Integration of Theatre Arts into Primary Education - Annotated Bibliography Example

 The integration of arts in primary education can be of enormous importance to the education system. Theatre arts provide a valuable tool for children to understand and be able to practice different skills other than what is academic. Integration of arts improves the cognitive skills of young children. It relates to curricular movements in schools. There is a lot of documentation to support the integration of theatre arts into primary education. This research discusses many of those evidential reports in support of integration. It gives their conclusions as well as their effects to the research on this topic. Deasy, Richard, et al. Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development. Washington, DC: Arts Education Partnership, 2002. In this article, the authors identify how the integration of arts helps learners gain success. This has a positive impact on the performance of students. Theatre arts are crucial in helping the pupils understand ideas, thoughts and feelings. It examines the relationship between these aspects of life to pupils. The report also identifies music and drama as having considerable impact on improving the comprehensibility capabilities of the students. These activities help to give the students a break from the academic work. Through breaking, the students can continue with their studies in a more relaxed atmosphere. Mia, Keinanen, Lois Hetland, and Ellen Winner. “Teaching Cognitive Skill through Dance: Evidence for near but Not Far Transfer.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 34. 3-4 (2000): 295-306. The authors of this article review the effects of dance instructions on students of primary school. Students who receive dance instructions, when compared to those who do not, posses better cognitive skills. The experimental research carried out forms the base of this article. Grouping of students creates a research population by not giving dance instructions to one of the two groups. The article does not support the use of dance to improve cognitive learning. It, however, criticizes the method used to carry the research. It raises a paramount concern with the failure by research to identify some variables. One of the variables being dance instruction. The use of dance instruction is not quantifiable and thus the concern. Moore, Blaine and Caldwell, Helen. “Drama and Drawing for Narrative Writing in Primary Grades.” Journal of Educational Research 87.2 (1993): 100-110. This article seeks to establish the role of drama in the development of writing skills. The aim of the study is to establish the effect oft drama in children. The importance of pre-writing activities is what the articles try to assess. It reveals that drama vastly improves the ability of third graders to communicate through writing. The study also persist the allowance of time for the effects of drama to show clearly. Limiting the time allocated to these activities in schools achieves little improvement. Pellegrini, Anthony and Galda, Lee. “The Effects of Thematic-Fantasy Play Training on the Development of children’s Story Comprehension.” American Educational Research Journal 19.3(1982): 443-452. The base of this article is a research carried out in children from low income level areas. The aim of the study is to find out how children come to understand things that they hear. The report analyses the different strategies that can be used to understand new material. This study suggests that play helps children accommodate the view of others. Engagement in play also helps children answer judgment related questions. The way children come to understand thing they read or hear is crucial to their academic development. The report does not explore the different aspects of play that influence judgment. Pellegrini, Anthony. “The Effect of Dramatic Play on Children’s Generation of Cohesive Text.” Discourse Processes 7.5 (1984):57-67. The report analyses the intriguing aspects of literacy. It identifies how meaning can be conveyed through how children retell stories they have heard. The study further identifies play as an important aspect of how children deliver narratives. Effective reading, writing, and oral language improvement, according to this report, require more than the ability to decode words. Theatre arts, like play, also contribute immensely to the same effect. Podlozny, Ann. “Strengthening Verbal Skills Through the Use of Classroom Drama: A Clear Link.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 3.4 (2000): 239-276. In this report, finding out whether drama helps improve verbal ability of students forms the basis. It provides a clear correlation between drama and verbal ability of students. It also identifies drama as indispensable to teachers too. The importance of integrating theatre arts in schools can not be better expressed than in this report. Classroom practice of drama, therefore, forms a crucial part of improving verbal skills of students. The connection between these two variables should encourage the inclusion of drama in school curricula. Mentzer, Martha and Boswell, Boni. “Effects of a Movement Poetry Program on Creativity of Children with Behavioral Disorders.” Impulse 3(1995): 183-199. This report seeks to find out whether poetry can enhance creativity in children. The aspects of creativity under scrutiny are originality, flexibility, and fluency. It suggests the combination of these aspects immensely enhances creativity. There are characteristics which act as stimulus that helps generate thoughts with a high degree of fluency. Young students can be helped a lot by poetry to become creative in their thoughts. Poetry, therefore, can be termed as a way of enhancing creativity. Rose, Dale. The impact of Whirlwind’s Basic Reading Through Dance program on first grade students’ basic reading skills: Study II. San Francisco: 3-D Group, 1999. This report discusses the way children use fingers to represent letters. This form of drama can be identified as the basic way first graders use to learn letters. This study aims at teaching children to learn new things. Though there is no evidence showing whether this mode of teaching improves reading skills, it has been effective in introducing children to the alphabet. The impact of this study can serve as a way of enhancing the adoption of such techniques in teaching. Fiske, Edward. Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning. Washington, DC: The Arts Education Partnership and the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanity, 1995. The report on the impact of the arts on learning highlights the effects of extra curricula activities in academic performances. It identifies them as having an enormous impact on improving performance. The use of arts in learning appears to make learning visible. This need to make learning visible is vital in creating the desire to learn in students. It can be termed to be a morale booster. Burger, Kristin and Winner, Ellen. “Instruction in Visual Art: Can It Help Children Learn to Read?” Journal of Aesthetic Education 34.3-4 (2000): 277-293. This research tries to identify a way through which visual arts can enhance reading skills in children. There are a number of aspects that the research identifies. Top among them is the ability to boost confidence. The research concludes that, art offers added motivation for learning. This motivation makes pupils improve their reading skill. It is, however, difficult to identify many of the other motivators in this report independently they are all connected, to one another, at some point. Wilhelm, Jeffrey. “Reading Is Seeing: Using Visual Response to Improve the Literary Reading of Reluctant Readers.” Journal of Reading Behavior 27.4 (1995): 467-503. The base of this report revolves around the impact that visual arts can have in making learning enjoyable learning disabled readers. It explores the value of visual arts when acting as an intermediary in the education process. This study joins the previous one in ascertaining the importance of art as a morale booster to learners. Burton, Judith, Robert Horowitz, and Hal Abeles. “Learning in and Through the Arts: The Question of Transfer.” Studies in Art Education 42.3 (2000): 228-257. The research aims at identifying whether children in an art rich school show a higher level of creativity that those in other schools. This research takes place in an art rich school. Students in art rich schools showed higher levels of creativity than their counterparts in art poor school. The report, however, has a shortfall. It can not determine whether the students did better alone, or it was the impact the teachers have on the learning. Mahoney, Joseph and Cairn, Robert. “Do Extracurricular Activities Protect Against Early School Drop out?” Developmental Psychology 33.2 (1997): 41-253. The research aims at establish the rate of drop out to students who participate in extra curricular activities. It identifies the activities as giving those at high risk of dropping out a chance to connect with the school. This connection helps them stay in school and thus reduce drop out levels. These activities create a sense of belonging to students who perform well in them and may help them stay at school. Moga, Erik, et al. “Does Studying the Arts Engender Creative Thinking? “Evidence for Near but Not Far Transfer.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 34.3-4(2009):91-104. This research topic aims to find out any evidence linking review of arts to creative thinking. There exists a significant association between standardized measures of creativity and study of arts. The study can be criticized for only pursuing the promising links between the two elements. Though there is death of the experimental studies midway, the authors go ahead to draw conclusions. Seaman, Michael. The Arts in the Basic Curriculum Project: Looking at the Past and Preparing for the Future. South Carolina: University of South Carolina, 1999. The study seeks to find out whether the Arts in the Basic Curriculum (ABC) affects test scores in non-arts subjects. The thought that arts increase the learning potential of students lead to the initiation of ABC project. The research show though students spent a lot of time in arts, their performance in the other subjects did not decline. The results lead to the acceptance of the hypothesis as true and the approval of the project. Winner, Ellen and Cooper, Monica. “Mute Those Claims: No Evidence (Yet) for a Causal Link between Arts Study and Academic Achievement.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 34.3-4 (2000): 11-75. This report aims at proving whether academic achievement can improve as a result of exposure to arts. There are many other studies of a similar nature but with different hypothesis. The research ends up inconclusively as the degree of exposure to arts is a variable which can not be quantified. It concludes that the evidence available is not enough to link the variables. The conclusion is that a lot of research needs to be done on the subject. The salient point raised by this report is the proposal for extra research to be carried out. Wolf, Dennie. Why the Arts Matter in Education or Just What Do Children Learn When They Create An Opera? Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning. Washington, DC: (1995). The report aims at finding out what students learn when let to produce an original opera. The findings of this report indicate that when children work together, they engage in consultations. This means that there is a form of group decision making process. This process helps to widen the point of view of the participants. This improves the critical thoughts of the same individuals. Vaughn, Kathryn and Winner, Ellen. “SAT Scores of Students Who Study the Arts: What We Can and Cannot Conclude about the Association.” The Journal of Aesthetic Education34.3-4 (2000):77-89. The research aims at establishing the relationship between the SAT scores and number of years of art studied. It tries to identify the SAT tests strongly associated to the study. The study fails to deliver any positive results. However, it highlights the need for a more focused research on these topics. The correlation between SAT and academic performance cannot be clearly defined by the findings of the report. It ends inconclusively due to lack of enough findings to link the variables under study. Juja, Kim. The Effects of Creative Dance Instruction on Creative and Critical Thinking of Seventh Grade Female Students in Seoul, Korea. NY: New York University, 1998. The report tries to define the effect of, creative traditional, dancing to the thinking process. The report suggests that dance has an impact on creative problem solving ability in students. The findings of the report are, however, put into question. The research does not define the dance. There are different types of dances involved and, therefore, without clear definition, the results are inconclusive. This report does not link the relationship between the two variables. Minton, Sandra. Assessment of High School Students’ Creative Thinking Skills: A Comparison of the Effects of Dance and Non-dance Classes. North Colorado: University of Northern Colorado, 2000. This report, just like the previous one, compares the effect of dance on the ability to think critically. The research comes up with a model experiment to be able to come up with conclusive results. It uses two groups of students one receiving dance instructions while the other does not receive. The research provides empirical evidence to link the elements under study. The topic has not been exhausted, and future research can be used to determine the most closely linked dances. Works Cited Burger, Kristin and Winner, Ellen. “Instruction in Visual Art: Can It Help Children Learn to Read?” Journal of Aesthetic Education 34.3-4 (2000): 277-293. Burton, Judith, Robert Horowitz, and Hal Abeles. “Learning in and Through the Arts: The Question of Transfer.” Studies in Art Education 42.3 (2000): 228-257. Deasy, Richard, et al. Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development. Washington, DC: Arts Education Partnership, 2002. Fiske, Edward. Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning. Washington, DC: The Arts Education Partnership and the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanity, 1995. Juja, Kim. The Effects of Creative Dance Instruction on Creative and Critical Thinking of Seventh Grade Female Students in Seoul, Korea. NY: New York University, 1998. Mahoney, Joseph and Cairn, Robert. “Do Extracurricular Activities Protect Against Early School Drop out?” Developmental Psychology 33.2 (1997): 41-253. Mentzer, Martha and Boswell, Boni. “Effects of a Movement Poetry Program on Creativity of Children with Behavioral Disorders.” Impulse 3(1995): 183-199. Mia, Keinanen, Lois Hetland, and Ellen Winner. “Teaching Cognitive Skill through Dance: Evidence for near but Not Far Transfer.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 34. 3-4 (2000): 295-306. Minton, Sandra. Assessment of High School Students’ Creative Thinking Skills: A Comparison of the Effects of Dance and Non-dance Classes. North Colorado: University of Northern Colorado, 2000. Moore, Blaine and Caldwell, Helen. “Drama and Drawing for Narrative Writing in Primary Grades.” Journal of Educational Research 87.2 (1993): 100-110. Pellegrini, Anthony and Galda, Lee. “The Effects of Thematic-Fantasy Play Training on the Development of children’s Story Comprehension.” American Educational Research Journal 19.3(1982): 443-452. Pellegrini, Anthony. “The Effect of Dramatic Play on Children’s Generation of Cohesive Text.” Discourse Processes 7.5 (1984):57-67. Podlozny, Ann. “Strengthening Verbal Skills Through the Use of Classroom Drama: A Clear Link.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 3.4 (2000): 239-276 Rose, Dale. The impact of Whirlwind’s Basic Reading Through Dance program on first grade students’ basic reading skills: Study II. San Francisco: 3-D Group, 1999. Seaman, Michael. The Arts in the Basic Curriculum Project: Looking at the Past and Preparing for the Future. South Carolina: University of South Carolina, 1999. Vaughn, Kathryn and Winner, Ellen. “SAT Scores of Students Who Study the Arts: What We Can and Cannot Conclude about the Association.” The Journal of Aesthetic Education34.3-4 (2000):77-89. Wilhelm, Jeffrey. “Reading Is Seeing: Using Visual Response to Improve the Literary Reading of Reluctant Readers.” Journal of Reading Behavior 27.4 (1995): 467-503. Winner, Ellen and Cooper, Monica. “Mute Those Claims: No Evidence (Yet) for a Causal Link between Arts Study and Academic Achievement.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 34.3-4 (2000): 11-75. Wolf, Dennie. Why the Arts Matter in Education or Just What Do Children Learn When They Create An Opera? In Fiske, Edward. Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning. Washington, DC: The Arts Education Partnership and the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanity, 1995. Read More