Descriptive Analysis of the System for Observing Dance Activities in the Classroom Environment (SODANCE)

ABSTRACT

Dance as physical activity (PA) is underinvestigated, with little information about artistic technical dance in public schools. This study aimed to use the System for Observing Dance Activities in the Classroom Environment (SODANCE) instrument to report PA levels, time spent in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), time spent in different lesson contexts, and frequency of teacher promotion of activity. Four different secondary (Grades 6–12) dance technique classes at a public performing arts school were each observed four times using the SODANCE instrument. Students engaged in MVPA 39.82 percent of the time. Percentages spent in SODANCE lesson contents were: management, 9.53 percent; knowledge, 22.29 percent; fitness, 6.94 percent; technique, 44.04 percent; choreography, 17.19 percent; and other, 0.0 percent. Percentages of teacher interaction were: promotes in-class activity, 27.67 percent; promotes out-of-class activity, 0.27 percent; and no promotion, 72.06 percent. This suggests dance technique classes offer equitable MVPA to physical education classes, but are still short of national recommendations. Dance technique classes spend the majority of time engaged in technique and choreography activities.

Physical activity (PA) is an important part of a healthy lifestyle (American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] et al. 2011). Studies suggest that children should participate in some form of moderate-intensity PA for at least 60 minutes daily (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS] 2018). Researchers have established that PA decreases the odds of developing a broad range of diseases including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, depression, obesity, breast cancer, and colon cancer, as well as improving overall well-being (AAP et al. 2011). Individuals who are physically active daily enjoy better mental health, an improved immune system, and greater function of the metabolic and endocrine systems (AAP et al. 2011).

Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming evidence of the benefits of PA, there is an increasing trend of inactivity among adolescents (Ogden et al. 2011). As children age, their levels of PA decline, with a drastic drop during adolescence (AAP et al. 2011). Research has shown activity patterns adopted in adolescence greatly influence PA habits in adulthood (Telama et al. 2014). If children can be taught to participate in PA at an early age, they will be more likely to maintain a healthy lifestyle as they become adults. This evidence should encourage educators, parents, and community leaders to establish more physical activities for children, adolescents, and young adults.

In addition to the decline in activity among adolescents, there is an even greater decline of activity among females (Belcher et al. 2010). In physical education classes, girls participate less often and generally participate at a lower intensity than boys (Constantinou, Manson, and Silverman 2009). Contributing to this decrease in activity might be the physical, psychological, and social changes occurring during the high school years (Constantinou, Manson, and Silverman 2009). The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Growth and Health study stated that females’ average activity scores were drastically reduced between the ages of nine and eighteen years. In fact 64 percent of white girls’ PA decreased and 100 percent of African American girls’ PA decreased (Pate et al. 2005). Several factors could be contributing to the decline in activity among adolescent girls, including perceived low exercise efficacy, lack of time, lack of social support, self-consciousness during exercise around males, curriculum centered on team sports, and rise in sedentary activities such as watching television or talking on the telephone (Neisen, Braun, and Shepherd 2007; Constantinou, Manson, and Silverman 2009; Belcher et al. 2010).

DANCE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OUTCOMES

Dance is considered an activity that females tend to enjoy. In fact, 41 percent of adolescent girls participate in cheerleading or dance, second only to basketball (44 percent) (Barr-Anderson et al. 2007). Females might thrive in an activity that is geared more toward their particular interests. One successful PA intervention that focused on high school girls used lessons that targeted activities girls and young women typically enjoy, such as aerobics, dance, walking, self-defense, martial arts, and weight training. This intervention increased habitual participation in vigorous PA among high school girls (Pate et al. 2005). Another physical education intervention targeted toward high school girls focused on a gymnastics-based curriculum and was successful in increasing the girls’ moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels as well as their perceived competence and intrinsic motivation (Fairclough and Stratton 2005). These outcomes lead one to believe that if girls are involved in activities they enjoy, such as dance, they are more likely to be engaged for a longer amount of time, leading to healthier lifestyles.

