Impact Update 9, Februari 2007
This newsletter reviews the content that has been added to the Impact Database since the end of November 2006. As always, many of the studies are recently published but we also include earlier research that is relevant to the themes of the database. Full bibliographical details of the references highlighted below can, of course, be obtained from the database.
We encourage users and their networks to use the facility to submit their own research, which will then be considered for inclusion. Research should relate to the main themes of the database (listed in the Advanced Search section) and should have stated aims/objectives, methodological approach and findings/conclusions.
Arts, Culture and Society Two studies investigate art projects dealing with issues of health and safety in fishing communities. Nwadigwe (2007) presents the findings of a theatre project for community education among migrant fishermen in Nigeria. The research specifically studies the influence of the performance venues on target communities and the artistic challenges involved (in: Research in Drama Education 12(1): 65-77). A report by Murray and Tilley (2006) looks at the use of a range of arts-based activities, including drama, music, writing and graphics, in the promotion of safety awareness in three fishing communities in Newfoundland (in: Safety science 44(9): 797-808).
Two studies of a more theoretical nature address some of the problems encountered in carrying out social impact studies. In ‘The arts in criminal justice. A study of research feasibility’, Miles and Clarke (2006) assess the practical, logistical and methodological issues involved in carrying out effective research on the impact of arts interventions in criminal justice settings. Belfiore and Bennett (2006), in their research paper ‘Rethinking the social impact of the arts: a critical-historical review’, look at contemporary debates around the social impact of the arts and the problem of their measurement and evaluation.
Arts, Culture and Education Two recent studies address the psychological effects of arts education. Schellenberg (2006) presents the findings of two correlation studies examining the possibilities of associations between music lessons and intellectual development among young children and students, in ‘Long-Term Positive Associations Between Music Lessons and IQ’ (Journal of educational psychology 98(2): 457-468). In ‘The psychological benefits of artwork: the case of children with learning disorders’, Regev and Guttmann (2005) describe the outcome of a study designed to examine the effects of engaging in artwork on children with learning disorders (in: The Arts in psychotherapy 32(4): 302-312).
Arts and employability, a study by Marsh, Mosca and Zuleeg (2006), investigates the link between studying arts subjects at school and later employability.
A report by Eames, Benton, Sharp and Kendall (2006), The impact of Creative Partnerships on the attainment of young people. Final report, examines the relationship between young people’s participation in the Creative Partnerships programme and their school examinations results, in order to identify indicators of the programme’s impact.
Finally, two separate reports offer impact studies of museum education projects. The impact of the first phase of the "Teaching Literacy Through Art" programme of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, directed at New York City school children, has been assessed by Randi Korn & Associates (2005), in Teaching literacy through art. Year one: 2004-05 Study. Jones and Downing (2006) have evaluated the impact of a Victorian & Albert Museum school education project on teachers, youth workers and care workers, the findings of which are presented in Broadening the spectrum: An evaluation of the professional development opportunities for teachers and youth workers offered by the Image & Identity scheme.
Arts, Culture and Health Two studies evaluate the impact of arts interventions in health settings. Puig, Lee, Goodwin and Sherrard (2006) explore the effectiveness of a complementary creative arts therapy intervention to enhance emotional expression, spirituality, and psychological well-being in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (in: The Arts in Psychotherapy 33: 218–228). Evans (2002) has undertaken a systematic review of studies evaluating the use of music as an intervention for hospital patients (Journal of advanced nursing 37(1): 8-18).
Studies by Nwadigwe (2007) and Murray and Tilley (2006), addressing health and safety issues in a broader social context, are included in the Arts, Culture & Society section above.
Arts, Culture and Inclusion What works in stimulating creativity amongst socially excluded young people, by Halsey, Lord and Jones (2006), addresses the question whether increased creativity has any impact on levels of social exclusion among young people, and how creativity can best be stimulated.
Arts, Culture and Regeneration In a two-part study, ‘Cultural quarters as mechanisms for urban regeneration’ (Planning, Practice & Research 18(4): 293-306 and: 19(1): 3-31), Montgomery sets out to evaluate the concept of the cultural quarter as an approach to urban regeneration, and considers policy objectives, approaches, methods and mechanisms for implementation and management. Part 1 (2003) offers an analysis of the concept, while part 2 (2004) reviews four cultural quarters in the UK, Ireland and Australia.
Arts, Culture and the Economy Four studies were published assessing the economic impact of arts and culture in specific areas of the United States. A report by the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research (2006) analyses the economic impact of non-profit arts organisations in Orange County, California; McMillen (2006) has calculated the combined impact of culture and tourism on the economy of the state of Connecticut; Deloitte and Touche (2006) report on the economic impact study of arts and cultural organizations in North Texas; On fertile ground. 2006 report to the community, by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, documents the economic impact of cultural activities in New Mexico.
Finally, two articles published in the Journal of travel research critically address the practice of economic impact studies in itself. Dwyer, Forsyth and Spurr (2006) compare the use of computable general equilibrium approaches with simpler input-output approaches in assessing the economic impacts of special events, concluding that the former is to be preferred over the often-used latter (‘Assessing the economic impact of events: a computable general equilibrium approach’), while Crompton (2006) addresses the deliberate misuse of the outcome of economic impact studies, in an article entitled ‘Economic impact studies: instruments for political shenanigans?’.