More Art Education Facts
First and 2nd grade students who participated in drama to re-create a story they have heard read aloud have greater understanding of the story than those students who only heard the story.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 30
study: Children's Story Comprehension as a Result of Storytelling and Story Dramatization: A Study of the Child as Spectator and as Participant
Pre-writing exercises in drama and drawing significantly improved the quality of narrative writing of second and third-graders.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p.32
study: Drama and Drawing for Narrative Writing in Primary Grades
Ten weeks of in-class drama coaching in a remedial third and fourth-grade classroom helped the teacher and students transform their approach to reading and improve the students' attitude about and success in reading. Dramatic training and expression offered students the opportunity to contribute their own background knowledge and understanding, improve their accuracy and momentum, broaden their understandings and expressive choices, and begin to see themselves as actors, or active readers. That sense of achievement positively affected their self-perception.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, pp. 56–57
study: The Flight of Reading: Shifts in Instruction, Orchestration, and Attitudes through Classroom Theatre
The use of creative drama with fifth-grade remedial reading students to act out stories read in class enables them to better understand what they read and also help them better understand reading they do not act out such as reading exercises found in standardized tests.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 22
study: The Effectiveness of Creative Drama as an Instructional Strategy to Enhance the Reading Comprehension Skills of Fifth-Grade Remedial Readers
Fifth and 6th graders' participation in improvisational drama throughout a school year resulted in greater use of expressive and interactional language skills as well as more traditional classroom informational language skills. Informational language skills involve lower-order thinking skills while expressive language used by these drama participants reveal and develop the ability to speculate, imagine, predict, reason, and evaluate their own learning—or, higher order thinking skills. Interactional language skills were found in students' exchanges with each other and later reflection on interactions. Students' own reflections on the improvisations brought up moral issues, not typical in information-driven classrooms. The authors believe that, "Drama puts back the human content into what is predominantly a materialistic curriculum".
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Developments, 2002, pp. 50–51
study: Nadie Papers No. 1, Drama, Language and Learning. Reports of the Drama and Language Research Project, Speech and Drama Center, Education Department of Tasmania
Creative drama exercises improved learning-disabled students' behavior and speaking skills necessary for success in the classroom. Regular and special education teachers determined which skills were necessary. Learning-disabled students were tested with a comparison group before and after creative drama exercises. Those who received creative drama improved social skills such as courtesy to others, self-control, focus on classroom work and following directions. They also improved their oral expression skills. These benefits were sustained when tested again two months after the end of the creative drama program.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 20
study: The Effects of Creative Drama on the Social and Oral Language Skills of Children with Learning Disabilities
An analysis of many research studies on the effects of classroom drama exercises showed positive effects on language development including written and oral story recall, reading achievement, reading readiness, oral languages development, and writing.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 47
study: Strengthening Verbal Skills Through the Use of Classroom Drama: A Clear Link
High level of involvement in theater co-related to high levels of achievement in reading proficiency. Low socio-economic status (SES) students highly involved in theater outscored the low SES students who were not involved in theater in reading proficiency. The 9 percent advantage of high-theater involved 8th graders grows to a 20 percent advantage by 12th grade.
