Degree Name

Master of Arts

Document Type

Thesis

Date Created

12-1-2019

Department

College of Performing and Visual Arts, Theatre Arts and Dance, Theatre Arts and Dance Student Work

Abstract

The goal of this study was to gauge growth of student empathy and social awareness as they collaborated through the choreographic process. There were eighteen participants in this study. Through learning about one individual’s experience growing up during the Civil Rights Movement, students used movement and the creative process to unpack ideas and concepts they learned. Through this study, participants used collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and the choreographic process to create a full-length performance. Participants gained a greater understanding and sense of empathy for the experience of the subject and others during this experience. Limitations of this study included potential bias on the part of the researcher as she was also the teacher in this study. In addition, it would be important to perform this research with a more diverse student population over the course of multiple semesters to measure student growth over a longer period of time. Finally, validation of the research instruments was also considered a limitation of this study.

Keywords

Dance; Dance education; Empathy; Choreography; Civil Rights Movement; Social Awareness; High School; Choreographic process; Dance students; Cultural awareness

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

Digital Origin

Born digital

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