Pedagogical Strategies for Fostering Engagement in Dance Education: A Systematic Review

Anqian Wang()

Abstract

This systematic review synthesizes existing evidence on pedagogical strategies that foster engagement in dance education. We used PRISMA 2020 to search Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar in search of peer-reviewed articles (20102025); 57 articles met the criteria. Thematic synthesis was used so that pedagogical approach, engagement dimension, theoretical grounding, and outcomes were coded. Five categories were identified, namely learner-centered/constructivist approaches; collaborative and social learning, technology-enhanced instruction, emotionally and culturally responsive teaching, and formative assessment and feedback. In all levels (K12, higher education, community) and genres, engagement seemed to apply along three dimensions, behavioral, emotional and cognitive and be systematically related to autonomy, reflective practice, and relational trust. In situations where technology was used to supplement, as opposed to substituting, embodied learning, technology was mainly used to facilitate feedback, visibility and access. Culturally sustaining and inclusive curricula reinforced a sense of belonging and persistence and dialogic and process-oriented assessment fostered self-regulation and further enlightenment. Despite being restricted by heterogeneity of measures, convergent evidence shows that engagement is developed best when it is designed holistically and integratively to concern technical rigor and creative freedom. The review provides implications to teacher preparation and curriculum designing, as well as request longitudinal, cross-cultural, and mixed methods studies on standardized measures of engagement-specific to the dance.

Keywords

Dance Education, Student Engagement, Pedagogical Strategies, Reflective Learning, Inclusive Teaching

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12345/ret.v8i2.31785