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Aidai Salmorbekova, University of Pecs, HungaryAbstract
This pilot study investigates the impact of dance pedagogy on adults’ social aesthetic perception. A pilot Social Aesthetic Perception Scale (SAPS) was developed to assess emotional resonance, social connectedness, bodily awareness, and cognitive flexibility in adult learners (ALs). Using purposive sampling (N = 30), participants engaged in structured dance sessions over 60 days. Quantitative results from the 15-item SAPS showed moderate increases, particularly in emotional attunement and social connectedness (Cronbach’s α = 0.766), demonstrating acceptable reliability for this pilot study. Qualitative data were collected from a subsample of three participants through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and thematic analysis. Participants reported greater empathy, trust, and appreciation of collective movement, alongside enhanced cognitive flexibility, including improved tolerance for ambiguity, openness to novelty, and adaptive decision-making. These findings support the SAPS as a valid tool and suggest that dance pedagogy fosters social-aesthetic perception, interpersonal adaptation, and overall social-emotional development in ALs. Importantly, dance classrooms function as dialogical spaces, where aesthetic and relational meaning is co-created through verbal reflection and embodied interaction.
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Conference: BAMC2025Stream: Education / Pedagogy
This paper is part of the BAMC2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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