Do those who study dance as part of a school curriculum have a better knowledge of dance when entering university than those who experienced dance training outside of the school curriculum; and does this affect their learning experience during the dance degree?

Abstract

This study set out to find the extent in which a variety of dance education and training pathways may or may not prepare students in Higher Education for a Dance degree and how this might affect their learning experiences during their time on the course. Key pathways considered in this research were GCSE, A level and HND dance qualifications, private dance classes and community dance classes. Using eight third year Cardiff Metropolitan students as participants, the study adopted both quantitative and qualitative research using an initial questionnaire in order to discover the different dance experiences had prior to entering the Dance programme. This led to a focus group of four participants; from this results became much more in-depth and discovered students’ thoughts and feelings surrounding their preparation for the Dance degree, as well as experiences had whilst on it. Results indicate that experiences are mostly individual to each student and less about the specific pathways of dance education and training taken before reaching Higher Education, though some correlations did become apparent. Those who were not offered GCSE and A level Dance felt they had less knowledge and experience of dance through a theoretical basis.