Education Policy, Business and Technology

Can the Performing Arts Boost Student Outcomes in STEM Disciplines?

Campus Technology: Can participation in the arts really bolster scientific learning? Can dance, in particular, spark STEM success?

A recent paper from North Carolina State University suggests this might just be the case.

The authors conducted interviews and focus groups with students who took part in on-campus dance companies as undergraduates. Fifteen of the 25 subjects were STEM majors, studying in field such as applied mathematics, engineering and chemistry.

"Our core question was what drives students to participate in the arts at an institution where there are no arts majors and there is an emphasis on STEM," lead author Fay Cobb Payton, a University Faculty Scholar and professor of information systems and technology, said in a prepared statement. "We wanted to know what benefits students get from engaging in the arts when they're majoring in other disciplines."

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