Interdisciplinarity between Physical Education and Music Education in primary education through dance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v73.113350Keywords:
Interdisciplinarity, dance, Physical Education, Music Education, holistic learning, body expressionAbstract
Introduction: Dance offers multiple benefits for primary school students and can serve as a strong link between Physical Education and Music Education. However, there is limited literature analyzing the role of dance in interdisciplinary educational projects.
Objective: The main objective of this study was to understand the perceptions of Physical Education and Music Education teachers regarding interdisciplinarity and the role of dance as a unifying element between these subjects.
Methodology: Following a phenomenological design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four primary school teachers of Physical Education and Music Education from a charter school. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results: The findings revealed that dance provides numerous benefits for students, including improved coordination, rhythm, movement, and balance. Teachers emphasized the importance of coordination between educators, the availability of adequate spaces, and student motivation for the success of interdisciplinary projects.
Discussion: The results align with previous studies that highlight the potential of dance to enhance student motivation and engagement in both Physical Education and Music Education. The integration of dance in teaching practices facilitates holistic learning experiences that encompass cognitive, physical, and emotional development.
Conclusions: Dance effectively serves as an interdisciplinary link between Physical Education and Music Education, promoting student motivation and teacher collaboration. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on the educational value of dance and its role in fostering interdisciplinary learning.
References
Aasland, E., Nyberg, G., & Barker, D. (2025). Enacting a new physical education curriculum: a collabo-rative investigation. Sport, Education and Society, 30(7), 841–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2024.2367752
Amado, D., Sánchez-Miguel, P. A., & Molero, P. (2017). Creativity associated with the application of a motivational intervention programme for the teaching of dance at school and its effect on the both genders. PLOS ONE, 12(3), e0174393. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174393
Andrieieva, O., Byshevets, N., Hakman, A., & Grygus, I. (2023). Changes in physical activity indicators of Ukrainian students in the conditions of distance education. Physical Rehabilitation and Recrea-tional Health Technologies, 8(2), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.15391/prrht.2023-8(2).01
Appiah, K. N., Aboagye, E., & Mensah, D. D. (2023). Students’ Perception of Integration of Physical Edu-cation, Music, and Dance (PEMD) as a Course in Colleges of Education in Ghana. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 4(2), 237–245. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejedu.2023.4.2.627
Bremmer, M. (2023). Encountering disability in music: Exploring perceptions on inclusive music edu-cation in higher music education. Research Studies in Music Education, 45(3), 512–524. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X231165222
Brewer, J. D., & Sparkes, A. C. (2011). Young people living with parental bereavement: insights from an ethnographic study of a UK childhood bereavement service. Social Science & Medicine, 72(2), 283-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.10.032
Brunsdon, J. J. (2025a). ‘it’s about bringing people together’: one middle school physical education teacher’s attempt at deploying character education. Physical Education and Sport Peda-gogy, 30(5), 508–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2023.2256753
Brunsdon, J. J. (2025b). “Know Your Kids, Understand Yourself, and Find a Way”: One Elementary School Physical Education Teacher’s Efforts at Employing Character Education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 44(4), 640–647. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2023-0151
Chen, C.-J., Lee, H.-Y., Lin, R.-J., & Farng, J.-K. (2022). A Bibliometric Analysis on Motivation Between 2016 and 2020 of Physical Education in Scopus Database. Frontiers in Education, 7, 900000. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.900000
Conde, J., Torre, E., Cárdenas, D., & López, M. (2010). La concepción del profesorado sobre los factores que influyen en el tratamiento interdisciplinar de la Educación Física en Primaria. (The Con-cept that Teachers Have About the Factors Which Influence the Interdisciplinary Treatment of Physical Education in Elementary School). Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte, 5(13), 11–24. https://doi.org/10.12800/ccd.v5i13.65
Cortés, A. M. (2008). La interdisciplinariedad en la educación universitaria. La Ley Editorial.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
del Barrio, L., & Arús, M. E. (2024). Music and movement pedagogy in basic education: a systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1403745. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1403745
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Macmillan.
Dincher, A. (2022). Aesthetic Education in Primary School: An Interdisciplinary Project. Literacy In-formation and Computer Education Journal, 13(1), 3638–3642. https://doi.org/10.20533/licej.2040.2589.2022.0479
Eisner, E. W. (2002). The arts and the creation of mind. Yale University Press.
Engdahl, C., & Ceder, S. (2023). Exploring Movement in Creative Dance: Introducing ‘Dancemblage’ in Physical Education Teacher Education. Journal for Research in Arts and Sports Education, 7(3), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.23865/jased.v7.5852
Ferreira Urzúa, M. (2009). Un enfoque pedagógico de la Danza. Educación Física Chile, 268, 9–21.
Giguere, M. (2011). Dancing thoughts: an examination of children’s cognition and creative process in dance. Research in Dance Education, 12(1), 5–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2011.554975
Giorgi, A. (2009). The descriptive phenomenological method in psychology: A modified Husserlian ap-proach. Duquesne University Press.
