From Resistance to Engagement: A Neuroscience-Informed ARTFUL Framework for Process-Based Arts Interventions

Process-based arts interventions—engaging participants in active embodied creation rather than analysis of completed works—produce more substantive cognitive, emotional, and behavioural change than product-based methods, yet present a significant accessibility challenge: non-artists asked to engage in such practices often respond with resistance, discomfort, and self-doubt, particularly in higher education where embodied learning differs from assumptions about legitimate study formats. This article introduces ARTFUL—a six-stage framework informed by neuroscience research on physiological readiness for learning, cognitive scaffolding, and embodied cognition—which addresses this barrier through progressive pairing of cognitive understanding with embodied experience. The framework was developed iteratively in an exploratory qualitative case study format: earlier course editions employed a three-stage format and the resistance observed motivated the extension of the format. Qualitative data from 24 management students (pre-programme surveys, post-programme semi-structured interviews, creative diaries and reflective portfolios) were analysed thematically. Three self-reported domains of cognitive change emerged: enhanced attention and concentration, increased openness to novelty, and reduced cognitive rigidity. Students moved from initially dismissing embodied methods as inappropriate for higher education to actively integrating them into professional and academic contexts. These findings suggest that systematic scaffolding may support a self-reported shift from initial resistance towards perceived cognitive flexibility, offering a transferable approach for designing accessible process-based arts interventions for non-artist learners.