Abstract
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.
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