González García, J., & Armas Junco, L. (2024). Impacto socioemocional de la danza en la promo-ción de la inclusión. Retos, 61, 911–918. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v61.108919
Gripson, M. P., Lindqvist, A., & Østern, T. P. (2022). ‘We put on the music and then the children dance’ - Swedish preschool teachers’ dance educational experiences. Research in Dance Education, 23(3), 337–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2021.1928622
Houser, N., & Kriellaars, D. (2023). “Where was this when I was in Physical Education?” Physical literacy enriched pedagogy in a quality physical education context. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1185680
Jefatura de Estado del Gobierno de España (2020). Ley Orgánica 3/2020, de 29 de diciembre, por la que se modifica la Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación.
Kaja, K., Läänemets, U., Kiilu, K., & Kalamees-Ruubel, K. (2023). Perspectives on Music Education in Es-tonian Schools. Society, Integration, Education. Proceedings of the International Scientific Con-ference, 1, 463–475. https://doi.org/10.17770/sie2023vol1.7075
Kibirige, R. (2023). On Dance-Musicking and Collaborative Musicality in Formal and Non-Formal Mu-sic and Dance-Music Arts Education. In O. B. Øien, S. S. Kolaas, M. F. Duch, & E. Angelo (Eds.), Explorative Perspectives in Music and Education (pp. 199–224). Cappelen Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.200.ch9
Li, G., & Liu, J. (2024). Improving physical education through innovative multimedia learning platform and data-driven instruction. Soft Computing, 28(2), 1567–1584. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-023-09436-7
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. SAGE Publications.
Lorenzo-Lasa, R., Ideishi, R. I., & Ideishi, S. K. (2007). Facilitating Preschool Learning and Movement through Dance. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(1), 25–31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-007-0172-9
Martín Escobar, M. J. (2005). Del movimiento a la danza en educación musical. Educatio Siglo XXI, 23, 125–140.
Martínez Arnosi, R. (2012). La danza en la escuela [Bachelor’s degree thesis]. Universidad de Canta-bria.
Mattsson, T., & Larsson, H. (2021). ‘There is no right or wrong way’’: exploring expressive dance as-signments in physical education.’ Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 26(2), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2020.1752649
Mayring, P. (2014). Qualitative content analysis: theoretical foundation, basic procedures and soft-ware solution. Beltz.
Moore, G., O’Flynn, J., Burgess, F., & Moore, J. (2023). Challenges for music in initial teacher education and in schools: Perspectives from music teacher educators in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Re-search Studies in Music Education, 0(0), 1321103X231182259. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X231182259
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological Research Methods. SAGE Publications.
Muñoz-Llerena, A. (2022). Diseño y evaluación de un programa de desarrollo positivo que fomente la adquisición de habilidades para la vida en jóvenes practicantes de voleibol [Unpublished doc-toral dissertation]. Universidad Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla.
Muñoz-Llerena, A., Caballero-Blanco, P., & Hernández-Hernández, E. (2022). Fostering Youth Female Athletes’ Decision-Making Skills through Competitive Volleyball: A Mixed Methods Design. In-ternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20), 13261. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013261
Muñoz-Llerena, A., Hernández-Hernández, E., García-de-Alcaraz, A., & Caballero-Blanco, P. (2021). Per-sonal and Social Responsibility Development in a Volleyball Hybrid Positive Youth Develop-ment Program: A Mixed Methods Approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 675532. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.675532
Ørbæk, T., & Engelsrud, G. (2021). Teaching creative dance in school – a case study from physical edu-cation in Norway. Research in Dance Education, 22(3), 321–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2020.1798396
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1521/978.14625/28806
Stojadinović, A., Zdravković, D., & Zdravković, V. (2020). Physical Education and Music Education in the Context of the Possibility of Using the Integrated Learning Approach as a Reflection of Modern Society. Facta Universitatis, Series: Physical Education and Sport, 18(3), 621–634. https://doi.org/10.22190/FUPES200609060S
Troya Montañez, Y., & Cuéllar Moreno, M. J. (2013). Formación docente y tratamiento de la danza en Canarias: evaluación desde la educación física. Retos, 24, 165–170. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i24.34551
Vicente Nicolás, G. (2013). Educación musical desde una perspectiva del movimiento. Educatio Siglo XXI, 31(2), 149–170.
Vicente Nicolás, G., Ureña Ortín, N., Gómez López, M., & Carrillo Vigueras, J. (2010). La danza en el ám-bito de educativo (Dance in the Educational Context). Retos, 17, 42–45. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i17.34667
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Wang, S. (2022). The Academic Evaluation Practice of Theoretical Courses of Physical and Vocal Music Education Major under the Concept of Quantitative Evaluation. Mathematical Problems in En-gineering, 2022, 1827125. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1827125
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Antonio Muñoz-Llerena, Esperanza Muñoz-Llerena, Jesús Fernández-Gavira, Virginia Alcaraz-Rodríguez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
