'DANCE EDUCATION AT KEY STAGE 3 IS PREDOMINANTLY FACILITATED THROUGH PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM. DOES THIS PLACEMENT OF DANCE DELIVER A FOUNDATION FROM WHICH STUDENTS ARE PREPARED FOR THE STUDY OF DANCE AT GCSE LEVEL? A STUDY THAT EXAMINES THE LEARNING AND EXPERIENCES OF DANCE EDUCATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE STUDENT'

Abstract

This study has been designed to provide an insight into the learning experiences of the participants when Dance Education is delivered through the Physical Education Curriculum in Cardiff, Wales. There is particular focus on whether this placement of dance provides students with a foundation of knowledge with which they are prepared to study Dance at GCSE level. The findings from this study will add to the long term debate about the appropriateness of the placement of Dance alongside Physical Education by providing data that gives insight into how effective the teaching of dance is when delivered by non-dance specialists from the perspective of the students themselves. The participants that contributed to this study were recruited from the first year of an extracurricular GCSE Dance course in Cardiff, Wales. The data was collected through initial questionnaires and focus groups to provide data for a qualitative interpretation of how the participant’s experiences relate to the research question. An analysis of the data suggests that the dance education received by the participants of this study could be generally described as of a basic level; evidence suggests that there is limited application of dance specific language, terminology and processes during learning situations. The findings of this study support the need for more opportunities to develop dance specific content knowledge in Initial Teacher Training as well as access to continuing professional development opportunities for teachers of the subject. Further research is required across a wider geographical area to assess if these findings broadly represent the picture of dance education in Wales.