Chang et al. (2025) explore the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into art therapy in nursing education, aiming to enhance students’ empathy and performance in gerontological care. Traditional art therapy courses often engaged students in drawings to foster their empathy and understanding of elderly nursing. However, such approaches have been criticized for their limited effectiveness, as many students lack interest in artwork or confidence in drawing. To address this problem, the authors developed a generative AI-based art therapy approach grounded in the self-directed learning (SDL) model, including three SDL phases: self-management, self-monitoring, and motivation.
The study adopted a quasi-experimental design over three weeks with 65 nursing students enrolled in a gerontological nursing course. Participants were divided into either an experiment group (n = 33) or a control group (n = 32). The experiment group was guided to set learning goals and plans (self-management), use ChatGPT to create artworks and reflect on their progress (self-monitoring), and connect personal experiences and emotions with elder care to foster empathy (motivation). In contrast, the control group received traditional technology-based art therapy instruction. The Instruments included a validated empathy questionnaire and an art therapy performance rubric covering five dimensions: expression, emotional depth, use of color, symbolic meaning, and creativity to evaluate participants’ outcomes.
Findings indicated that the experiment group demonstrated significantly higher empathy scores than the control group (η2 = 0.196). They also outperformed their peers in the control group in art therapy performance, particularly in expression (d = 0.79), use of color (d = 0.81), symbolic meaning (d = 0.91), and creativity (d = 0.51). Epistemic network analysis (ENA) further highlighted stronger connections between expressive and symbolic dimensions in the experiment group’s artworks.
Overall, the study provides evidence that generative AI tools, when combined with SDL strategies, can foster both cognitive and affective growth among nursing students. By supporting empathy development and enhancing creative performance, this innovative approach contributes to preparing future nursing professionals for the challenges of long-term care in aging societies.
Source (Open Access): Chang, C. Y., Wang, P. L., Li, C. J., & Hwang, G. J. (2025). From empathy to quality long-term care: a generative AI-based art therapy approach based on the self-directed learning model. Interactive Learning Environments, 33(5), 3333-3353.