This book presents ground-breaking research on the ways the Arts fosters motivation and engagement in both academic and non-academic domains. It reports on mixed method, international research that investigated how the Arts make a difference in the lives of young people. Drawing on the findings of a longitudinal quantitative study led by the…

This paper offers part of the findings of a qualitative, interpretive Ph.D. study, which used a case study approach to explore and illustrate the conceptions of and approaches to creativity of three expert specialist dance teachers working with late primary age children. The specialists had extensive expertise as dance educators in different…

Highlights of the historical development of structured and creative/free dance experiences for children within the curriculum of early childhood education in the 20th century are sketched. Although some educators dissented with the practice, in the 1920s most dance activities for young children were structured. The following decade was…

The Research in Dance Education (RDE) project grew out of a long-term national need to know what researchers in dance and allied fields have studied over 80 years, what they learned, and how existing research impacted teaching and learning. The project set out to answer the following questions: (1) What research exists in dance education?; (2)…

This paper presents ways art educators can participate in a more holistic approach to education. The document outlines the following premises: (1) students will be consumers of art and determine what art they choose to consume, which requires a systematic and thorough grounding in critical evaluation if they are to make good decisions; (2)…

A survey was conducted to determine a quantitative baseline on the status of music, visual art, dance and drama/theater education in U.S. public schools. A stratified random sampling technique was used and questionnaires were sent to 1,366 U.S. public schools seeking data about demographics, curricula, adequacy of instructional material, and…

What percent of Americans have been exposed to arts education? Has it changed over time? How do demographic characteristics correlate with arts education? What is the state of arts education in U.S. schools? These research questions are the focus of this report, which is presented in two parts. Using data from the Surveys of Public Participation…