STUDENT NARRATIVES FROM DANCE TEACHING IN SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Abstract

This article explores the experience of 10 high school students with dance content in Physical Education through their narratives. Utilizing a qualitative-quantitative approach, student narratives were collected through semi-structured interviews and supplemented with field diary observations. This method aimed to provide a more comprehensive and contextualized view of students' perceptions and experiences regarding dance. Content analysis revealed that many students acknowledge the importance of dance for physical and cultural development but tend to distance themselves from this practice, especially among boys. Factors such as embarrassment, gender behavior differences, the influence of musical rhythm, body movements, and bullying were identified as elements significantly affecting students' participation in dance activities. The research suggests the need to rethink the pedagogical approach to teaching dance, adopting more inclusive and gender-sensitive strategies. Student narratives proved to be an effective tool for generating data to understand the phenomenon of dance in the school context and to guide more inclusive and tailored pedagogical practices to students' realities.