The purpose of this applied theatre essay was to observe effects and impacts on older adults engaging in theatre activities and storytelling surrounding the horrors of Detroit's 1967 Riots. Classes were held at the Hannan Center, an organization designed to serve the older adult community offering a variety of services in the city of Detroit. The…

In this article, the authors speak to the paradox of assessing transformative learning (TL) in higher education. TL theory, developed by Jack Mezirow, is a theory of learning to describe the process of change in how individuals view the world based on previous experiences. Recognizing that the 10 phases of Mezirow's TL theory are fluid and…

This is the second in a series of success stories about how arts organizations, states, schools and other entities are using funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) to support arts education. Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is one of the nation's 20th largest…

Although theater arts curricula have been established in most institutions of higher learning in the United States throughout the 20th century, little scholarship has been devoted to exploring the actual value of a theater arts pedagogy and its influence on students. The field of theater arts education merits attention not only because of the…

Ofsted, the inspection authority in England, has told schools to ensure that all students have access to cultural capital, taken as a canon of music, literature and art. In this paper, we trouble this guidance by analysing conversations with 1447 senior secondary students. The students reported that the arts offered considerable personal benefits,…

The Creative Learning Initiative (CLI) is a city-wide collaboration between MINDPOP, the City of Austin, Austin Independent School District (AISD), and more than 100 art and cultural organizations dedicated to equitable access to creative learning and the arts for every student in Austin. The CLI model is grounded in research showing that arts…

This study investigated whether the Science on Stage, a theatre and drama project, taught middle-school students more about the lives and discoveries of great scientists and whether it helped them develop positive views and attitudes towards the science course and scientists. This 8-month study employed an embedded design. The sample consisted of…

Researchers have often noted the potential of the performing arts to support STEM education -- especially in heterogeneous classrooms. This article reports on the implementation of a science theatre project in a secondary school class located in a disadvantaged area of Hamburg (Germany). In the accompanying research study, effects on students'…

The purpose of this research is to investigate the professional training needs of theater educators, as they arise based on their views, who work in primary education. The fact that triggered the inception of this research was that studies concerning aesthetic education in Greece refer to all specialties (musicians, visual artists, theater…

It is widely argued that the arts have a range of cultural, economic, and educational benefits. However, under state austerity arts curricula are devalued in favour of industry skills. To address this gap in arts education, a new type of student focussed informal arts engagement program has emerged. This article draws on a qualitative study of…

The field of performing arts presents an often unpredictable area for career development. Yet many people are drawn to this field as their chosen career trajectory. This study examines the life-career experiences that shape performing artists' trajectories within the framework of career construction theory. Using a qualitative multiple case study…

This article responds to Olof Franck's vision of a less didactic and more creative approach to Education for Sustainable Development. We consider how a multidisciplinary applied theatre project, bringing together Earth Sciences, Ancient Rock Art, storytelling, digital technology, and drama education knowledges and techniques can foster a more…

This article brings into relation critical perspectives and practical tactics from a range of different fields--performance studies, visual art practice, pedagogy and educational theory, and activism and community organising--in order to create some space for re-imagining what might be possible within the dynamics of the Higher Education…

This study draws on ethnographic research from three co-ethnic community-based, arts programs serving immigrant youth to examine the ways in which immigrant educators serve as "curriculum texts" for youth. It illustrates the curricular nature of the experiences, being and interactions of immigrant educators who share with youth the same…

Arts programs have much value to offer children and educators alike, and so it is important to seek avenues for providing these enriching opportunities. Emerging from the collective and personal traumas experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, arts programming may play an especially important role in welcoming students back to schools,…