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Art and Music Activities to Enhance the Self-Esteem of Hawaiian Children

Michael Omizo, Kiaka Gaughen & Sharon Omizo

Abstract: This study i11vestigated tl1e effects of using art a11d music activities in a group format lo enhance the psyclrological development and we/I-being among Hawaiian cliildre11. The results indicated Illa/ tllis classroom-based inlervenlion was effective in fostering various dimensions of Ilic Hawaiian cllildren's seif-es/eem.

Art and Music Activities to Enhance the Self-Esteem of Hawaiian Children

Every year millions of people come from all over the world to enjoy their dream vacation in Hawai'i. They come to see the steamy volcanoes, sunny beaches, lush green mountains and receive the aloha of the people of Hawai'i. These visitors inevitably have a very pleasant time while they are here and leave with many positive images of this special land and the people who live here. This is one perspective of Hawai'i and its people. Hidden behind those images is another Hawai'i, where many of its native children suffer from a wide range of social and educational inequities that have made them feel like strangers in their own land (Blaisdell, 1993; Hammond, 1988; McNassor & Hongo, 1972; Native Hawaiian Educational Assessment Project, 1983).

Several researchers have noted that Hawaiian students consistently score lower on measures of self-esteem than students from other ethnic backgrounds who also live in Hawai'i. These investigators suggested that this reduced sense of self-esteem is largely the result of growing up in a culture and attending schools which extol western values and ideals that sharply contrast with many Hawaiian beliefs and traditions (Aki, 1987; congress of the U.S., 1992; Cook, 1983; Hammond, 1988; Native Hawaiian Educational Assessment Project, 1983; Pukui, Haertig, & Lee, 1979).

Aki (1987) pointed out that many Hawaiian children demonstrate positive self-concepts during the preschool years. However, as they participate in the public school system in Hawai'i, they often experience feelings of alien­ation and inferiority which adversely affect their feelings of personal worth. Three factors which were noted to contrib­ute to these negative experiences include the use of irrel­evant curriculum materials, inappropriate teaching methods and the lack of public school educators of Hawaiian ancestry (Aki, 1989).

Omizo and Omizo (1989) have also written about the ways in which Hawaiian children's negative self-esteem is related

to growing up within a different culture and attending schools that are more specifically designed for members of the dominant western culture. They indicated that another variable which contributes to the erosion of the self-esteem of Hawaiian youth involves the tragic history of the past two hundred years in which the Hawaiian people have become a conquered people in their own homeland.

Numerous studies have shown that low self-esteem in childhood is highly correlated with a host of personal, educational, and psychological problems. This includes heightened feelings of powerlessness, depression, anxiety, alienation, poor academic achievement, and maladjustment in school settings (Damon, 1983; Roundtree, 1979). In contrast, positive self-esteem has been correlated with successful academic achievement, heightened motivation, an internal locus of control orientation, persistence in educa­tional settings, and ability to handle stress effectively (Coopersmith, 1967; Leonard & Gottsdanker-Willekens, 1987; Obiakor, 1985; Phillips, 1984; Raimy, 1971 ). These research findings underscore the importance of promoting youngsters' self-esteem during their school years.

Omizo and Omizo (1989b) discussed the potential benefits of using group counseling interventions to intentionally foster the self-esteem of Hawaiian students. Drawing from the work of other group counseling experts, Omizo and Omizo (1989b) indicated that these types of interventions are positive because they encourage children to develop a sense of their own uniqueness by interacting with other similar­aged students (Alder, 1964, 1969; Dinkmeyer, 1968). It was also noted that group counseling provides opportunities for positive personal interactions within a safe social context (Jordan, 1984), encourages children to give and receive positive feedback in social settings (Corey, 1985; Ohlsen, 1968), and complement the cultural value Hawaiians place on harmonious group interactions (Marsella, Oliveira, Plummer & Crabbe, 1995).

The Use of Art and Music Activities in Group Counseling Settings for Elementary School-aged Students

Most children enjoy art activities because they are nonthreatening, allow the release of tension, enable young­sters to experience a sense of positive accomplishment, encourage the use of decision-making and risk-taking, and provide young students with opportunities for being responsible for both the process and the product of the

18 / EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

activity (Allan, 1987; Eydenberg, 1986; Omizo & Omizo, 1988). Use of art activities in counseling settings have proven to be an effective way of promoting children's development in that they help youngsters discuss feelings, cope with problems, and generally feel better about them­selves (Eydenberg, 1986; Naumberg, 1973; Singer, 1980; Sonntag, 1985).

