Does arts infused instruction make a difference? An exploratory study of the effects of an arts infused instructional approach on engagement and achievement of third, fourth, and fifth grade students in mathematics

The topic of educational reform has been at the top of our nation's agenda for years, with the focus of our students' mathematical achievement at the helm of many discussions centered on reform. Many researchers and educators are continually exploring alternative instructional approaches for implementation in our school systems to improve our students' achievement. Arts infusion is an alternative instructional approach being implemented by a few schools and school systems as one means of educational reform. Researchers in the fields of mathematics education and arts education have recognized that infusing the arts with core academic subjects, such as mathematics, improves student engagement thereby enhancing student achievement (Klein, 1990; Welch & Greene, 1995; Deasy, 2002; Education Commission of the States 2009). The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of arts infused mathematics instruction as an alternative instructional tool for enhancing student engagement and achievement in mathematics. The study was conducted in a public charter school in Washington, DC. The population consisted of a total of 132 third, fourth, and fifth grade students (two classes in each grade level). The study was conducted using randomly selected experimental groups and control groups for each grade level. Both groups received mathematics instruction focused on the mathematical concept of multiplication. The experimental groups received the instruction using an arts infused instructional approach and the control groups received instruction using the school's traditional instructional approach. Teachers of students in the experimental groups received professional development in arts infused instruction and kept journals to record their opinions of the study and observations of student participants. All of the students were given pre-tests and post-tests to document their achievement. Students in the experimental groups received an attitude survey to solicit their opinions and their level of engagement with the lessons. A paired sample t-test was conducted to determine the impact of art-infused education on mathematical achievement scores among grades. The findings revealed that using an arts infused mathematics instructional approach is an effective tool for enhancing student engagement and increasing achievement with elementary mathematics students.