Effect of a six-week dance-based physical education intervention on primary school children’s creativity: A pilot study

Abstract

There is international consensus that creativity is a fundamental outcome of schooling. Opportunities exist to enhance the creativity of schoolchildren, particularly in movement-based subjects such as physical education (PE). In this pilot study, we investigated the effect of a six-week dance-based PE intervention on children’s creativity in a primary school context. Forty second grade students participated in a controlled trial. One class ( n = 20) was assigned to the intervention and participated in dance-based PE lessons (10 girls, 10 boys; age 7–8 years). The other class ( n = 20) was assigned to the control condition and continued regular PE with no dance (10 girls, 10 boys; age 7–8 years). Pre–post assessment of creativity was obtained through an adapted version of Guilford’s (1967) Alternative Uses task. Data were analysed using linear mixed models, with adjustment made for children’s perceived dance ability and for baseline differences in creativity between groups. The overall effect of the intervention was small ( d = 0.36, 95%CI = –0.21 to 0.92), but not statistically significant ( p = 0.21). Post-hoc analysis revealed a large difference in the effect of the intervention between children with above and below-average baseline creativity ( d = 1.26, 95%CI = 0.14 to 2.39, p = 0.03). Children with above-average creativity at baseline benefitted more ( d = 0.99, 95%CI = 0.01 to 1.96, p = 0.047). This pilot study provides further support for the place of dance and creativity within the PE curriculum. However, particular attention should be given to students’ starting points.