Effects of Formal Dance Training and Education on Student Performance, Perceived Wellness, and Self-Concept in High School Students
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EFFECTS OF FORMAL DANCE TRAINING AND EDUCATION ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE, PERCEIVED WELLNESS, AND SELF-CONCEPT IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS By CARMEN STEPHANIE CARTER A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2004 Copyright 2004 by Carmen Stephanie Carter Dedicated to my Mother and Father who inspired me to be an artist and a compassionate, empathic being. William Dorland Carter (1926-1992) Carmen Alene Olson Carter (1937-1995) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I could not have completed this goal without the loving support I received from my family and friends. I am truly blessed to have them in my life. I thank my parents, William and Carmen Carter, who inspired me to follow my dreams and be kind to all. I am appreciative of my brother, William C. Carter; his wife, Gillian; and their children, Ashley, Taylor and Jacob for their unwavering support and love. I am eternally grateful to my friends: Linda Nippert, Nikki Kochis, Lori Schiavone, Susan Pollard, Denise Drizos, Deena Rush, and Russell Matthes, who have become my surrogate family over the years, for their understanding and encouragement as I pursued my doctorate degree. Special thanks go to my friend and colleague, Elizabeth Villares, for the support, sense of humor, and love that she provided throughout my entire graduate career. Deepest appreciation also goes out to Gracie and Harley for their unconditional love and the happiness they provided in trying times. Sincerest thanks are extended to Dr. Robert Myrick, who served as my mentor and original doctoral chair; and to Dr. Joe Wittmer, who also served on my committee, before their retirement in 2003. I would also like to thank all the members of my doctoral committee: Dr. Rusti Brandman, Dr. David Miller, and Dr. Sondra Smith-Adcock for providing their guidance throughout this challenging process. Words cannot express my gratitude for my committee chair, Dr. Harry Daniels, who emphatically supported my efforts in conducting this study. With his support, I embraced the dissertation process and the personal strengths and weaknesses it magnified. iv Finally, I would like to thank the principals who volunteered their schools’ participation, and the dance colleagues and classroom teachers who assisted in the recruitment of participants from their programs. I thank Tim Baker for allowing me to use the Counseling Research Survey Builder, Rew Woodruff for his help with the methodology, and Dr. Sangmin Lee and Todd Leibert for their assistance with the data analyses. Finally, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to the students who participated in the study. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................. ix ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study.....................................................................................................4 Need for the Study........................................................................................................5 Theoretical Foundations ...............................................................................................6 Movement and Learning........................................................................................6 Self-Concept and Learning..................................................................................11 Wellness and Learning ........................................................................................15 Research Questions.....................................................................................................17 Definition of Important Terms....................................................................................17 Overview of the Remainder of the Study ...................................................................19 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE..................................................................20 The Mind-Body Connection.......................................................................................20 Wellness......................................................................................................................24 Movement and Wellness .....................................................................................24 Wellness and Counseling ....................................................................................28 History of Dance.........................................................................................................29 Dance Education in the Schools .................................................................................31 Research in Dance Education .....................................................................................34 Possible Benefits of Dance Education........................................................................37 Cognitive Development.......................................................................................38 Social Development.............................................................................................40 Personal Development.........................................................................................41 Dance and Movement in Counseling..........................................................................43 Movement Applications in the Promotion of Wellness ......................................44 Application in Schools ........................................................................................49 Instrumentation...........................................................................................................50 Perceived Wellness Scale for Youth ...................................................................50 vi Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale...........................................................................55 National Education Longitudinal Study ..............................................................57 3 METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................................59 Participants .................................................................................................................59 Sampling Procedures ..................................................................................................65 Relevant Research Variables ......................................................................................66 Dependent Variables ...........................................................................................66 Independent Variables.........................................................................................67 Research Procedures...................................................................................................67 Research Design .........................................................................................................68 Instrumentation...........................................................................................................68 Perceived Wellness Survey for Youth (PWS-Y).................................................69 Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) ...................................................................74 National Education Longitudinal Study ..............................................................76 Data Analysis..............................................................................................................76 Research Hypotheses..................................................................................................77 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ........................................................................78 Data Collection and Response Rate............................................................................78 Descriptive Data of the Research Variables ...............................................................79 Independent Variables.........................................................................................79 Dependent Variables ...........................................................................................82 Homogeneity of the Sample ................................................................................85 Intercorrelations..........................................................................................................85 Tests of Hypotheses....................................................................................................86 Hypothesis 1 ........................................................................................................86 Hypothesis 2 ........................................................................................................88 Hypothesis 3 ........................................................................................................88 Hypothesis 4 ........................................................................................................89 Hypothesis 5 ........................................................................................................90 Hypothesis 6 ........................................................................................................91