MARQUETTE— Northern Michigan University education students Danielle Schafer and Olivia Crawford presented a research project titled “The Relationship between Visual and Performing Arts and ACT Scores” at the annual National Conference of Undergraduate Research. Their project was selected from 3,500 submissions for this competitive conference, which was held April 11-13 at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.   

            Schafer is from Crystal Lake, Ill., and Crawford is from Owosso, Mich. Both are recipients of the Presidential Scholars Award and are part of NMU’s Freshman Fellows research program.

Their project explored the correlation between high standardized test scores and participation in artistic extracurricular high school activities. It was based on two groups of NMU undergraduates: those who live in honors housing and those in general housing. It focused solely on ACT scores and extracurriculars in secondary education.

             “In our research, we witnessed a positive trend in which students who consistently engaged in visual or performing arts classes throughout high school typically scored higher on the ACT than students who did not,” said Crawford. “We are very grateful to have the chance to experience something like this so early in our careers. It is rare, especially for freshmen.”

            Students selected to participate in the Freshman Fellowship Program at NMU enjoy a number of advantages that get their academic experience off to a productive start. They are paired with faculty mentors for personalized attention and have an opportunity to understand and practice substantive research. They also interact with other Freshman Fellows and even earn dollars in support of their education.