source: Champions of Change, 1999, p. 14
Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, University of California at Los Angeles
study: Involvement in the Arts and Human Development: General Involvement and Intensive Involvement in Music and Theater Arts
Original writing of plays by high school drama students made them more cooperative and confident learners in terms of valuing their own ideas and valuing their contribution to the group through improved attendance. They also became more active learners in terms of seeking out additional information and insight through library research and group discussions. These confident attitudes and behaviors led to more sustained activities of learning rather than giving up in the face of doubts or complex problems.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 28
study: An Exploration into the Writing of Original Scripts by Inner-City High School Drama Students
Rural highschoolers' writing and presenting of original poetry, with the help of encouraging instruction in both, improved speaking skills, comfort with speaking, and self-image.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 30
study: A Poetic/Dramatic Approach to Facilitate Oral Communication
*Data courtesy of the Americans for the Arts.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 30
study: Children's Story Comprehension as a Result of Storytelling and Story Dramatization: A Study of the Child as Spectator and as Participant
Pre-writing exercises in drama and drawing significantly improved the quality of narrative writing of second and third-graders.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p.32
study: Drama and Drawing for Narrative Writing in Primary Grades
Ten weeks of in-class drama coaching in a remedial third and fourth-grade classroom helped the teacher and students transform their approach to reading and improve the students' attitude about and success in reading. Dramatic training and expression offered students the opportunity to contribute their own background knowledge and understanding, improve their accuracy and momentum, broaden their understandings and expressive choices, and begin to see themselves as actors, or active readers. That sense of achievement positively affected their self-perception.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, pp. 56–57
study: The Flight of Reading: Shifts in Instruction, Orchestration, and Attitudes through Classroom Theatre
The use of creative drama with fifth-grade remedial reading students to act out stories read in class enables them to better understand what they read and also help them better understand reading they do not act out such as reading exercises found in standardized tests.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 22
study: The Effectiveness of Creative Drama as an Instructional Strategy to Enhance the Reading Comprehension Skills of Fifth-Grade Remedial Readers
Fifth and 6th graders' participation in improvisational drama throughout a school year resulted in greater use of expressive and interactional language skills as well as more traditional classroom informational language skills. Informational language skills involve lower-order thinking skills while expressive language used by these drama participants reveal and develop the ability to speculate, imagine, predict, reason, and evaluate their own learning—or, higher order thinking skills. Interactional language skills were found in students' exchanges with each other and later reflection on interactions. Students' own reflections on the improvisations brought up moral issues, not typical in information-driven classrooms. The authors believe that, "Drama puts back the human content into what is predominantly a materialistic curriculum".
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Developments, 2002, pp. 50–51
study: Nadie Papers No. 1, Drama, Language and Learning. Reports of the Drama and Language Research Project, Speech and Drama Center, Education Department of Tasmania
Creative drama exercises improved learning-disabled students' behavior and speaking skills necessary for success in the classroom. Regular and special education teachers determined which skills were necessary. Learning-disabled students were tested with a comparison group before and after creative drama exercises. Those who received creative drama improved social skills such as courtesy to others, self-control, focus on classroom work and following directions. They also improved their oral expression skills. These benefits were sustained when tested again two months after the end of the creative drama program.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 20
study: The Effects of Creative Drama on the Social and Oral Language Skills of Children with Learning Disabilities
An analysis of many research studies on the effects of classroom drama exercises showed positive effects on language development including written and oral story recall, reading achievement, reading readiness, oral languages development, and writing.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 47
study: Strengthening Verbal Skills Through the Use of Classroom Drama: A Clear Link
High level of involvement in theater co-related to high levels of achievement in reading proficiency. Low socio-economic status (SES) students highly involved in theater outscored the low SES students who were not involved in theater in reading proficiency. The 9 percent advantage of high-theater involved 8th graders grows to a 20 percent advantage by 12th grade.
source: Champions of Change, 1999, p. 14
Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, University of California at Los Angeles
study: Involvement in the Arts and Human Development: General Involvement and Intensive Involvement in Music and Theater Arts
Original writing of plays by high school drama students made them more cooperative and confident learners in terms of valuing their own ideas and valuing their contribution to the group through improved attendance. They also became more active learners in terms of seeking out additional information and insight through library research and group discussions. These confident attitudes and behaviors led to more sustained activities of learning rather than giving up in the face of doubts or complex problems.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 28
study: An Exploration into the Writing of Original Scripts by Inner-City High School Drama Students
Rural highschoolers' writing and presenting of original poetry, with the help of encouraging instruction in both, improved speaking skills, comfort with speaking, and self-image.
source: Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, 2002, p. 30
study: A Poetic/Dramatic Approach to Facilitate Oral Communication
*Data courtesy of the Americans for the Arts.