The reflective dancer: ICT support for practical training

Abstract

The research reported in this dissertation was started with the premise that web-based ICT applications could be useful for supporting teaching and learning in practical dance education. The central research question of this thesis was, How can web-based ICT applications be used to facilitate teaching and learning in practical dance courses in higher education? The central research question was split up into five research questions. The main context of the current research was higher professional dance education in the Netherlands (with the exception of the first, which was focused on the international context of tertiary dance education). The first two research questions focus on the use of a web-based ICT application in dance education. (1) How suitable is a virtual learning environment for carrying out learning assignments in dance education? (2) How do pedagogical aspects of the e-courses influence students’ satisfaction with their learning processes and outcomes in these e-courses? We investigated how 42 dance students participating in an international dance education programme perceived learning in a distance education programme delivered in an e-learning format using the virtual learning environment platform Claroline. The third research question focuses on dance pedagogy. (3) Which specific pedagogical aims should a web-based ICT application facilitate in practical dance classes? Three studies were conducted to answer this question. The results of the successive studies showed that supporting students’ reflection is an important pedagogical aim in practical dance education. Dance students are encouraged to carry out five types of reflection. Four of the reflection types are related to the Kantian notion of reflection. These types are carried out to connect different concepts and principles with students’ kinaesthetic experiences in order to be able to act with self-confidence in professional practice. The fifth type of reflection is related to the pragmatists’ notion of reflection. Students are encouraged to elaborate on their development over a period of time, point out what needs further attention during a following period, and plan activities for enhancement. Besides the focus on improving practice, the fifth reflection type is also aimed at developing awareness about one’s professional identity. We also found that supporting students’ reflection needs further facilitation in practical dance classes. The results revealed four categories of difficulty: general difficulties, difficulties describing an experience, difficulties evaluating an experience, and difficulties relating to multiple perspectives. Based on the latter, the following research questions were posed to enable us to find out how ICT can be used to facilitate students’ reflection in practical dance classes. (4) How can a web-based ICT application facilitate supporting the processes of students’ reflection in practical dance classes? (5) In what ways does a web-based ICT application facilitate supporting students in describing, evaluating, and relating processes of reflection in practical dance classes? A video-based learning environment, DiViDU, was used to support students’ daily reflection activities in a choreography course and a dance technique course. The ICT facilitation was empirically investigated following the evaluation case study design which focused on the perceptions of the 15 students and 2 teachers.