Effects of an Expressive Art Intervention with Urban Youth in Low-Income Neighborhoods

被引:10
作者
Forrest-Bank S.S. [1 ]
Nicotera N. [2 ]
Bassett D.M. [3 ]
Ferrarone P. [2 ]
机构
[1] College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
[2] Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO
[3] Department of Social Work, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO
关键词
After-school programs; Expressive arts intervention; Positive youth development;
D O I
10.1007/s10560-016-0439-3
中图分类号
学科分类号
摘要
Various forms of expressive arts are known to have associations with positive academic, social, and behavioral outcomes in addition to offering important therapeutic benefits for children and adolescents. However, very limited knowledge has been developed regarding specific expressive arts interventions for promoting positive youth development and preventing problematic behaviors in youth from urban, low socioeconomic neighborhoods. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to expand the nascent research area in arts interventions by evaluating an expressive art intervention offered to youth through a positive youth development program located in several public housing neighborhoods. Quasi-experimental design was applied to test the impact of a poetry-focused art intervention on self-reported perceptions of academics, social competence, and multicultural attitudes of a culturally diverse sample of 40 urban sixth to eighth grade youth. Participants were recruited through a positive youth development program located in the public housing neighborhoods where they reside. Pre and post data were collected. Prior to the arts intervention, there were no statistically significant differences between the youth on self-report measures of academic capacity and social competence. The first group of youth who participated in the intervention reported enhanced capacity on all three measures when compared to peers who had not yet participated in the program. However, the second group of youth to receive the program showed no statistically significant gains when compared to their peers who received the intervention first. The study provides compelling support to further explore the efficacy of expressive arts on influencing attributes of positive youth development among urban adolescents. In addition, the study offers valuable insights into the process and complexities involved in developing agency partnerships and conducting research on after-school programs. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
引用
收藏
页码:429 / 441
页数:12
相关论文
共 42 条
[1]  
Ahmed S.A., Beck B., Maurana C.A., Newton G., Overcoming barriers to effective community-based participatory research in U.S. medical schools, Education for Health, 17, 2, pp. 141-151, (2004)
[2]  
Belgrave F., Chase-Vaughn G., Gray F., Addison J., Cherry V., The effectiveness of a culture- and gender-specific intervention for increasing resiliency among African American preadolescent females, Journal of Black Psychology, 26, pp. 133-147, (2000)
[3]  
Bender K., Brisson D., Jenson J., Forrest-Bank S.S., Lopez A., Yoder J., Challenges and strategies for conducting program-based research in after-school settings, Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 28, 4, pp. 319-334, (2011)
[4]  
Bodilly S.J., Beckett M.K., Making out-of-school-time matter: Evidence for an action agenda, (2005)
[5]  
Borden L., Serido J., From program participant to engaged citizen: A developmental journey, Journal of Community Psychology, 37, 4, pp. 423-438, (2009)
[6]  
Catalano R.F., Berglund M.L., Ryan J.A., Lonczak H.S., Hawkins J.D., Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluations of positive youth development programs, Prevention & Treatment, 5, 1, (2002)
[7]  
Collins K.S., Furman R., Langer C.L., Poetry therapy as a tool of cognitively based practice, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 33, 3, pp. 180-187, (2006)
[8]  
Darby J., Catterall J., The fourth R: The arts and learning, The Teachers College Record, 96, 2, pp. 299-328, (1994)
[9]  
Forrest-Bank S., Nicotera N., Anthony E., Jenson J., Finding their Way: Perceptions of risk, resilience, and positive youth development among adolescents and young adults from public housing neighborhoods, Children and Youth Services Review, 55, pp. 147-158, (2015)
[10]  
Gillispie C., The use of collaborative poetry as a method of deepening interpersonal communication among adolescent girls, Journal of Poetry Therapy, 18, 4, pp. 221-231, (2005)