Gunsberg (1988) also encourages the use of music activi­ties when counseling children because they have also been found to be an excellent tool for fostering self-learning and discovery. More specifically, music activities have been noted to be fun ways to assist children in exploring their thoughts and emotions as well as enhancing their social communications skills (Bowman, 1987; Campbell, 1993; Cooke, 1969). Gladding (1992) and Landreth (1987) support using music as a medium which helps nurture children's personal growth, reduces anxiety, develops positive relationships, and helps youngsters feel better about themselves. In other studies, music and related expressive activities have been found to be useful in helping children develop anger management skills and fostering their social development (Meeker, 1985).

Recognizing the importance of designing proactive school­based strategies that are intentionally aimed at increasing students' self-esteem, the authors developed and imple­mented a group counseling program specifically intended to promote this outcome among Hawaiian, elementary school­aged children. This intervention incorporated numerous art and music activities which were aimed at increasing the level of self-esteem reported by Hawaiian students in a public elementary school setting. The following research question was used in assessing the effectiveness of this group counseling project: "Does a group counseling program that utilizes art and music activities promote the self-esteem of Hawaiian elementary school-aged children?" What follows is a discussion of the research methods that were employed to test the effectiveness of this group counseling project and a report on the results of this inter-vention.

Methodology

Sample

The sample selected for this study was comprised of 60 children from one public elementary school in Hawai'i. Only those children indicating that they were at least 25% Hawaiian were included in this study. The students ranged in age from 8 to 11 years with a mean age of 9.6 years.

Procedure

The children were randomly selected from three grade levels (the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades). The 60 participants were randomly assigned to experimental (n::30) and control .(n=30) groups. The experimental group was further divided into three sub-groups consisting of 10 students in each sub­group. This was done to follow recommended guidelines for group facilitation.

Instrument

The Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI) (Battle, 1981) was used to measure the students' level of self-esteem. The CFSEI is a paper and pencil inventory consisting of 60 statements which respondents are asked to check "yes" (if the statement is generally true about them) or "no" (if the statement is generally not true about them). The CFSEI includes items which provide scores on four subscales. This includes the (1) General self-esteem, (2) - Social / peer-related self-esteem, (3) Academics/school-related self-esteem, and (4) Parents / home-related self-esteem subscales.

The construct validity was built into the CFSEI by devel­oping a definition of self-esteem. Battle (1981) provides validity coefficients from several studies which range from .71 to .80. Test-retest reliability coefficients using the CFSEI ranged from .89 to .93 while the alternate form correlation coefficient was calculated at .86.

Treatment

The three group leaders who participated in this project utilized a series of art and music guidance activities in three separate experimental classes. The leaders were responsible for overseeing the organization and facilitation of the activities as well as providing students with positive feedback on their accomplishments during the project. These group leaders also participated in art and music activities in order to provide positive role-modeling for the students and to create a non-threatening atmosphere within the classes.

The art and music activities used among the students participating in the experimental groups incorporated a wide variety of media, materials, songs, and exercises that were specifically developed to enhance the children's self­esteem. The group counseling leaders encouraged the children to express themselves freely, be creative, make decisions, accept themselves and others, attempt new things, and feel a sense of responsibility when working on their art and music project.

The specific art activities used in this project represented modifications of similar exercises that were developed by Omizo and Omizo (1989a). The modifications made in these exercises were based upon the materials available, time restraints, needs of the children, and the number of children who participated in the groups. The same is true for the music and songs used in this project. The types of music utilized included classical, rock, and local selections.

Each group session lasted between 45 and 60 minutes. The leaders took time at the end of each group session to process the students' reactions to that day's activity. The following section provides a brief description of the specific types of art and music activities which were used during the 12 group sessions.

Session I. Introduction and Rules of the Group

First, the group leaders discussed the rules of the group with the students.

Several basic guidelines were established from which the students were expected to follow. Examples of these guidelines included agreeing to have one person speak at a time, having permission to "pass" if one was asked a question which was difficult to answer, and refraining from saying negative things or "put downs" to other members of the group.

Next, a Name Tag Exercise (Fullmer, 1978) was used to introduce the members to one another. To begin this activity the students were instructed to write their names in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. They were then asked to write four words that described something positive about themselves around their names. They were also encouraged to draw a picture of their favorite food, favorite television show, something they accomplished that they were proud of, and a song that they enjoy hearing in the four comers of the paper. Finally, the group leaders facilitated a group discussion in which each student was asked to share something they had written on their papers that would help

the group get to know them better.

