Speaker
Description
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 enrolled in public secondary schools in British Columbia, Canada, who either took no school arts or any of four school arts subjects, to examine predictive associations between various forms and levels of engagement in instrumental music, vocal music, drama, visual arts and exam scores in English, Science, and Mathematics. Participation in school arts exhibited differentiated predictive associations with high school academic achievement, suggesting variation in associated processes and activities (e.g., development of executive functions through high levels of skills in instrumental music over long trajectories). Rigorous, consistent engagement in some of the arts contributes to high school achievement in other subjects. Findings and implications are discussed within the broader inter-disciplinary literature on school arts education and activities that foster Positive Youth Development.
CV
Peter Gouzouasis is a Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at The University of British Columbia. His research focuses on lifespan music learning, employing both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. He edited the first journal issue dedicated to Arts Based Educational Research in music education (http://act.maydaygroup.org/volume-18-issue-2/) and led a research team (Guhn, Emerson, & Gouzouasis, 2020) in publishing one of the most widely downloaded papers in the history of the profession (https://summon.altmetric.com/details/62627951#score). His latest edited book, The Routledge Companion to music, autoethnography, and reflexivity. (2024) features Arts Based Research works of 21 international musician authors.
