GLI Capstone Presentation Session: North UC Ballroom
Expressive Arts as a Means of Increasing Well-Being in Children
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Stephen Yoshimura
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Communications
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Across the country and throughout the world, children are receiving less exposure to expressive arts than in previous decades. Research has shown that expressive arts provide major benefits to young people. We implemented a student-directed program in a local fifth grade classroom to add to the current research on the benefits of expressive arts to children. Our program allowed students to select a central theme and self-select the expressive arts they participated in each day. They had the choice of creative writing, visual arts, dramatic play, and creative movement. Students completed measures of psychological well-being, specifically their self-esteem and self-confidence, both before and after participating in the four-week program. We hope our program and research will bring more awareness to the expressive arts, challenge schools to keep them in the curriculum, and increase their global presence. Our research findings from this program will be used to develop a comprehensive expressive arts program able to be distributed in a variety of global settings, such as orphanages, schools, or private organizations.
Category
Interdisciplinary (GLI)
Expressive Arts as a Means of Increasing Well-Being in Children
North UC Ballroom
Across the country and throughout the world, children are receiving less exposure to expressive arts than in previous decades. Research has shown that expressive arts provide major benefits to young people. We implemented a student-directed program in a local fifth grade classroom to add to the current research on the benefits of expressive arts to children. Our program allowed students to select a central theme and self-select the expressive arts they participated in each day. They had the choice of creative writing, visual arts, dramatic play, and creative movement. Students completed measures of psychological well-being, specifically their self-esteem and self-confidence, both before and after participating in the four-week program. We hope our program and research will bring more awareness to the expressive arts, challenge schools to keep them in the curriculum, and increase their global presence. Our research findings from this program will be used to develop a comprehensive expressive arts program able to be distributed in a variety of global settings, such as orphanages, schools, or private organizations.