Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Sergio Guzman

Committee Member

Gloria Kieley

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

academic performance, arts education, arts-integrated instruction, effect size, FAST reading scores, gender differences, high school students, literacy, quasi-experimental design, reading achievement, reading comprehension, standardized testing, student engagement, theater arts participation, theater vs. non-theater comparison

Abstract

This applied dissertation was designed to investigate the impact of theater arts participation on the reading achievement of high school students. In schools facing pressure to improve standardized test scores, arts programs are often reduced or eliminated to create more time for core subjects like reading and math. This intense focus can lead to student boredom and disengagement, potentially hindering academic success. To investigate the relationship between arts education and academic performance, this study employed a quantitative, quasi-experimental comparative design using secure, de-identified archival data from the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST). An independent sample t-tests was conducted to compare theater and non-theater groups’ end-of-year FAST reading scores across two grade levels (10 and 11). Results revealed a statistically significant difference in end-of-year reading scores, with theater students (M = 269.77) outperforming non-theater students (M = 229.23). The effect size was very large (Cohen’s d = 1.84), suggesting a strong relationship between theater involvement and higher reading achievement. In the gender subgroup analyses, theater males (M = 270.67) did not score significantly higher than non-theater males (M = 218.60). Female theater students (M = 269.29) scored significantly higher than did non-theater female students (M = 235.88), with an exceptionally large effect size (d = 2.62). These analyses further support existing research on the relationship between arts-integrated instruction and improvements in literacy, reading comprehension, and motivation. The uneven gender balance and relatively small overall participants, especially for males, should be considered when interpreting and generalizing these findings, and the replication of these analyses in a larger-scale study is encouraged.

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