Lived experiences of undergraduate physical education students studying gymnastics and dance education

Abstract

The focus of this study was to understand undergraduate students' experiences of gymnastics and dance education within the scrutiny of modular learning in Higher Education. A phenomenological position was adopted in order to understand the wholeness of students' experiences whereby identities are constituted through their lived lives. This allowed us to understand the students' identities as relational to the learning and assessment context and their lives within and beyond university. Open-ended interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of students who consented to share their experiences. Data was analysed using Merleau-Ponty's theorising of identity as an embodied cohesion or habit between prepersonal and personal existence. This is revealed through opaqueness and transparencies of consciousness which in this study were revealed through the seven identities of the participants; Negotiating and surviving White space, Strategic masculine competitor, Seeking reassurance, Racially strategic to be unique, Seeking dependence to achieve, Strategically insular and Willing explorer. These identities help to shed light on the tensions Higher Education students may experience when confronted with new learning situations in which they are to be assessed. We concluded that getting to know students, and the opacities and transparencies of their identities, could be of great value in shaping their being as students. In striving to understand the habitual behaviours of students, it is possible to understand how the subject-matter being taught might be received by students within the wider context of their being in the world .

A Comprehensive Method in Dance Quality Education Assessment for Higher Education

“…This is crucial for the effective implementation of dance education, ensuring its meaningful contribution within educational organizations. As dance education gains prominence as a significant public course in higher education, its impact on students' physical health, body shaping, and artistic temperament is undeniable (Mingyang & Liu, 2022;Vincenta et al, 2020;Wardaand & Scot, 2020).…”

“…Despite the growing importance of dance education in higher learning institutions, there is a notable lack of a standardized assessment method that caters to the specific intricacies of this field. This research seeks to address this gap by identifying an effective assessment method that contributes to the overall improvement of dance education quality (Vincenta et al, 2020;Wardaand & Scot, 2020). Recognizing the increasing significance of dance education in higher learning, this research addresses the absence of a standardized assessment method tailored to the unique nuances of the field.…”

The coordination abilities development in female students based on dance exercises

“…The next study focused on understanding the experience of undergraduate students in gymnastics and dance education in the context of modular education in higher education [23]. The authors concluded that the opacity and transparency of the person can be important in student life's development.…”

Negotiating whiteness through brownness: using intersectionality and transactional theory to capture racialised experiences of university campus life

“…The idea and motivation to develop this study grew from a previous research project which explored student identities during their engagement with a university sport course (Ward and Scott, 2019). Within this project, one student's narrative was identified as 'surviving white space' and the data prompted deeper questions about racialised experiences whilst studying sport.…”