Using art therapy to increase reading motivation in below grade-level readers
Graduation Date
Spring 2016
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Dean
John Lemmon, PhD
First Reader
Amy Backos, PhD, ATR-BC
Second Reader
Vicki Bynum, MFT, ATR, MA, Ed
Abstract
Reading literacy in the twenty-first century has become a national problem, as many children’s reading proficiencies are below-grade level. This quasi-experimental research quantitatively measured the correlation between art therapy and reading level improvement for below-grade level K-5 elementary school students. The measurement tools were the Motivation to Read Profile (MRP) and the interactive reading assessment tool, Literably.com. Results showed a strong correlation between art therapy and reading level improvement, with the MRP yielding mixed results. This preliminary research used a small sample size and was conducted over a relatively short period of time; however, this points to the need for further study to establish the correlation between art therapy and reading level improvement. Keywords: art therapy, reading level improvement, motivation to read, Adlerian theory