Research

 

Scientific research in 2006 shows that Dancing Classrooms has impacted school climate, personal growth, community health, system change, teacher turn over, and teen pregnancy. Dancing Classrooms is clearly an example of an educational experience that focuses on the social development needs of elementary school children.

 

In Fall 2006, Dr. Larry Nelson (UTA College of Education) performed a pre and post test protocol on 624 5th graders in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD and Fort Worth ISD to measure the potential impact of the Dancing Classrooms model on these children.  Approximately 33 percent of the children were in control group schools and did not receive Dancing Classrooms.  The other 67 percent of the children, in six elementary schools, did receive the 20 session Dancing Classrooms program.

Dr. Nelson applied two surveys to the children:

 

Sense of Mastery Global Scale:

  • Optimism & Confidence subscale
  • Self-Efficacy & Motivation subscale
  • Health & Wellness subscale

Sense of Relatedness Scale:

  • Trusting Others subscale
  • Social Support subscale
  • Comfort & Connectedness subscale
  • Diversity & Compassion for other subscale
  • School Environment subscale

 

Results

Statements with a Very Strong Statistical Difference between the children experiencing Dancing Classrooms and those who did not:

  • If I try hard it makes a difference.
  • There are people who will help me if something bad happens.
  • I get a lot of encouragement at my school.
  • School will help me be successful.

 

Statements with a Strong Statistical Difference between the children experiencing Dancing Classrooms and those who did not:

  • I will be happy and successful when I grow up.
  • I am getting the exercise that I need.
  • People accept me for who I am.
  • I feel supported.
  • It makes me sad to see a girl or boy who cannot find anyone to play with.
  • I respect people who are different then I am.

 

Of particular interest, one entire subscale (Social Support within the Sense of Relatedness scale) showed a Very Strong Statistical Difference between the children experiencing Dancing Classrooms and those who did not. 

 

Research

Study 1: Dancing Classrooms Impact on School Climate

  • Relationships
  • Personal Growth and/or Goal Orientation
  • System Change and System Maintenance
  • Corollary comparisons with absenteeism, discipline problems, and academic success

 

Study 2: Dancing Classrooms Impact on Obesity, Fitness, & Wellness

  • Increase in childhood diabetes
  • Use wireless heart-rate monitoring equipment with participants to measure dancing classrooms fitness impact.

 

Study 3: Dancing Classrooms - “Colors of the Rainbow” Competition



Other research issues:

  • Implementing a nationwide first semester evaluation
  • Teacher Turnover: by improving School Climate can a school district reduce teacher turnover
  • Teen Pregnancy: by improving respect between 5th grade boys & girls, can you reduce teen pregnancies in middle school
  • All sites are being encouraged to do research & evaluation; results to be shared throughout the Dancing Classrooms network

Updated Research

Dancing Classrooms North Texas Impact on Physical Activity and Fitness Research Project Update:

 

Reason for research project:  because the obesity epidemic is increasing throughout the nation at an alarming rate administrators and funders are paying special attention to the physical activity levels of children in physical education programs. 

 

This study examines how different types of Dancing Classrooms activities (both individually and in aggregate) influence heart rate responses and time spent in, above, and below fifth graders’ target heart rate zones.  Students in the study (N=200) were measured by wearing Polar E-600 heart rate watches to determine Dancing Classrooms impact on fitness and overall contribution to daily physical activity with the physiological accuracy of an electrocardiogram. 

 

Beyond a descriptive analysis of heart rate response findings (including contributions to the moderate to vigorous physical activity range), a Factorial Analysis of Variance will determine where differences occurred within specific interactions of gender, ethnicity, resting heart rate, BMI, and type of dance instructed (i.e., Meringue, Fox Trot, Rumba, etc.). 

 

Preliminary findings:  though the data has not yet been fully inputted and analyzed, passive data entry findings at this point may suggest that all of the dances, except Waltz, will closely meet the minimum 55% of max heart rate exercise threshold that has become the standard in physical education research.  Tango will likely exceed the other dances entering into a 65% max heart rate range, and Swing is likely to meet “vigorous” standards upwards of 75%.  Specific conclusions and variations in data relationships are yet to be determined.

 

To bring Dancing Classrooms to your school, or for more information, please contact us at 831-649-6726.