Knitting
Crocheting Research Announcement to TNNA
I am glad to report to you that Professor Linda Williams has been
awarded a New Faculty Research Support Award, effective January
7, 2008. This grant from Eastern Michigan University will
help launch this important research on how learning to knit and
crochet affects academic skills.
Professor Linda Williams was my son’s teacher at the Detroit Waldorf School
for 5 years prior to her earning her Ph.D in Literacy Education from Michigan
State University. Prof. Williams’ teaching experience inspired the
following research questions:
- How does knitting and learning to knit help children cognitively,
emotionally, and socially?
- How does engaging in craftwork improve student achievement?
Recent magazine and newspaper articles note that schools are rediscovering
the academic benefits of knitting. Teachers report that knitting
has helped students increase their math and reading skills, as
well as levels of concentration, control, follow-through, and sense
of mastery. Students who knit are also reported to have improved
hand/eye coordination, small motor skills, and communication skills
Evidence of the benefits of knitting on academic skills, however,
remains anecdotal. There have been no research studies to
quantify the correlation between the acquisition of knitting skills
and an increase in academic achievement. Through a controlled
study, this research project is designed to determine if reading
and mathematical skills are improved through learning to knit.
Receiving
this grant is significant because the project was judged by colleagues
across the research spectrum at this major teacher education institution.
Eastern Michigan University is the largest producer of educational
personnel in the nation, and thus this research will have far-reaching
effects as it is disseminated amongst future teachers, many of
whom seek employment in states other than Michigan. In addition,Prof.
Williams is now funded to present this research to both the Eastern
Educational Research Association and the American Educational Research
Association at their respective conferences in 2008 and 2009. Funds
were also approved by EMU for Prof Williams to travel to Columbus
for a presentation at the National Needle Arts Association in June
2008.
Karen Kendrick-Hands is currently working with the Education Committee’s
Kathy Elkins to develop a format at the June 08 TNNA Meeting for
Prof Williams to present her pilot’s preliminary research
results and discus next steps fore her research. Prof
Williams and Karen will also teach local shops how to coordinate
with local Helping Hands Programs to introduce knitting and crocheting
to their local school districts in conformity with the testing
protocol so we can replicate the study in their schools. The
more rapidly we develop a sound data base, the sooner Needle arts
education will be eligible for Title I funding to address reading
and math deficits. Needle arts instruction will prove to be a valuable
partner in helping schools meet “No Child Left Behind” benchmarks
as humanely as possible.
We
will have access to two third grade classes of 20-25 students each.
The school is a charter academy located in one of the poorest economic
regions in Detroit. According to the available scores
on the annual state assessment in Michigan, 52% of the 3rd graders
in this school met or exceeded the benchmarks in mathematics; while
69% met or exceeded the benchmarks in reading. These percentages
are significantly below the state averages of 88% (math) and 87%
(reading).
At present, negotiations are underway to work with each class
of third-graders during one period of the school day, and to provide
a knitting/crocheting drop-in time after school for other interested
students. The pilot will help us to hone a curriculum
specifically for teaching knitting and crocheting to 8 and 9 years
old. The length of time of the pilot has been extended through
the end of May so we may have time to specifically test different
curricula. Students will be assessed through multiple measures,
including a pre- and post-test procedure. Prof Williams will
also identify a comparable control group that will not receive
the knitting intervention.
Since receiving the grant, Prof. Williams has met with the
principal and the curriculum director of Detroit Community Schools,
as well as an interested occupational therapist who is helping
to conceptualize the physical skills that knitters use that have
an effect on academic skills. On Monday, January 14, she
is meeting with a research developer at EMU who will help
me review the testing procedures, as well as the human subjects
research protocol that must be followed.
As the study evolves, we anticipate many opportunities for TNNA
support. Early on we have been encouraged by the commitment by
Richard Caron of Coats & Clarks to contribute funding and supplies
to this research, but as the program grows we may need to look
to TNNA for financial and in kind support. I hope that details
of the study and progress updates will find a home on the public
access portion of the TNNA web page. We will also be coordination
a call for success stories documenting of the contributions
of the needle arts to improving educational achievement. The
trends gleaned from this anecdotal evidence will guide Prof Williams’ in
the continuing development of her research hypotheses as she creates
an academic career quantifying the benefits of the needle arts
to education. We will be developing a reporting format to
guide anecdote collection in the most uniform and easy to tabulate
way, and look forward to your input on that mater.
Prof Williams strongly believes this grant was funded partly because
of the direct support offered by your colleagues in the yarn industry
in the form of supplies and volunteers. We look forward
to developing the data to verify what everyone of us who has ever
taught someone to knit or crochet already knows. We thank
TNNA and the needle arts industry in anticipation of its
continuing support for this project.
Karen D. Kendrick-Hands
City Knits, Inc.; & City Knits of Mt. Clemens. www.cityknits.com
Linda Williams, Assistant Professor, Eastern Michigan
University
lwilli55@emich.edu
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