SOME CITATIONS/BACKGROUND INFORMATION —Michael Burns
During years of working in education and human services, applying what I learned about improv in theatrical settings, I observed anecdotally that improv was great for kids. Some years ago, I might have had a hard time coming up with any hard evidence. That has changed. A lot of work is being done, and more and more evidence based results are showing up, regarding improv and education.
By the way, research is showing that improv is beneficial not only for kids but for teachers– for example this article discusses the use of improvisation in training teachers.
Drama education and improvisation as a resource of teacher student's creativity
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042811001005
But, more to the point, researchers are finding and confirming that improv can improve self esteem, social skills, focus, listening ability…the list goes on. Below are just a few examples.
DeBettignies, B. H., & Goldstein, T. R. (2020). Improvisational theater classes improve self-concept. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 14(4), 451–461. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000260
Results revealed a significant positive effect of improv classes on self-concept, but only for those students who began with a relatively lower level of self-concept. This positive effect of gains in self-concept following improv classes was maintained over time. These findings support claims that educational theater in the form of improvisational classes has a positive effect on self-concept in children, specifically for those children with relatively lower self-concept. Improvement in self-concept via improvisational theater may come from improv’s specific emphasis on cognitive constructs that underpin self-concept, such as working in agreement, spontaneity, commitment, and being present in the moment (e.g., through maintained focus, active listening and observing, eye contact, and emotional presence). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
Improv experience promotes divergent thinking, uncertainty tolerance, and affective well-being
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871187119302470
Aims
This paper follows an experimental method from previous research linking improvisation training to improvements in divergent thinking in the laboratory (Lewis & Lovatt, 2013), and includes an additional dependent variable, uncertainty tolerance, which has been broadly implicated in anxiety and depression (McEvoy & Mahoney, 2012).
Method
In two experiments (n = 74, n = 131), participants completed measures of divergent thinking, uncertainty tolerance, and affective well-being before and after engaging in 20 min of improv exercises or a matched control condition including social interactions.
Results
This paper replicates the prior finding that improvisational theater training can improve divergent thinking (e.g., Lewis & Lovatt, 2013; Sowden et al., 2015), and provides new findings that improv can boost positive affect and increase uncertainty tolerance relative to other social interactions.
Conclusions
As a means to enhance psychological health, improvisational theater training offers benefits without the negative stigma and difficulties in access surrounding other therapeutic interventions. These results support its popular use beyond the theater to improve social and personal interactions in a variety of settings (e.g., Tint & Froerer, 2014).
Evaluation of a Theater-Based Youth Violence Prevention Program for Elementary School Children
The present study evaluated the impact of Urban Improv (UI), a theater-based youth violence prevention (YVP) program developed for inner-city youth, on three behavioral and psychological outcome domains: aggressive behaviors, prosocial behaviors, and scholastic attention and engagement. This study compared outcomes for 77 elementary school students in classrooms designated to receive UI with those of 63 students from matched control classrooms. Findings revealed that students who received UI were superior to matched controls on all outcome domains
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J202v05n02_03
There’s a lot more available out there on the web, but I thought the studies referenced above would provide an indication. If you or someone you work with really wants to dive in, here are some more resources:
Adebiyi, A.A., & Adelabu, B.(2013). Improvisation as a tool for developing students’ competence in english language: A study of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. International Journal of Education and Research, 11(1), 1-14.
Aylett, R., Figueiredo, R., Louchart, S., Dias, J., & Pavia, A. (2006, August). Making it up as you go along – Improvising stories for pedagogical purposes. Presented at Intelligent Virtual Agents, 6th International Conference, Marina Del Rey, CA.
Balachandra, L., Crossan, M., Devin, L., Leary, K., & Patton, B.(2005). Improvisation and teaching negotiation: Developing three essential skills. Negotiation Journal, 21(4), 435-441.
Bayne, H., & Jangha, A.(2016). Utilizing improvisation to teach empathy skills in counselor education. Counselor Education and Supervision, 55(4), 250–262.
Berk, R.A., & Trieber, R.H. “Whose classroom is it, anyway? Improvisation as a teaching tool.” Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 20(3), 29-60.
Bermant, G. (2013). Working with(out) a net: Improvisational theater and enhanced well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 929(4), 1-3.
Boggs, J., Mickel, A.E., & Holtom, B.C. (2007). Experiential learning through interactive drama: An alternative to student role plays. Journal of Management Education, 31(6), 832-858.
Boudreault, C. (2010). The benefits of using drama in the ESL/EFL classroom. The Internet Journal for Teachers of English as a Second Language, 16(1), http://iteslj.org/Articles/Boudreault-Drama.html.
For More Information, please contact:
Michael Burns
(518-248-7430