Abstract:

This poster session will present the results from a three year research and evaluation project focusing on how the Arts contribute to student academic growth and enhance classroom teacher professional practice. As the national and international discourse for educational reform continues to highlight the need to move away from more traditional teaching and learning methods to innovative instruction that incorporates meta-cognitive processes, active learning and social/affective constructs, Art integrated programs have gained greater attention (Fouts, Brown & Thieman, 2002., Branford, 1999). Even though the number of studies with emphasis on the Arts has increased in recent years, more research is needed to demonstrate the added-value of an art integrated curricula on student academic achievement and changes in classroom teacher instructional practice.

Therefore, the findings will be shared as descriptive analyses and are considered exploratory. Yet, they offer a pathway to the development of a more robust research design model. In this context, the focus of the key findings is grounded on two fundamental questions: What do you want to know about your Arts program’s impact on student learning and teacher’s practice? and Who will use that information and how? To answer these questions a User and Participatory-driven (UPD) research and evaluation model was designed and implemented.

The UPD framework is grounded on the User-Centered and Participatory Design approach as well as Action Research practices (Sanders, 2002; Foth & Axup, 2006). This approach encourages participants to take an active role in research and evaluation activities that have a direct impact on their programs and themselves and fosters knowledge generation and strategic decision-making practices (Schlossberg, 1998). The model allows for the identification of best practices, programming mid-course formative adjustments and provides greater program accountability.

Keywords:

Teaching and Learning Innovation, User-Centered and Participatory Design Model, Arts Integrated Curriculum.