If you can walk you can dance: how generalist primary teachers develop confidence and competence to teach dance

Abstract

The inclusion of dance within the arts curriculum means that all New Zealand state primary schools must provide their students with opportunities to learn dance, a requirement that causes anxiety for many teachers, who feel ill equipped to teach it. This research was directed by the question: How can generalist primary teachers develop confidence and competence to teach dance? A qualitative case study approach was used to focus on a personally selected group of experienced primary teachers who were successfully teaching dance in their classrooms before there was a mandate to do so. I chose the research participants because I believed they would be a source of rich information. Data from semi-structured interviews and journal entries were presented as personal narratives. The participants described their own experiences of dance and reflected on factors that influenced their attitudes to dance in education, their motivation to teach it, and the process they went through to develop knowledge, skills and understandings. Analysis of the data included my own perspectives, resulting in a report that is descriptive and interpretive. From the themes that emerged I discovered three qualities that all the participants shared: desire, courage and commitment. In relation to these qualities, the study revealed that a combination of factors had a positive influence on their development as dance educators. They developed confidence to teach dance by doing it, relying initially on their pedagogical knowledge, the constructivist principle of 'teacher as learner' and belief in the value of dance as a way of 'knowing'. With ongoing encouragement, support and guidance from significant 'others', particularly in the workplace, they developed dance content knowledge and perceptions of competence. The key findings of this study have significant implications for pre-service and in-service teacher education. Recommendations for action based on these findings, and suggestions for further research, have the potential to increase the quality and quantity of dance education in New Zealand primary schools.