Scheduled for Dance Free Communications, Thursday, April 1, 2004, 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM, Convention Center: 208


When "Too Little" is Not Enough: Lessons Learned and Applied From Teaching One-Credit Hour Dance Methods Courses for Physical Education Majors

Sylvia A. Moseley, North Georgia College & State University, Dahlonega, GA

Although the prevalence of a wide discrepancy between attitudes of preservice physical educators (PEs) toward dance as compared to most other physical activities is well established, there is evidence that required dance courses can lead to improvements in their attitudes toward performing dance (Nielsen & Padfield, 1997) and in their self-perceptions regarding their abilities to teach creative movement and dance (Moseley, 1998). But these findings were gleaned from studies of "full credit" (i.e., five quarter and/or three semester) hour courses. Would it be possible to achieve such desirable outcomes were these courses offered for only one-credit hour? To search for answers to that question was the purpose of this study, conducted following the institution-wide concomitant processes of semester conversion and curriculum downsizing at a state university in the Southeast. Respondents giving their informed consent to be participants in this ethnographic project were PEs enrolled in the initial (N=17) and most recent (N=6) offerings of a one-credit hour version of a formerly full credit course, Methods for Teaching Creative Movement and Dance. To the degree feasible, in the initial offering of its one-credit version, efforts were made to replicate the full credit course in terms of teaching and research methodology (See Moseley, 1998). Major revisions in the most recent offering of the course included fewer writing assignments and far more teaching opportunities (due to an unusually small class size). Constant comparison was used to analyze all data sources, which were journal entries, essays, participant and nonparticipant observations, interviews, teaching analyses, and pre/post written exercises. Trustworthiness was established through triangulation and member checks. The prevailing themes emerging from analysis of the data generated from the initial course offering centered around "too little" (e.g., "too little background and education in dance to teach it," "too little credit for so much work") and "more" (e.g., "need more dance courses for majors," "need more dance in the schools"). The "too little" theme barely appeared in the data from the most recent course offering. The "more" theme became stronger. Stronger still was evidence of steady, positive growth in the self-perceptions of this second set of PEs regarding their competencies as dance teachers. Based in part on the results of this study, it was recommended that Methods for Teaching Creative Movement and Dance be changed from one to three-credit hours. This recommendation was accepted.


Keyword(s): dance education, professional preparation, research

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