Culture Case

This section comprises a relatively large number of studies that describe the educational impact of engaging in arts and culture. Most of the research focuses on children and young people. This includes activity within formal educational settings as well as out-of-school and informal learning experiences.

For more information about this area of research we would advise contacting the Cultural Learning Alliance or visiting ArtsEdSearch (a resource specifically dedicated to research in this area).

The summaries in this category are:

Music lessons enhance IQ while drama increases social skills

This research was conducted by Glenn Schellenberg at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, Canada

Summary

The researchers randomly assigned 144 six year old Canadian children to one of four groups: one received music tuition for the keyboard, another got voice coaching using the Kodaly method, and (by way of contrast) …

By | 16 April 2014 |
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Arts education can help with students' maths ability

This research was conducted by Katharine Smithrim and Rena Upitis

Summary

This paper sets out the results of a major research project examining the impact of the Learning Through the Arts (LTTA) programme in Canada. The LTTA is a model of arts education where professional artists develop a multi-year curriculum of …

By | 10 April 2014 |
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After-school arts programmes can increase the educational attainment of 'at-risk' students

This research was conducted by Trinetia Respress and Ghazwan Lutfi at Florida A&M University, USA [Now at Tennessee State University, USA]

Summary

This paper reports the results of an after-school arts programme in Florida. It attempted to develop the attainment of 'at-risk' African American students. The authors claim that the usual …

By | 10 April 2014 |
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The arts help children with special educational needs

This research was conducted by Christine Y. Mason, Kathlyn M. Steedly and Mary S. Thormann at Mason & Associates, VSA Arts and Educational Links International, USA

Summary

This paper looks at the role of arts education in the life of children with special educational needs. The researchers conducted 34 focus groups …

By | 10 April 2014 |
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Dance can help improve young children’s social skills

This research was conducted by Yovanka B. Lobo and Adam Winsler at George Mason University, USA

Summary

The paper reports the results of an experiment in the US where young children from low-income families participated in a creative dance programme. When compared with a control group, the children in the dance …

By | 10 April 2014 |
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Theatre and performance can improve the social skills of 'at-risk' youth

This research was conducted by Robin Wright, Lindsay John, Ramona Alaggia, and Julia Sheel at McGill University and the University of Toronto, Canada [Now at the University of Windsor, Canada]

Summary

The paper reports the results of a substantial evaluation of a national arts education programme in Canada. The results suggest …

By | 10 April 2014 |
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Theatre programmes can increase children's maths ability

This research was conducted by Mike Fleming, Christine Merrell and Peter Tymms at the University of Durham, UK

Summary

The paper looks at a study conducted on schoolchildren who participated in the National Theatre’s ‘Transformation’ project: it took place in a deprived neighbourhood in east London and was designed to improve …

By | 16 March 2014 |
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Music lessons boost children's self-esteem

This research was conducted by Eugenia Costa-Giomi at the University of Texas at Austin, USA

Summary

The study looked at 117 nine year olds in Montreal, Canada who were not from privileged backgrounds. Half were given a piano at home and music lessons for three years; the other half constituted a …

By | 9 December 2013 |
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Intensive visual arts education improves children's creativity and self-efficacy

This research was conducted by James S. Catterall and Kylie A. Peppler at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA

Summary

The study looked at 179 students aged nine and 10 in Los Angeles and St Louis, USA who received ‘sustained, arts-rich instructional experiences’ led by two visual arts institutions in …

By | 9 December 2013 |
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Drama helps students work better in groups and solve problems

This research was conducted by James S. Catterall at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA

Summary

This paper describes an experiment conducted with children using drama to enhance the acquisition of a range of social skills. The results showed that students who participated in the programme had significantly increased perceptions …

By | 9 December 2013 |
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