Impact of Theater Arts Participation on High School Students

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of theater arts participation on high school students. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Participation in theater arts has been shown to enhance students' academic performance, with improvements in reading comprehension, verbal skills, and overall academic achievement. This is attributed to the discipline, memorization, and comprehension skills that theater activities demand. Additionally, involvement in theater arts fosters critical thinking and creativity, encouraging students to approach problems and situations from multiple perspectives and think outside the box. Beyond academics, theater arts participation positively affects students' social and emotional development. It helps build self-confidence and self-esteem as students perform in front of audiences and receive feedback on their work. Theater also promotes teamwork and collaboration, as students must work closely with their peers to produce successful performances. This collaborative environment helps students develop strong communication skills and a sense of empathy, as they must understand and convey different characters' emotions and motivations. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Constructivist learning theory, social learning theory and arts integration theory may be used to anchor future studies on assessing the impact of theater arts participation on high school students. In practice, schools should actively incorporate theater arts into core academic subjects through interdisciplinary projects that promote creative expression alongside academic learning. From a policy perspective, it is crucial for educational policymakers to prioritize funding for arts education programs, recognizing their significant role in enhancing academic performance.