Racial Dynamics and Psychosocial Outcomes of Marching Arts Participation

The Marching Arts (MA) are extracurricular activities that have been largely under-examined in the psychological and educational literature, despite large amounts of participation by adolescents and emerging adults. As such, this dissertation assessed psychological and social dynamics related to participation several marching arts activities. In study one, we assessed longitudinal psychosocial change over time in marching arts students participating in Drum Corps. We found evidence of dynamic, curvilinear psychosocial change in this sample, which provided evidence that marching arts participation is related to psychological change in the participants. In study two, we assessed inclusivity in the marching arts from the perspective of students of color, using online survey methods. We found evidence of variability in students of color’s experiences in the marching arts and that such variability was related to their psychological well-being, which provided evidence to suggest that the marching arts are dynamic intergroup contexts, but also highlighted a need for further examination into the development of intergroup connections in marching arts programs. As such, in study three, we examined predictors of cross-race friendship development using longitudinal social network analysis methods and Stochastic actor-oriented models. We found evidence that race was not a significant predictor of friendship development and that one’s well-being did not moderate that lack of relationship. Additionally, we mostly found evidence that one’s friends do not significantly influence their well-being, except marginally significant evidence to suggest cross-race peers are influential in the development of belonging to the band. Study three further provided evidence that marching can be an inclusive context, though it is unclear the mechanism through which student participation changes their psychological well-being. We suggest future research continue to examine marching arts activities’ relationship to adolescent and emerging adult development., with specific focus on identifying mechanisms.

Author

• Young, DaSean L

• Drum Corps
• Emerging Adulthood
• Intergroup Contact
• Intergroup Friendships
• Marching Band
• Psychological Well-Being

Identifier

hdl:1920/14048

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:MARS:1920/14048