This is a report of evaluations of four Australian school-based arts programmes. The study addressed the following questions:
- What is the impact of each arts programme on participating students’ academic progress, engagement with learning and attendance at school?
- Are empirical or anecdotal examples of improved learning outcomes substantiated?
- What are the attributes of arts programmes that are of particular benefit to the students?
The study was initiated following a national seminar conducted by the Australia Council in February 2002 and funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Education, Science and Training, the Australia Council and the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. The sites to be investigated were selected as a result of this seminar. They were seen as examples of good practice that might substantiate claims, from overseas studies and anecdotal evidence from Australian programmes, that exposure to the arts provides positive general learning outcomes, particularly for young people who are Indigenous, in remote or regional communities or from disadvantaged backgrounds. The selected sites offered a variety of arts programmes with a focus on drama (at two sites, Youth Arts with an Edge and Arts@Direk) and music (at two sites in the Northern Territory, Boys’ Business and the Indigenous Music Education Programme). There was a range of ages from Year 4 (primary) to Year 10 (secondary) and a diverse range of backgrounds amongst the participating students.
The diversity of sites necessitated a variety of evaluation strategies. Field visits involving observation and interviews with staff and students were undertaken at all four sites. At two schools involved with Youth Arts with an Edge (SCRAYP), participating students and a control group undertook pre- and post- narrative writing tasks and a student questionnaire that measured attitudes to school and reading engagement. At Direk and three schools offering the Boys’ Business music programme, participating students and a control group were compared on their system level results in literacy, numeracy, and writing and in an assessment of the generic Key Competencies of problem solving, communication, planning and organising and working with others.
The outcomes from the study substantiate evidence that involvement in arts programmes has a positive impact on students’ engagement with learning and, for students from Indigenous communities, leads to improved attendance at school (attendance was not seen as an issue at other schools). Attempts to derive hard data for evidence of improvement in academic progress did not produce many significant results. In one case, at Direk, a Year 4 ‘arts rich’ group scored significantly higher than a matched ‘non arts rich’ group on the generic competencies of problem solving, planning and organising, communication and working with others. The small amount of hard evidence relating to academic progress may be because of:
- the relatively brief time-span of this project,
- the fact that some students had participated in an arts programme for only a short time, and
- the diversity of arts programmes and age groups under consideration.
Moreover, the complex and diverse nature of the arts themselves suggests that it is difficult to capture adequately the positive outcomes of arts programmes through conventional correlational studies (Eisner, 1999).
The research showed that the arts programmes which were investigated did enhance students’ potential to engage in learning in the following ways:
- Students’ self-esteem is increased. The programmes help students to feel more confident about themselves and the contribution they can make and this in turn helps them to feel more positive about themselves as learners. In several cases the arts programme provided an environment in which it was safe for both students and teachers to take risks – a precedent for development of initiative and creativity. Related to this, arts programmes often provided students with exposure to positive role models. Of particular note was the remote Northern Territory site where students acknowledged that an Indigenous teacher/musician provided them with an inspirational model. The contribution of the arts to students’ self-esteem was seen to be of particular significance for students from dysfunctional backgrounds and those who suffered from particular disabilities such as attention deficit disorder and autism.
- Students are better able to work co-operatively with others. This involves working together as a team to mount a production (musical or dramatic), learning that each person (including oneself) is an integral member of the team, and learning various social (emotional control/ behaviour management) and communication skills needed to contribute to the team.
- Students learn to plan and set goals and at two sites (SCRAYP and Arts@Direk) recognition of the need for persistence was noted. Students learned that working hard over a relatively long time can be more rewarding than obtaining immediate results. This was summed up by a Year 4 student at Direk who said of drama: ‘It was hard, but it was fun’.
Observations from the literature that successful school arts programmes tend to have strong support from management and tend to be led by a charismatic and inspirational practitioner were borne out by the programmes investigated in this study.
Evidence from the four programmes evaluated suggests that arts programmes that enhance students’ learning have the following attributes:
- Plenty of positive reinforcement: wherever possible, negative behaviour is ignored (unless it interferes with the work of the group). Some kind of ‘time out’ during activities is accepted – students are not forced to join in all the time.
- Students are engaged in ‘authentic’ activities in that they are often working towards a public presentation.
- Consistent procedures and processes (such as use of the drama circle), so that although the content of a lesson might be unfamiliar, the procedure remains constant and therefore familiar.
- Provision of a ‘safe’ environment where risk taking is acceptable and everyone’s contribution is valued. In some cases teachers are taking risks too and openly acknowledge that they are learning along with the students.
The extent to which skills and approaches acquired in arts programmes are transferred to other areas of the curriculum seems to depend to some degree on the school itself. Teachers in SCRAYP schools were doubtful about transferability, whereas at Direk, where there was a ‘whole school’ approach to the arts and the schools were caught up in a process of innovation, there was clear evidence of transferability of processes (for example, use of the disciplined approach of the drama circle in other classes) and skills (for example, students acknowledged that they used planning and goal setting in various contexts). Much of this successful transfer seems to be related to the fact that the mentoring programme at Direk was an integral part of the school programme rather than an ‘add on’, with the ‘mentor’ being a senior member of school staff who could work closely and frequently with those being mentored. Also, the school was particularly receptive to change, being caught up in a surge of interest in the arts and metacognition.
It is difficult to argue that particular features of programmes are unique to the arts, because ‘the arts’ encapsulates such a diverse range of activities. The following features emerged from this study. It could be argued that some of these features might be attributes of other (non arts) school programmes. With this in mind, it can be argued that the arts can provide:
- learning opportunities for students who do not fit the conventional mould of institutional learning. In particular, the opportunities highlight strengths and intelligences that often do not receive a lot of emphasis in other curriculum areas. Weak literacy skills can provide a seemingly insurmountable barrier to learning (a ‘cycle of failure’ was mentioned). The arts provide opportunities for students to start to learn and enjoy learning without experiencing the initial discouragement of having to display weak reading and writing skills.
- particularly tangible experiences of working in a team.
- an opportunity for reflection and constructive criticism. For example, after a performance students can consider: ‘What went well? How could we have done it better?’
- a ‘levelling’ effect – not only what is termed ‘inclusivity’, whereby students who have disabilities or who are socially ostracised for various reasons can be included. In addition to this, the arts provide opportunities for students, parents and teachers to work together on an ‘equal’ level; one does not need to be fully grown or to ‘know’ a lot to participate in arts activities.
- particularly helpful ways of expressing and exploring emotions.
The research reported here is a starting-point for exploring the impact of arts programmes on students’ learning and the attributes of arts programmes that are of particular benefit to students. There are various directions in which this research could be developed.
These are outlined more fully in the conclusion, where it is suggested that the following areas might be investigated:
- the arts as a vehicle for learning in Indigenous communities;
- the conditions needed for transfer of learning processes in the arts to the general curriculum;
- the extent to which involvement in arts programmes may enhance students’ generic competencies and/or employability skills;
- a longitudinal study of the school and career paths of students who have participated in arts programmes that have the positive attributes identified by this study.