CSUSM Studies

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Explore the current studies that our movement is conducting and producing! Although we all can agree that the arts play an important role in a child's success, the research to support it speaks louder. With our work through the CIRP Study, ViaSat, and DREAM, we are well equipped and credible with our statement, ART=OPPORTUNITY.

Below is what we call our "Sun Spike" with the data we've collected from the CSUSM CIRP Surveys. According to the CIRP Study from the Higher Education Research Institute and Cooperative Institutional Research Program at UCLA,

"For over 50 years, the CIRP Freshmen Survey (TFS) has provided data on incoming college students’ background characteristics, high school experiences, attitudes, behaviors, and expectations for college. The survey, created by Dr. Alexander “Sandy” Astin in 1966, has resided at the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA since 1973. To date, over 15 million students at over 1,900 institutions have participated in the survey.

Our mission as a research institute remains to “inform educational policy and promote institutional improvement through an increased understanding of higher education and its impact on college students.”

CIRP Freshman Survey

CSUSM SUN SPIKE

CIRP Survey sun spike

CIRP Findings:

Benefits of students with 3+ years of art:

14.4% higher in creativity
10.2% higher in compassion
7.2% higher in integrating skills and knowledge
5.7% higher in the supporting opinions with a logical argument
5.1% higher in taking a risk to support a gain
5% higher in tolerance of differing beliefs
4.8% higher in seeking solutions to problems and explaining them
4.7% higher in asking questions in class
4.7% higher in discussing and negotiating controversial issues
4.5% higher in seeing things from another's perspective
4.4% higher in evaluating the quality of information
4.4% higher leadership ability
4.2% higher in understanding of others
4% higher seeking alternative solutions to a problem
3.4% higher in exploring topics independently
3.1% higher in looking up scientific research resources

CIRP

For over 50 years, the CIRP Freshman Survey (TFS) has provided data on incoming college students’ background characteristics, high school experiences, attitudes, behaviors, and expectations for college. The survey, first created by Dr. Alexander “Sandy” Astin in 1966, has resided at the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA since 1973. To date, over 15 million students at over 1,900 institutions have participated in the survey.

- Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA

Our research team has collected data from 2000 to 2016, specifically targeting the survey participants that answered the “how many years of art?” question. These are our findings from our top three school districts represented in our CSUSM study body: San Marcos, Vista, and Escondido.

Out of the 8,183 students who answered the art question 1,632 students had three or more years of art in high school.
20.0% of students have had three or more years of art

GENDER

Out of the 8,183 students who answered the art question1,188 of the students were female and had three or more years of art in high school.
73.1% of students were female and had three or more years of art in high school
Out of the 8,183 students who answered the art question, 438 of the students were male and had three or more years of art in high school.
26.9% of students were male and had three or more

ETHNICITIES

Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question 24 identified as American Indian. Of the 24 American Indian students 4 had three or more years of art in high school.
- 0.2% of students identified as American Indian and had three or more years of art in high school
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question 779 identified as Asian. Of the 779 Asian students, 184 had three or more years of art in high school.
- 11.3% of students identified as Asian and had three or more years of art in high school
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question, 208 identified as Black. Of the 208 Black students, 38 had three or more years of art in high school.
- 2.3% of students identified as Black and had three or more years of art in high school
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question 2,301 identified as Hispanic. Of the 2,301 Hispanic students, 333 had three or more years of art in high school.
- 20.5% of students identified as Hispanic and had three or more years of art in high school
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question 3,332 identified as White. Of the 3,332 White students, 751 had three or more years of art in high school.
- 46.2% of students identified as White and had three or more years of art in high school
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question, 226 were students that identified as “Other”. Of the 226 “Other” students 55 had three or more years of art in high school.
- 3.4% of “Other” students had three or more years of art in high school
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question 1,313 students had two or more ethnicities. Of the 1,313 students, 261 had three or more years of art in high school.
- 16.1% of students had two or more ethnicities and had three or more years of art in high school

INCOME (Female)

Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question, 1,494 identified as female students with an income as Low (>6k-39,999). Of the 1,494 female students, 264 had three or more years of art.
- 25.0% of female students with three or more years of art in high school had low income of (>6k-39,999)
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art questions 2,559 identified as female students with an income of Medium (40k-149,999). Of the 2,559 female students, 636 had three or more years of art.
- 60.3% of female students with three or more years of art in high school had medium income of (40K-149,999)
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art questions 662 identified as female students having a income of (150k-250k+). Of the 662 female students, 155 had three or more years of art.
- 14.7% of female students with three or more years of art in high school had a high income of (150k-250k+)

INCOME (Male)

Out of 8,183 students who answered the art question, 654 identified as male students with an income as Low (>6k-39,999). Of the 654 male students, 68 had three or more years of art.
- 16.9% of male students with three or more years of art in high school had low income of (>6k-39,999)
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art questions 1,557 identified as female students with an income of Medium (40k-149,999). Of the 1,557 female students, 234 had three or more years of art.
- 58.2% of male students with three or more years of art in high school had medium income of (40K-149,999)
Out of 8,183 students who answered the art questions 530 identified as female students having an income of (150k-250k+). Of the 530 female students, 100 had three or more years of art.
- 24.9% of male students with three or more years of art in high school had a high income of (150k-250k+)

It is important for us to note that our objective is not to prove that ensuring universal access to the arts is only for a particular type of student or for a particular agenda, but rather to educate and inform our community: principals, parents and students that the arts are multidisciplinary and essential, serving all students and youth regardless of what their interests are or their future career paths. Whether we aspire to be a doctor, lawyer, businessman or woman, architect, artist or teacher, research shows that the arts help in developing problem-solving skills, leadership characteristics, communication abilities, cross-cultural understanding which are all essential for every profession.

All in all, we stress how extremely alarming it is for us to see students disenfranchised for the lack of access to the arts and what that produces in respect to their opportunities for achieving higher education with the appropriate skills, or rather lack therof.