Zhixun Zhang , Yue Gu , Yanyan Wuc
DOI:10.26584/RDPA.2025.9.3.42 Vol.9(No.3) 42-70, 2025
Abstract
This study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate a university-level course employed Yao ethnic dance within a collaborative learning framework, investigating its effects on students’ teamwork, communication, creativity, problem-solving, and culture understanding. A 16-week curriculum was developed, integrating classroom instruction, field-based research with local dance inheritors, and team-based choreography. Students progressed from foundational movement practice to fieldwork, culture documentation, and collaborative choreography, culminating in performance preparation and presentation. A qualitative case study approach was adopted, with data collected through observation logs, reflective journals, and interviews, emphasizing students embodied learning experiences and interactions. Findings revealed that collaborative learning facilitated the transition from individual skill acquisition to coordinated, communicative group performance. Students demonstrated enhanced negotiation, decision-making, project management, adaptive resilience, and creative problem-solving abilities, while successfully balancing innovation with cultural authenticity. Furthermore, the process fostered empathetic collaboration, social-emotional competence, and team cohesion. These results suggest that culturally grounded, cooperative dance education can simultaneously develop technical, creative, and interpersonal competencies, providing valuable pedagogical insights for dance and arts education.
Key Words
Ethnic Dance, Collaborative Learning, Yao Ethnic Dance, Higher Dance Education