A Population-Based Study of Longitudinal Associations Between School Arts Participation and Academic Achievement

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Arts Education and Academic Outcomes (Table 4)

Abstract

Arts engagement may be associated with cognitive outcomes of developmental importance, yet evidence from population-based, representative sources is scarce. This study employed population-based educational records from all students (n =75,119; Grades 7-12) in public secondary schools in British Columbia, Canada, who either took no school arts or any of four school arts subjects, to examine associations between various forms of engagement in school arts (instrumental music, choral music, drama, visual arts) and provincial exam scores in Grade 10 English, Science, and Mathematics and Grade 12 English. Findings are consistent with previous published studies (Guhn et al. 2020) where of all the arts, instrumental music engagement has the greatest impact on, and association with, academic achievement in language, science, and mathematics.

Authors

• Peter J. Gouzouasis, University of British Columbia
  Presenting Author

• Martin Guhn, University of British Columbia
  Presenting Author