ERIC Number: EJ1163776
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1464-7893
EISSN: N/A
Redefining Employability: Student Voices Mapping Their Dance Journeys and Futures
Higdon, Rachel Delta; Stevens, Jayne
Research in Dance Education, v18 n3 p301-320 2017
This paper explores dance students' understanding of employability and their views about their dance futures in order to inform higher education curricula and workforce development. The investigation focuses on the student experience on a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree course in Dance at an English university. First and final year undergraduate voices were sought, transcribed and analysed using grounded theory methodology. A key theme, explicit in the student data was that of journeying. Students referred to metaphors that related to journeys, travel, routes, roads and paths. The undergraduate students interviewed conceived of employability in dance as a journey from the beginning of the dance experience towards gaining and sustaining employment. The beginning stage of the journey was getting to university and in the liminal space of the first year, students focused solely on their dance experiences. By the final year, the students perceive their dance futures as diverse journeys of continuous development. The onward journey out of university for final year students is fuelled by a passion for dance, self-reliance and continuous learning. The student voice revealed a determination to forge a future in dance whilst recognising the obstacles; financial, emotional and physical that lay in their way.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Employment Potential, Dance Education, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Bachelors Degrees, Honors Curriculum, Grounded Theory, Figurative Language, Goal Orientation, Occupational Aspiration, Individual Development, Lifelong Learning, Student Interests, Self Determination, Self Motivation, Education Work Relationship, Semi Structured Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A