Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Educational Studies Dissertations Graduate School of Education (GSOE) Winter 1-15-2021 Using College Student Learning Experiences and Outcomes to Guide Teaching Modifications in a General Education Choreography Course: An Action Research Study Kristy Kuhn Donnelly [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/education_dissertations Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Dance Commons, and the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Donnelly, Kristy Kuhn, "Using College Student Learning Experiences and Outcomes to Guide Teaching Modifications in a General Education Choreography Course: An Action Research Study" (2021). Educational Studies Dissertations. 163. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/education_dissertations/163 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Education (GSOE) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Running head: STUDENT LEARNING GUIDES TEACHING Using College Student Learning Experiences and Outcomes to Guide Teaching Modifications in a General Education Choreography Course: An Action Research Study A Dissertation Presented by Kristy Kuhn Donnelly Submitted to the Graduate School of Education Lesley University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY October 1, 2020 Ph.D. Educational Studies Individually Designed Specialization STUDENT LEARNING GUIDES TEACHING 2 Copyright © 2020 by Kristy Kuhn Donnelly All rights reserved. STUDENT LEARNING GUIDES TEACHING 3 Using College Student Learning Experiences and Outcomes to Guide Teaching Modifications in a General Education Choreography Course: An Action Research Study Kristy Kuhn Donnelly Graduate School of Education Lesley University Ph.D. Educational Studies Individually Designed Specialization Approvals In the judgment of the following signatories, this Dissertation meets the academic standards that have been established for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Dr. Vivien Marcow Speiser Doctoral Committee Chair Date Dr. Olivia Cheever Doctoral Committee Member Date Dr. Marion Nesbit Doctoral Committee Member Date Dr. Caroline Heller Director, Individually Designed Specialization Date Dr. Paul Naso Co-chair, Ph.D. Educational Studies Date Dr. Amy Rutstein-Riley Interim Dean, Graduate School of Education Date STUDENT LEARNING GUIDES TEACHING 4 Abstract The purpose of this action research study was to gain an understanding of the learning experiences and outcomes of 12 undergraduates enrolled in Creative Dance, a general education choreography course, in Fall 2019 and the teaching strategies and practices that guided their learning. Research questions that guided this study were: what does student work reveal about their learning and the teaching strategies that guide their learning? and what curricula and teaching changes will more effectively facilitate student learning processes and stronger outcomes? Qualitative data included standard instructional materials created for and utilized in the course and students’ choreographic and written work. The teacher-researcher coded, analyzed, and interpreted the data within three subareas of student learning: cognitive domain of learning, development of physical skills in relationship with choreography and performance, and affective responses to learning experiences. Plans for modifications of teaching materials, strategies, and practices for Fall 2020 to improve facilitation of emerging adult learning of choreography were outcomes of this research. Interpretation of findings revealed the need for teaching modifications to support (a) the interrelationships between thinking, moving, and feeling; (b) learning as a cyclical process; and (c) learning as a social process more strongly using both Kolb’s (2015) Learning Cycle and Arnett’s (2000) Theory of Emerging Adulthood as a theoretical foundation. This study contributes to dance education and the wider field of higher education by serving as an example of critically reflective teaching and course design that used student experiences to guide teaching modifications. Keywords: action research, affective response, choreography, cognitive domain, experiential learning, general education, higher education, Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, The Learning Cycle, Theory of Emerging Adulthood STUDENT LEARNING GUIDES TEACHING 5 Acknowledgements I am truly grateful to the people who have supported and assisted me along this journey. First, I would like to thank my doctoral committee who have been beacons of positivity and encouragement throughout this process: Dr. Vivien Marcow Speiser, my Advisor and Committee Chair who has been my invaluable guide and mentor since my entrance into the doctoral program, Dr. Marion Nesbit, and Dr. Olivia Cheever. They have continually challenged me to look at my teaching, research, and dance discipline from new perspectives, and their influence extends way beyond this dissertation. Some of my most influential teachers over the years have been the students in my classes, especially the twelve student participants in this study. I am so thankful for their willingness to volunteer their work and for inspiring me to be a more effective and thoughtful teacher. Thank you to my parents, Maddy and Bill Kuhn, who have always been my biggest supporters, encouraging me to do what I love, to always strive to do my best, and to sit down and get this dissertation d-o-n-e. I am grateful to my husband, Dr. Kevin Donnelly, and stepdaughters, Keelan and Lydia, who were patient and understanding of the many hours spent behind a closed door in order to finish this project. This dissertation would not have been completed had it not been for Kevin; he willingly took on all of the cooking, cleaning, shopping, working, and playing during the long home stretch towards completion and engaged in many research conversations over the past few years as both my supportive partner and a higher education colleague. I am so appreciative of his support and the support of those who have been by my side throughout my doctoral studies. Thank you all so much! STUDENT LEARNING GUIDES TEACHING 6 Table of Contents Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................................... 5 List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. 14 List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter One: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 16 Background and Context ................................................................................................ 16 Students’ Dance Experience ............................................................................... 17 Information About the Course ............................................................................ 17 Theoretical Foundations for Teaching ................................................................. 19 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................... 23 Purpose of the Study and Research Questions ............................................................... 25 Research Design Overview ............................................................................................. 25 Rationale and Significance ............................................................................................. 27 The Teacher-Researcher ................................................................................................. 28 Assumptions ................................................................................................................... 35 Definitions of Key Terms ............................................................................................... 36 Chapter Two: Review of Literature ............................................................................................. 39 Lack of Pedagogical Requirements for College Teachers ............................................... 40 Action Research ............................................................................................................... 42 Action Research in Dance Education ................................................................. 44 Theory of Emerging Adulthood ...................................................................................... 46 The College Context ............................................................................................ 49 Criticism of Theory of Emerging Adulthood ...................................................... 50 STUDENT LEARNING GUIDES TEACHING 7 Lack of Research in Emerging Adulthood ......................................................... 52 Experiential Learning ................................................................................................... 54 Criticism of Experiential Learning ..................................................................... 54 Experiential Learning Theory .............................................................................. 55