Importance of Arts in Education

Will students involved in the arts, in general, do better in school than those who are not?

Will serious arts involvement over

extended periods of time impact future success?

Are there academic skills developed through arts

education?

Hypotheses, Methods, & Demographics

2 yr. National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS)

Methods: Data collected from Stand. Tests, panel studies & observations

25,000 American students in grades 8, 10, & 12

Population restricted to Low SES students

2 yr. Longitudinal case study: Young Talented Program (funded by Champions of Change)

Methods: Interviews, field obs., student self-concept scales & examination of awards/records

23 students from 10 varying New York City Schools (elementary-adult)

11/males/12 females16 AA/5 Latinos/2 Caucasians/ Urban Disadv.

2 yr. study

Methods: Paper & pencil inventories, Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, Self-Disc. Q’s, Environmental Q’s, Teacher Perception Scale, Arts background Q’s, Interviews and Obs.

2,046 public elementary and middle school students from 4-8th grade

28 schools involved/12 extensively/4 case studiesTook place in NY, CT, VA & SC

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER• What type of arts program is being

offered?

• What is the background of the student? (i.e. SES, cultural etc.)

• What is the background of the teacher?

• Are those who are involved in the arts successful because those who are successful involve themselves in the arts?

Studies• Learning In and Through the Arts

StudyBroad spectrum study

Based on numerical and qualitative data (measuring length and range of arts involvement) they categorized students into 2 groups:

Upper ¼= High Arts Group/ Lower ¼= Lower Arts Group

Outcomes: High arts group scored higher than low arts group in creativity and self-perceptions.

Involvement in the Arts & Success in Secondary School Study

Narrow spectrum study

Participants were categorized by socioeconomic status (SES). Four categories are as follows:Low SES Low arts High SES Low artsLow SES High arts High SES High arts

1 portion of the study only focused on low SES groups to eliminate “outside influences” such as family support/opportunities

Outcomes: High arts groups had favorable outcomes over low arts groups

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY&feature=related

Torrance Test of Creative Thinking

Measures:• Creativity• Fluency• Originality• Elaboration• Resistance

to closure

Examples:

17 out of 20 (age 11) Earning a lot of points for elaborateness, expressiveness, vividness, and resistance to premature closure.

15 out of 20 (age 9) Expresses emotion- Recognizing that a shark can be “fierce” isA mature concept for a child

Results from Torrance Test of Creative ThinkingCreative Thinking Abilities

(Burton, Horowitz & Abeles)

Torrance Test of Creative Thinking

0

10

20

30

40

CreativityIndex

Fluency Originality Elaboration Resistance toClosure

High Arts Group

Low Arts Group

Perceptions of Self as a Learner Questionnaire Results

Acadmic General School

Reading Math0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

High Arts GroupLow Arts Group

NELS Comparative Study Results(Catterall, Chapleau, & Iwanaga)

Grade 8 Academic Performance All Students Low SES Students

Earning mostly A’s & B’s in EnglishScore in top 2 ¼ on stand. testsDropping out by grade 10Bored in school ½- most of the time

High Arts Low Arts 79.2% 64.2% 66.8% 42.7% 1.4% 4.8% 42.2% 48.9%

High Arts Low Arts 64.5% 56.4% 29.5% 24.5% 6.5% 9.4% 41.0% 46.0%

Grade 10 Academic Performance

Score in top 2 ¼ on stand. TestsScore in top 2 ¼ in ReadingScore in top 2 ¼ in History/Geo

72.5% 45% 70.9% 45.1% 70.9% 46.3%

41.4% 24.9% 43.8% 28.4% 41.6% 28.6%

Grade 10 Attitudes & Behaviors

Considers community service important-very important

46.6% 33.9% 49.2% 40.7%

Young Talent Program

• Elementary, Middle, and High School• Progressive- Beginning in school and finishing

voluntarily• 3 stages: Novice, Emerger, and Expert (based on

ability)• Data collected though: Interviews, observations, &

collection of stand. Test scores (plus self concept scales)

http://www.ccmsings.org/musicprograms/singforsuccess.php

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