How can we measure social impact in the arts?

Evaluation of an immersive in-school theatre program in Singapore shows the arts can create social impact, as well as how this can be measured.

CEI has analysed the impact of Gateway Arts’ 12 Going On 13, a 90-minute experience designed for students moving from primary to secondary school (12- to 13-year-olds), which combines a theatre performance with small group discussions and a supervised “safe space” of self-guided activities. Themes of change, growing up, peer relationships and emotional wellbeing are explored, with the goal of providing a safe, accessible entry point for conversations about mental wellness in the teenage years.

“Arts initiatives with a social or educational purpose are not typically evaluated, meaning there is no opportunity to assess whether aims have been achieved, the impact made or how programs could be strengthened,” explains CEI Principal Advisor, Dr Evelyn Tan. “This really is a lost opportunity.”

“In evaluating Gateway Arts’ program, we found significant improvement in students’ emotional awareness and expression, as well as in their ability to identify coping strategies and sources of support. Students particularly valued the reflective, self-guided activities in the safe space in building their understanding of emotional wellness.”

The number of students who identified counsellors as a source of support increased 11.5% from pre- to post-program surveys. This suggests 12 Going On 13 helps build students’ confidence to discuss their emotions with professionals, and supports the normalisation of help-seeking behaviour during the transition from childhood to adolescence.

Undertaking a formal evaluation led Gateway Arts to create a clear Theory of Change for 12 Going On 13. This roadmap articulates how the program leads to meaningful outcomes, and is a cornerstone of strong program design and continuous improvement.

“This project has shown us the value of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) in the arts sector,” says Priscilla Khong, Executive Director of Gateway Arts.

“This evaluation has helped us better understand what is changing for students through 12 Going On 13, strengthen the way we design and deliver the program, and share its impact more meaningfully with partners, funders and the wider community.”

More about the evaluation

Nine hundred students across six schools were asked to complete anonymous surveys before and after participating in the 12 Going On 13 experience.

Emotional awareness and its expression was assessed with the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire – Short Form (PAQ-S). Students were also asked to identify support figures they could turn to when feeling “low” or sad, the extent to which they “know of coping strategies… when feeling unpleasant emotions,” and the extent to which 12 Going on 13 had helped them learn about coping strategies.

“The absence of longer-term follow-up and a comparison group of students who had not attended the program (a ‘counterfactual’) limits definitive findings attributed to the program,” says Evelyn. “However, the findings are promising. Significant changes were observed in students’ emotional awareness and expression, their confidence in discussing emotions with others, awareness of supports for help-seeking, and knowledge of coping strategies.”