Research Papers


Arts Education

 

The Effects of Dance in Kindergarten Curriculum

 

ABSTRACT: In an attempt to address the marginalization of the arts in San Diego City Schools, this research paper examines the effects of dance in kindergarten curriculum. This study was conducted in an economically and linguistically diverse, urban elementary school in the Chula Vista Unified School District. The study’s participants consisted of two classes of 18 kindergarteners. This was a mixed methods study with both qualitative and quantitative data. Methods for gathering data included: pre-vocabulary and post-vocabulary tests, student interviews, oral surveys, teacher observations, and unsolicited parent feedback. The findings of this study suggest that the benefits of incorporating dance into kindergarten curriculum are numerous. Students’ vocabulary was built in the areas of art, mathematics, and dance; both students and parents developed positive attitudes toward the discipline of dance; classroom community was increased; students’ notions of Artist were expanded and several students showed increased confidence and risk-taking ability. Motivation for learning was increased and the teacher/researcher gleaned valuable information about a particular student’s learning process. Data is corroborated with research from Gardner, Gullatt, Druyan, Eisner, Heath, McMurrer, Zeller, and Goldberg. This study suggests that efforts to bring arts education back to public schools need to be carried out at a grassroots and policy level. It is recommended that arts educators push for more instructional time for the arts as well as find creative ways to connect the arts to subjects that garner attention and funding such as mathematics, science, and language arts.

 

 Dance in K curriculum.pdf