learning process more meaningful.

Figure 1 DifferentFigure- 2 .
Figure 1 Different Types of Variables of the Study

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Sample of the study

Table - 5. Pre & Post-test Mean, Standard Deviation, and Critical Ratio value of Knowledge Retention ability of students in the experimental and control groups at the upper primary level Types of Groups Pre Test Post Test df
As is depicted in Table5, it is evident that there is no significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of knowledge retention ability of the students in the control group at 0.05 level of significance.Upon reviewing the aforementioned table, it is evident that a noticeable difference exists between the pre-test and post-test values of knowledge retention ability.Furthermore, table 5 indicates that the mean value of knowledge retention of the students prior to the test was below average.However, following treatment, the mean value of knowledge retention of the students improved to the average level.Based on the observed results and the comparison of pre-test and post-test scores in the experimental group, it can be concluded that the use of Art Integrated learning strategies in teaching-learning activities has a positive and significant impact on the knowledge retention ability of students at the upper primary level.
This finding is consistent with previous research studies conducted by Mariale & Hardimana (2019), Zhang & Jia (2022), Miller & Bogatova (2018).They also found positive effect on various learning activities as similar results.Based on the results of Mohalik & Basu (2020) research, it is confirmed that Art Integrated learning is extremely effective in enhancing the conceptual understanding in geography of students.Similarly, Miller & Bogatova (2018) found in their research that Art Integrated learning positively affects students' lesson-learning ability.According to Mariale & Hardimana (2019) research study, it is evident that Art Integrated learning positively affects the memory of students regarding science.Zhang & Jia (