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BackgroundChildren with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been reported to experience low self-esteem. Magic, a performing art, when used therapeutically, has been shown to enhance self-esteem in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, there is a paucity of evaluation studies using this intervention applied to children with ADHD. PurposeThis single-group study aims to describe the effectiveness of a virtual summer magic camp program to enhance self-esteem in children and adolescents with ADHD. MethodSix children with ADHD, age 8.6-14.3 years, who participated in a virtual magic camp program for children with disabilities, were included in this study. The camp met 3 days a week, about 45 min to an hour each session, over four consecutive weeks for a total of 9 to 12 hours. Participants completed the assessments before the beginning of the camp and post-camp. In addition, participants and their parents were individually interviewed to explore their camp experience at the post-camp data point. ResultsA Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the median ranks of the self-esteem scores at post-magic camp, median=21.5, were significantly higher than the median ranks of the self-esteem scores at baseline, median=19.5, with z=2.23, p=.026. The effect size of the virtual magic camp on self-esteem was .64, which is considered moderate. Findings were validated by the participants describing gains in self-esteem after participation in the magic camp and by the parents' statements regarding the positive impact on their child's psychological well-being. DiscussionThis study supported the hypothesis that children with ADHD who participated in a four-week virtual magic camp experienced enhanced self-esteem. Future studies should investigate the holistic impact of magic camps on children and adolescents with ADHD and include measures that tap into other psychosocial attributes such as social functioning, social skills, and self-efficacy.

Instructional practices for English language Learners (ELLs) are multifaceted. They must address everything from communication skills to learner motivation. As a means of tapping student curiosity, learning to perform simple magic tricks is a creative task-based language teaching approach that promotes student self-confidence and engages them in interactionally authentic language. The learning of a magic trick becomes the means of helping students to use the linguistic knowledge they already have as well as a source for new linguistic knowledge. Teaching ELLs simple magic tricks is one approach that increases student communication and produces improvement in academics, self-confidence, resiliency, and social skills. KeywordsELL, arts integration, magic tricks, pragmatic language www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eltls English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies Vol. 2, No. 1, 2020 12Published by SCHOLINK INC. take risks and make mistakes, and are encouraged to use their newly acquired verbal English language skills (Erozkan, 2013). Research supports the use of Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) as one approach that seeks to meet these criteria. TBLT activities provide real-world situational activities in which students are encouraged to take risks in a safe and stable learning environment. The focus of these tasks is not on grammar but rather on helping to develop linguistic strategies for completing the tasks within their existing knowledge of English.

Purpose: This study was conducted to describe the development and validation of the Hocus Focus Magic Performance Evaluation Scale (HFMPES), which is used to evaluate the competency of health professions personnel in delivering magic tricks as a therapeutic modality. Methods: A 2-phase validation process was used. Phase I (content validation) involved 16 magician judges who independently rated the relevance of each of the 5 items in the HFMPES and established the veracity of its content. Phase II evaluated the psychometric properties of the HFMPES. This process involved 2 magicians using the HFMPES to independently evaluate 73 occupational therapy graduate students demonstrating 3 magic tricks.Results: The HFMPES achieved an excellent scale-content validity index of 0.99. Exploratory factor analysis of the HFMPES scores revealed 1 distinct factor with alpha coefficients ≥0.8 across the 3 magic tricks. The construct validity of the HFMPES scores was further supported by evidence from a known-groups analysis, in which the Mann–Whitney U-test showed significant difference in HFMPES scores between participants with different levels of experience in delivering the 3 magic tricks. The inter-rater reliability coefficients were ≥0.75 across the 3 magic tricks, indicating that the competency of health professions personnel in delivering the 3 magic tricks could be evaluated precisely.Conclusion: Preliminary evidence supported the content and construct validity of the HFMPES, which was found to have good internal consistency and inter-rater reliability in evaluating health professions personnel’s competency in delivering magic tricks.

Previous studies have examined the quantitative results of using an organized approach of teaching and learning magic tricks—a therapeutic magic camp—but set aside the qualitative aspect. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the interpretation of the lived experience of children with hemiparesis after they have participated in a therapeutic magic camp. Six children, aged between 11 and 14 years old, with hemiparesis who completed the magic camp program 3 months prior were invited to participate in an in-person individual semistructured interview. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for content analysis. Results from the initial qualitative analysis yielded categories of enjoyment, positive social and learning experience from participation in the camp, increased confidence, and self-motivation to use the affected upper limb. These categories were grouped into two themes: “having fun with others while learning” and “helping my arm perform.” Having fun with others while learning was an amalgamation of fun, and positive social and learning experience. Helping my arm perform reflected a sense of increased competence and self-belief, and a willingness and motivation of the children to attempt challenging daily activities. The lived experiences of children with hemiplegia who participated in an organized delivery of learning to perform magic tricks yield-ed positive outcomes. These themes are consistent with the limited literature that is available suggesting that further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of the therapeutic magic camp intervention.