This study aims to investigate the impact of improvisation(i.e. dancing) as an instructional media using visual and auditory stimuli on the social and emotional development in children at around 6-7 years of age at a kindergarten in Jeonju-si, Chonbuk...
This study aims to investigate the impact of improvisation(i.e. dancing) as an instructional media using visual and auditory stimuli on the social and emotional development in children at around 6-7 years of age at a kindergarten in Jeonju-si, Chonbuk to seek measures to improve their social and emotional development.
In this study, there are 50 kindergarteners from "H" kindergarten and 40 individuals from "I" kindergarten(experimental groups) and 90 individuals from both "Y" kindergarten and "B" kindergarten(control groups), who are all in the age of 6 to 7 years in Jeonju. The Social and Emotional Development Rating Scale Questionnaire is used as a scale and the configuration contents include subject's demographic matters(e.g. gender, age, siblings), independent learning skills, emotional and behavioral self-control, peer relations/ cooperation, stability in teacher/children/kindergarten, motivation to achieve learning goals, and intellectual curiosity about new things. To measure social and emotional development, KIRBS(Korean Institute for Research in the Behavioral Sciences) (Heo Hyeong et al. 1978)'s scale is based, and then modified and supplemented by Lee Eun-Hye and Lee Gi-Suk(1983) and Mun Mi-Ok(1988)'s Social and Emotional Development Rating Scale in Early Childhood is re-modified by Ji Ok-Jeong(1996). The analysis of data collected is SPSS Ver. 11.5, and frequency analysis, average comparative analysis(t-test, ANOVA), correlation analysis, and regression analysis are performed. Our findings are as follows.
First, the average scores in all sub-components of 'social skills development' increased more in the experimental group who participated in the improvisation activity as an instructional medial using visual and auditory stimuli than in the control group. This suggests that the sub-components of social skills development - non-dependency on teacher, interaction with other children, and achievement motivation - improved highly in the experimental group after completing the improvised dancing.
Second, the sub-components of 'emotional development' - internal control, stability in kindergarten, and curiosity - improved in the experimental group, which was statistically significant.
Third, the difference in the social and emotional development in the experimental group who participated in improvisation activity as an instructional media using the visual and auditory stimuli depending on "gender" was not statistically significant and that depending on "age" was not also statistically significant. However, the 7 years of age appeared higher than the 6 years of old in the experimental group and so was the control group, although the overall scores were high in the experimental group.
Fourth, the difference in the social and emotional development in the experimental group who participated in the improvisation activity as an instructional media using visual and auditory stimuli was statistically significant. However, 'the first' was the highest, but 'the second' was the lowest in the experimental group; 'the third' was the highest, but 'the second' was the lowest in the control group, although the overall scores were high in the experimental group. Like this, children's social and emotional development is natural in our developmental process, but is expected to develop more after completing the improvised dancing activity as an instructional media using visual and auditory stimuli, and may be able to present the good result that overall non-dependency on teacher, interaction with other children, achievement motivation, internal control, stability in kindergarten, and curiosity. Therefore, the improvised dancing as an instructional media seems to improve individual's personal growth in children's social skills and emotional development.