Education and Youth Development Research

Education and Youth Development

A sampling of recent research, organized chronologically, with links after each finding for you to read more.

Frequent arts engagement enhances flourishing in young people by improving social wellbeing, helping them feel like an integral part of a positive community.

Citation: Bone, J.K., Bu, F., Sonic, J. K., & Fancourt, D. (2023). Longitudinal Associations Between Arts Engagement and Flourishing in Young Adults: A Fixed Effects Analysis of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 4, 131–142. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42761-022-00133-6

Engaging in a wider range of arts and cultural activities in mid-adolescence was associated with fewer reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors and better self-control.

Citation: Bone, J. K., Bu, F., Fluharty, M. E., Paul, E., Sonke, J. K., & Fancourt, D. (2022). Arts and Cultural Engagement, Reportedly Antisocial or Criminalized Behaviors, and Potential Mediators in Two Longitudinal Cohorts of Adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51, 1463–1482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01591-8

Enrollment in arts courses at school has positive impacts on students' attendance records, enthusiasm for their school, and engagement in learning.

CITATION: Bowen, D. H., & Kisida, B. (2021). The arts advantage: Impacts of arts education on Boston students. EdVestors.

Participation in the arts can help more privileged youth become aware of injustice and more marginalized youth take action against injustice in their communities.

CITATION: Ibrahim, D.A., Godfrey, E.B., Cappella, E. et al. (2021) The Art of Social Justice: Examining Arts Programming as a Context for Critical Consciousness Development Among Youth. J Youth Adolescence.

Attending live theatre improves empathy, changes attitudes, and leads to pro-social behavior, such as increased donating to charity.

CITATION: Rathje, S., Hackel, L., & Zaki, J. (2021). Attending live theatre improves empathy, changes attitudes, and leads to pro-social behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 95, 104138.

Dancing can expand teenagers’ understandings of the elements of particle physics.

CITATION: Cromwell, F., Champion, D., Steele, M, and Wright, T. (2020). “Embodied physics: Utilizing dance resources for learning and engagement in STEM.” Journal of the Learning Sciences.

Students who went on arts-based field trips showed greater tolerance for people with different opinions, had fewer behavioral infractions, attended school more frequently, scored higher on their end-of-grade exams, and received higher course grades.

CITATION: Erickson, Heidi H., Angela R. Watson, and Jay P. Greene. (2020). An Experimental Evaluation of Arts Field Trips. (EdWorkingPaper: 20-284). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University.

Performing arts education had a positive impact on academic achievement and arts-based performance contributed to a positive racial identity for African American males.

Walton, C.W. “It Just Made Me Want to Do Better for Myself”: Performing Arts Education and Academic Performance for African American Male High School Students.” International Journal of Education & the Arts, V. 21 No. 13 (2020): 1-42.

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High school students who participated in school music programs earned higher test scores in math and science and were, on average, more than a year ahead of their peers academically.

CITATION: Guhn, M., Emerson, S. D., & Gouzouasis, P. (2019). A population-level analysis of associations between school music participation and academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology.

Students with an arts elective in middle school had significantly higher GPAs and math and reading scores and fewer school suspensions than students not exposed to the arts.

CITATION: Winsler, A., Gara, T. V., Alegrado, A., Castro, S., & Tavassolie, T. (2019). “Selection into, and academic benefits from, arts-related courses in middle school among low-income, ethnically diverse youth.” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.

Arts-learning experiences benefit students in terms of reductions in disciplinary infractions, increases in compassion for others and improvements in writing achievement.

CITATION: Bowen, D. and Kisida, B (2019). Investigating Causal Effects of Arts Education Experiences: Experimental Evidence from Houston's Arts Access Initiative. Research report for the Houston Independent School District.

Children at an arts-integrated Head Start preschool showed greater gains in school readiness compared to their peers who did not have arts education.

CITATION: Brown, Eleanor D., Mallory L. Garnett, Blanca M. Velazquez-Martin, and Timothy J. Mellor (2018) & The Art of Head Start: Intensive Arts Integration Associated with Advantage in School Readiness for Economically Disadvantaged Children & Early Childhood Research Quarterly 45: 204-214.

Early childhood music training can lead to associated improvements in both musical skills and language skills.

CITATION: Sean Hutchins (2018), Early Childhood Music Training and Associated Improvements in Music and Language Abilities, Music Perception (2018) 35 (5): 579–593.

Arts activities in early childhood are associated with positive outcomes, such as pro-social skills, cooperation, independence, emotional regulation, and reductions in negative behaviors.

CITATION: Menzer, M. (2015). The Arts In Early Childhood : Social and Emotional Benefits of Arts Participation a Literature Review and Gap-Analysis ( 2000-2015 ). The Arts in Early Childhood.

Speaking and listening skills for English Language Learners improved significantly after weekly hour-long theater and dance lessons were integrated into the kindergarten curriculum.

CITATION: Brouillette, L., Childress-Evans, K., Hinga, B. & Farkas, G. (2014). Increasing the school engagement and oral language skills of ELLs through arts integration in the primary grades. Journal of Learning through the Arts, 10(1).

People who are involved in prison art programs are more successful at reentry and have lower rates of recidivism. There is a strong correlation between arts education and self confidence, motivation to pursue other educational and vocational programs, and self-discipline to manage time more efficiently and effectively.

Citation: Brewster, L (2014) The Impact of Prison Arts Programs on Inmate Attitudes and Behavior: A Quantitative Evaluation. Justice Policy Journal. Volume 11, Number 2.

Children at an arts-integrated preschool showed greater observed positive emotions and greater growth in emotional regulation than peers attending non-arts preschool.

CITATION: Brown, E. D., & Sax, K. L. (2013). “Arts Enrichment and Preschool Emotions for Low-Income Children at Risk.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 68:337-346.

Arts based curriculum improves cognitive development which promotes “vocabulary development, reasoning, comparing & contrasting, abstraction, integration of concepts, and conceptual development.

CITATION: Baker, D. (2013). Art Integration and Cognitive Development. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 9(1), n1.

Low-income high school students who are highly engaged in the arts are more than twice as likely to graduate college as their peers with no arts education.

CITATION: Catterall, J. S. (2012). The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies. Research Report# 55. National Endowment for the Arts.

A study of first-grade students revealed that participation in dance-integrated reading lessons led to greater improvement in reading comprehension.

CITATION: McMahon, S., Rose, D., & Parks, M. (2003). Basic reading through dance program: The impact on first-grade students’ basic reading skills. Evaluation Review, 27(1), 104.

Learners can attain higher levels of achievement through their engagement with the arts. Learning in and through the arts can help “level the playing field ” for youngsters from disadvantaged circumstances.

CITATION: Fiske, E. B., Editor (1999). Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning. A report by the Arts Education Partnership and the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Photos: Youth Arts Program at the Bechtler Museum; MyLoan Dinh’s “Collective History” at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation

A review of further research