Start Date
27-8-2012 10:45 AM
End Date
27-8-2012 12:00 PM
Abstract
Concurrent Session Block 1
Recommended Citation
Caldwell, B., & Vaughan, T. (2012, August 27). Transforming education through the Arts : creating a culture that promotes learning [Paper presentation]. 2012 - School Improvement : What does research tell us about effective strategies?. https://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference/RC2012/27august/6
Aug 27th, 10:45 AM
Aug 27th, 12:00 PM
Transforming education through the Arts : creating a culture that promotes learning
Concurrent Session Block 1
Comments
There is persuasive evidence that participation in the arts can have a powerful impact on achievement in other areas of the curriculum and on student wellbeing. We gained a positive view of what is possible in research commissioned by The Song Room (TSR) (Vaughan, Harris & Caldwell, 2011). TSR is a non-profit organisation that provides free music and arts-based programs for children in disadvantaged and other high-need settings. Researchers examined the performance of students in 10 schools in highly disadvantaged settings in Western Sydney, within a quasi-experimental model with three groups of schools 1) longer-term TSR - 12-18 months 2) initial TSR - 6 months and 3) non-participating – control. The schools were a matched set; they scored roughly the same on the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA). Students in eight schools completed the Social-Emotional Wellbeing (SEW) survey designed and validated at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). Students in TSR programs outperformed students in non-TSR schools in school achievement tests and in NAPLAN tests (Caldwell & Vaughan, 2012). The percentage of students absent on a day when TSR programs were offered was higher in non-TSR schools than in TSR schools. The gain in achievement in reading is approximately one year which is a larger effect than achieved in more sharply focused interventions. A higher proportion of student in TSR programs were at the highest levels of SEW and resilience than their counterparts in non-TSR schools.