Art As Insight: Overcoming Language Barriers in Sociological Education

This article discusses the action research conducted by the researcher in the classroom with undergraduate students in India. This research investigated the difficulties associated with teaching sociological topics to students from families with few resources. The language barrier—between their native tongue and English—posed substantial challenges to understanding and engagement among students. To counter this, a creative classroom activity was stressed, using drawing and painting as aids for comprehending complicated social concepts. This method allows students to communicate their perceptions of topics visually. Students produced graphic representations of sociological words, allowing them to express their knowledge beyond the limitations of language. This approach not only promoted creativity but also critical thinking, as students were required to analyse and represent subjects in a manner that was relevant to their actual experiences. The results imply that visual approaches may have a transformational impact on social science instruction, especially in diverse classroom contexts. Creating artwork are effective outlets for discourse and reflection, enabling students to relate own experiences to larger societal frameworks and increase their agency in the actual world. Furthermore, this research emphasizes the possibility for incorporating creative activities into social scientific learning, which may improve both knowledge and recognize sociological ideas. Finally, this initiative emphasizes the significance of visual representation in social science, proposing for a future in which creative techniques coexist with established academic practices, improving the educational experience for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status.