The following paper presents an analysis from the field of dance education in
Slovenian kindergartens. Participants in the survey were the preschool staff
from the first round of the education programme titled “Professional training
for practitioners for the purpose of implementing elements of special
pedagogical principles of the Reggio Emilia concept in the field of preschool
education for the period 2008–2013”, which took place at the Faculty of
Education in Ljubljana. 810 preschool staff from kindergartens of various
regions of Slovenia participated in the survey. The participants filled in the
questionnaire referring to the integration of various dance sessions into their
work with preschool children, regarding the intersubject integration of dance
sessions and the use of dance activities in a kindergarten for different purposes.
Data were analysed using the basic statistics and frequency distribution and are
graphically presented in histograms. Moreover, the arithmetic mean of various
variables was calculated. The obtained results were analysed and compared to
the objectives and contents of the Kindergarten Curriculum (1999) and the
principles of the Reggio Emilio Approach. The results have shown that
kindergarten preschool staff still follow the stereotypes in dance education,
perceiving it as a way of learning predefined forms and styles (learning
choreographies) that aim to achieve a certain goal (performance in front of an
audience) rather than creative processes such as a child’s creativity,
exploration of dance and expression through creative movements and dancing.
The findings further reveal that preschool staff integrate dancing into the arts
section as much as possible. However, the results, which are most surprising,
show that preschool staff do not introduce creative movements and dancing as
the means of intersubject integration for the purpose of understanding
mathematical content. Preschool staff only occasionally use dance sessions as
part of project work, which according to the Reggio Emilia Approach is one of
the main forms of work. Many questions arise from the results presented in the
paper. The situation in the field of dance education in kindergartens needs to be
further researched. However, we hope that educating preschool staff using the
Reggio Emilia Approach can contribute to quality dance activities in
kindergartens in terms of creativity, expression, exploration and linking dance
through dancing.
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