ERIC Number: EJ942189
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Aug
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0961-205X
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of a Creative Dance and Movement Program on the Social Competence of Head Start Preschoolers
Lobo, Yovanka B.; Winsler, Adam
Social Development, v15 n3 p501-519 Aug 2006
The effects of an eight-week instructional program in creative dance/movement on the social competence of low-income preschool children were assessed in this study utilizing a scientifically rigorous design. Forty preschool children from a large Head Start program were randomly assigned to participate in either an experimental dance program or an attention control group. Teachers and parents, blind to the children's group membership, rated children's social competence both before and after the program, using English and Spanish versions of the Social Competence Behavior Evaluation: Preschool Edition. The results revealed significantly greater positive gains over time in the children's social competence and both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems for the experimental group compared with the control group. Small-group creative dance instruction for at-risk preschoolers appears to be an excellent mechanism for enhancing social competence and improving behavior. The implications for early childhood education and intervention are discussed.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Disadvantaged Youth, Preschool Children, Interpersonal Competence, Movement Education, Dance Education, Social Development, Program Effectiveness, Creativity, Comparative Analysis, Behavior Problems, Behavior Modification, At Risk Students, Attention Control
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
What Works Clearinghouse Reviewed: Meets Evidence Standards without Reservations
WWC Study Page: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Study/90051