Logo image
Back
The Arts and Spirituality Center's HeartSpeak program: analyzing data from a reflective conversation
Thesis

The Arts and Spirituality Center's HeartSpeak program: analyzing data from a reflective conversation

Deirdre Shukura James Church
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), Drexel University
May 2010
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-3580
pdf
Church_Deirdre_20102.13 MB
PDF Access upon request, Email title, URL, or DOI to archives@drexel.edu

Abstract

HeartSpeak Program Reflective Conversation Public Health
Through HeartSpeak, an arts and peace initiative of the Arts and Spirituality Center, artists provide multiple anti-violence art workshops in schools and several other venues throughout Philadelphia. This study focuses on quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the program in order to see what impact poetry in general and the specific HeartSpeak program have in helping children to thrive despite exposure to chronic community violence. This research was conducted through facilitating reflective conversations and implementing questionnaires among fourth, fifth and sixth graders at Villanova Academy for Honor Studies and fifth, eighth, and eleventh graders at Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy. The results indicate that the program is helping children to grow in confidence, express themselves, learn about their abilities and those of their classmates, and identify places of sanctuary in their lives. Having previous experience with writing poetry and feeling confident when sharing poetry with classmates were significantly related to students' belief that the program is important. My main recommendations are for more workshops to be provided for the children, more time to be devoted to writing, more freedom in children choosing writing topics, and closer partnership between poetry instructors and the classroom teachers.

Metrics

7 File views/ downloads
23 Record Views

Details

Logo image