Session II. Something I Do Well

The children listened to the song "Express Yourself' by Madonna. At the end of the song, the leaders Jed the group members in a discussion about the lyrics of the song. The children were then asked to draw a picture of something that they do well and to share it with the group.

EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES / 19

Session Ill. ''The Me-Mobile"

The children were asked to bring photographs of them­selves from home. The group leaders also brought an instant camera to this session in case some of the students may not have been able to secure a photograph of themselves from home. The children were instructed to cut five to seven different geometric shapes from colored construction paper that was provided to them. They were asked to glue their photographs on one or two of the shapes they had cut out. Having glued their photographs to the colored shapes, they were asked to write their names around each photograph. Next, they were given a variety of magazines and instructed to cut out ten pictures that depicted their favorite color, their favorite animal, food, sport and a family activity which they enjoyed. The students pasted the magazine pictures on the front and back of the colored shapes of construction paper that contained the photographs of themselves. Using yam, the students then hung the pictures from a hanger. After completing their artwork, the children were asked to describe their "Me-Mobiles" and discuss the pictures they selected from the magazines. At the end of this group session, the mobiles were hung in the students' classroom.

Session IV. Award for Me

At the beginning of this group session, the students were told that they were going to create an award (i.e., medal, ribbon, trophy) for themselves from items found in the environment such as leaves, flowers, the bark of trees, rocks, seeds, and so forth. This award could be designed for something they have accomplished or something that they would like to do in the future. After designing these awards, they were asked to exchange them with a peer. The students were individually called upon to stand in front of the group and present the award to the peer who designed it.

Session V. My Feelings

The children listened to a musical version of the song "My Hawai'i." While listening to this song, they were asked to paint pictures based on the feelings they experienced while listening to the music. The group leaders then facilitated a discussion about the various pictures they had painted.

Session VI. A Gift for Someone

The children listened to the song entitled, "The Wind Beneath My Wings." The group leaders led a discussion about the words in this song and what they meant to the students. Following this discussion, the children were instructed to create a gift (by drawing a picture) for someone who is important in their lives. The recipient of this gift

20/ EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

could not, however, be someone in the group. At the end of this group session the leaders asked the students to share what they had created and to briefly explain why the recipient was important to them.

Session VII. Sculpture

White listening to Smetana's ''The Moldeau," the children were asked to use modeling clay to create something that makes them feel good. After finishing this task, the students were asked to talk about their sculptures with the rest of the group.

Sessions VIII, IX, X, and XI. Creating a Group Mural

The leaders explained what a mural is and informed the group that their last task was to develop their own "group mural." They then let the students know that they would have the next four group meetings to complete this task. The leaders facilitated a "planning session" in which the children discussed how they wanted to design their mural and the role each student would play in completing this project. Besides finishing the mural during the eleventh group session, the students also created a rap song that reflected various thoughts and feelings they had about the mural.

Session XII. Summary, Sharing and Closure

In the final group meeting the leaders asked the students to think about all of the activities they had participated in over the past eleven weeks. A particular effort was made to help the children process their reactions to these activities by encouraging them to discuss what they learned from participating in the group activities. This session ended with the group leaders and students singing a popular local song entitled, "Honolulu City Lights" together. As a tribute to their accomplishments in the project, the group leaders asked and received permission to have the students' artwork displayed in the school's main office.

Results

A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to test for differences in the pre- and posttest scores gener­ated by administering the Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inven­tory (CFSEl) to the student in the experimental and control groups. After noting significant MA NOV A results on the posttest measures, the researchers proceeded to conduct a post hoc univariate Eand discriminant analysis to determine which variables independently and cumulatively were valid discriminators of the self-esteem variables.

The means and standard deviations of the scores obtained from the experimental and control groups on all of the pretest and posttest self-esteem measures are presented in Table 1. Twelve children in the experimental group were not included in the posttest analysis because they missed three or more group sessions during the time the interven­tion was implemented at the school. Three children in the control group were absent during the time the posttest was administered and were also not included in the final analysis. This resulted in the use of scores obtained from a total of 18 students in the experimental group and 27 students in the final analysis of this research project.

The results of MANOV A comparing the pretest scores between the control and experimental groups indicated no significant differences. However, significant differences were noted in the posttest scores between the students in the control and experimental groups (E(4,43) "' 10.17; p < .011. More specifically, a post hoc univariate.Eand discriminant analysis revealed Social/ Peer-related Self-esteem and Academic/School-related Self-esteem to be significant discriminators among the children in the experimental and control groups (p_ < .01 for both) (see Table 2).

