Understanding Dance and Rhythm Exergames Within a Physical Education Setting

Background/Purpose: Recently, a new wave of gaming known as active gaming or exergaming is showing it can be an educationally functional and enjoyable method of learning within areas of the curriculum which highlight dance or other individual activities.

This study aims to better understand the impact that dance and rhythm exergames have on students within a physical education setting. Although similar studies have used dance and rhythm exergames within a school setting, this is the first study to incorporate a multiplayer version of the game (Dance Dance Revolution), as up to 48 users can play simultaneously.

Method: This concurrent mixed methods study rotated the dance and rhythm exergame, Dance Dance Revolution Classroom Edition, among six participating schools within an urban school district in Western Canada. Cooperating schools used the exergaming tool for approximately three weeks. During this time students came into contact with the dance and rhythm exergame due to its insertion into regularly scheduled physical education classes.

Each of the participating schools had a designated lead teacher responsible for the use and maintenance of the equipment. Lead teachers also administered a five-point Likert-type scale after participants had used the equipment for three weeks, allowing students to rate their motivation and attitude levels towards the device.

In an effort to triangulate the data, two group interviews were conducted with three students within each of the respective age demographics: one group from ages 8 to 11, and another group of secondary students from ages 12 to 14.

Analysis/Results: A total of 119 student participated in the study, 65 from elementary and 54 from middle school. Data from the surveys was analyzed in four separate categories. First, each individual site was examined, next elementary students were compared to secondary students, then male survey results were compared to female, and finally the results of all the surveys were looked at as a whole.  

Overall, participants in both elementary and middle school noted high levels of intrinsic motivation towards the use of dance and rhythm exergames within a physical education dance unit. These results were verified and given greater context within the group interviews.

Conclusions: Dance and rhythm exergames are not a replacement to participating in games or other activates, rather a unique accompaniment with which physical educators can use to heighten intrinsic motivation and strengthen their programs to better reach curricular outcomes.