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Citation:

Epstein, J. L., & Dauber, S. L. (1995). Effects on students of an interdisciplinary program linking social studies, art, and family volunteers in the middle grades. Journal of Early Adolescence, 15(1), 114-144. EJ520359.

Annotation:
The purpose of this study is to empirically evaluate the effects on student learning of the Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork Social Studies (TIPS) and Art Volunteers program in an urban middle school. Researchers found that when volunteers, parents, and others delivered curricular content in art and social studies, student knowledge and skills increased. The study was conducted over a two-year period in a middle school in Baltimore City with a diverse student body. Data were collected in pre- and post-tests from over 400 students, and parents and volunteers were interviewed over the two-year period. This study measured students' ability to identify major artists, styles of art, reactions to American artists and paintings they viewed at monthly presentations by parent volunteers. The teachers at school administered the tests. The researchers reported they experienced several real world problems that affected the quality of the sample and the data, such as schedule differences for spring semesters that excluded some students. This study suggested arts curriculum strategies related to parent involvement. However, the authors' statistical checks on the fall, spring, and longitudinal samples showed that mean scores and standard deviations on all measures were stable and consistent.