Table 1 Means and Standard Deviations for Experimental and Control

Group Participants on Self~steem Dependent Measures (N=45)

Variables Experimental (n= 18f Cantrel !n•27)

Prrlcst Post test Prrtcsl Posttcsl

M .so M ...s.u M SU M .so

General Sclf~tl't'm 52.0 10.1 SH> !Ul 51J 12.1 53.6 10.\

Sodal/Peer-rel.ited

Scll~teem 4H 9.9 6U 9.1 45.6 10.1 47.6 9.7

Academics/5'hool·relaled

Sclf~tcem 50J 10.1 61.7 9.1 SH 9B 53.3 9.4

Pilltllts/Home-related

Sclf;.'Sleem 51.7 to.I 57.l 9.2 .515 9.1 52.6 JO.I

Children in the experimental group who missed more than three sessions were not included in the final data analysis. The children from the control group moved and could not be located for the final testing.

Table2 Univariate f Values and Standardized Discriminant

Coefficients (SDC) for Postles! Self-esteem Measures (!'Y=45)

Variables Univariate a f Values SDC

General Self-esteem 1.52 .07 Social/ Peer-related Self-esteem 9.4t•• .47 Academics/School-related Self-esteem 836 .. .36 Parents/Hom~related Self-esteem 1.36 .13

adf = 4, 43 .. Significant beyond the .01 level Multivariate Analysis of Variance Results: f (4.43) = 10.17; p<.01

Discussion

The results of this study provide evidence which support the use of group counseling that utilize art and music activities to enhance the self-esteem of Hawaiian students in the elementary school setting. As reported in the results section, the children who participated in the groups that used art and music activities, had significantly higher scores on two self-esteem measures when compared to students who did not participate in these activities. This included significant increases in their Social/Peer-related and Academic/School-related self-esteem subscale scores.

These results indicated that the children in the experimen· tal group felt better about themselves regarding peer and school related issues. These findings were not surprising given that the group activities consistently encouraged positive peer interactions throughout the duration of the intervention. The sessions also directed attention to various academic and school-related issues which may account for some of the increase in their Academic/School-related subscale score.

The students in the experimental group did not demon­strate a significant increase in the General and Parent/ Home-related areas of self-esteem. One possible explanation for this finding might be related to the fact that parents were not included in this school-based intervention. It is impor­tant to note, however, that the scores on both of these subscales did move in the positive direction from the pre-to postesting time periods. In light of this observation, it is suggested that these children may require more time and focused discussion about general and family-related issues to significantly impact these dimensions of their self-esteem.

EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES/ 21

Conclusions and Recommendations

The results of this study led the authors to conclude that group counseling interventions using art and music activi­ties are useful in enhancing the self-esteem of children of Hawaiian ancestry. It is also suggested that elementary school-aged children from other non-western cultural backgrounds, who share traditions and values similar to those reflected in the Hawaiian culture, may also benefit from these sort of group activities. It was noted that the children who comprised the experimental group continued feeling go9d about themselves for at least four months following the intervention. These observations were made by the students' teachers and parents who were interviewed about the long-term effects that the intervention had on the students .

Considering the results and limitations of this study, the investigators propose the following recommendations:

2

3

4

Additional investigations should be designed to test the effectiveness or using art and music activities in group counseling seltings with children for other cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds.

Future studies should examine how other variables such as children's academic motivation, locus of control, self­efficacy, and social skills might be effected by the use of art and music activities in group counseling program.

Future studies which include parents and other family members m projects designed to promote children's se\f­esteem is another avenue of inquiry which would be important to explore.

On-going investigations that examine the long· term impact of using art and music activities to promote children's self·esteern would be important lo further increase our understanding of the lasting effocts of these sort of classroom·based interventions.

In closing, the authors believe that using art and music activities in group counseling settings are effective ways to enhance children's self-esteem. The intervention strategy described in this article does not require a high level of verbal and/or written skill on the students' part. Conse­quently, it may be a particularly useful strategy to utilize with children who have developed limited language skills and/or writing abilities. As demonstrated by the results of this project, counselors and educators can incorporate creative and inexpensive interventions within their class­rooms to effectively promote students' development and well-being.

221 EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

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Mfrhad Omizo is professor and chair of the Dtpartmrnl of Counselor Eduallion at the Unimsily of Hin11111'i.

Kiilka Gaughtrr is a gradualt studenl in lht Deparlmtnl of Counselor Education at tht University of Hawai' i

Sharon Omizo is a clmiml d1ehcion ot I.nm Hosr1t1/ in Honoiulu, thur11i'i