There is limited research about technical dance as a form of PA in the school setting. Technical dance, defined as movement based in a specific form such as ballet, jazz, or modern and contemporary dance, is most often taught for the purposes of developing physical abilities for performance. PA is not generally viewed as the primary goal of artistic technical dance; rather the focus is on skill development and artistic expression. The National Core Arts Standards in Dance for Grades K–12 fail to make any reference to PA or physical fitness as a goal or purpose of dance education (National Coalition for Core Arts Standards 2014). With academic subjects competing for funding, time, and resources in the current educational climate, the health benefits of dance should be presented to strengthen the case that dance is an important component of K–12 education. Dance education as a field needs more empirical research of all types, particularly evidence-based research on the health benefits of dance education to students.

Beyond the K–12 school setting, research has been conducted on MVPA levels and time spent in MVPA during dance technique classes in private dance studios. Jennifer O’Neill, Russell Pate, and Steven Hooke (2011) found that dance technique classes contributed substantially to participants’ daily MVPA. Female adolescents, age 11 to 18 years, who participated in dance technique classes in local dance studios wore accelerometers for one week and completed an activity log for the week. From these data, dance participation was found to contribute to 29 percent of participants’ total daily PA (O’Neill, Pate, and Hooker 2011). Additionally it was found that dance participants accumulated more MVPA on days they engaged in dance classes compared to those without, and engaged in less sedentary behaviors on days with dance classes (O’Neill, Pate, and Hooker 2011). In another study, O’Neill, Pate, and Angela Liese (2011) presented the prevalence of dance participation in U.S. adolescents (N = 3,598) collected via a self-report national PA survey. These data found that 34.8 percent of girls and 8.4 percent of boys participate in dance regularly as a form of PA. From this self-report survey, MVPA was calculated using the reported frequency, duration, and type of activity determining that dance contributed 39.3 percent of total MVPA for girls and 23.0 percent of total MVPA for boys (O’Neill, Pate, and Liese 2011).

In a separate study, O’Neill, Pate, and Michael Beets (2012) found that participants in dance technique classes in private dance studios engaged in 9.8 minutes of MVPA (6.0 minutes of moderate, 3.8 minutes of vigorous), 39.3 minutes of light PA, and 10.9 minutes of sedentary behavior per hour of dance class participation. Jazz and tap classes provided more MVPA than ballet classes, and intermediate-level classes provided more MVPA than advanced classes. Girls with more dance training obtained more MVPA than girls with less dance training (O’Neill, Pate, and Beets 2012). These findings indicate that dance contributes to total MVPA for participants. These figures, however, are well below the national recommendations for physical education of at least 50 percent of a lesson in MVPA (USDHHS 2010). These data provide a starting point for research demonstrating the PA outcomes from dance. Further research with larger sample sizes conducted in the school setting needs to be conducted to provide data that will support dance as a meaningful source of daily MVPA as well as artistic expression.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT FOR DANCE

Without a doubt, dance has the potential to develop creative ability, foster artistic expression, and improve health (Bonbright 2007; O'Neill, Pate, and Hooker 2011). As budgets and resources continue to decrease in public education, dance education needs evidence-based research to demonstrate the multitude of benefits it can provide for students. Further research about the physical health benefits of technical dance is warranted. Of particular relevance, due to the current rise in childhood obesity, is research that would measure MVPA in dance classes in school settings (Ogden et al. 2011). It is known that dance is an activity that students, particularly females, enjoy (Fairclough and Stratton 2005; Pate et al. 2005; Barr-Anderson et al. 2007; Belcher et al. 2010). However, the available dance-related PA research focuses mostly on data collection methods that can be expensive, invasive, and somewhat impractical for dance technique classes (O’Neill, Pate, and Hooker 2011; O’Neill, Pate, and Beets 2012).

One such instrument to gather information on large data sets in a timely, inexpensive manner, the System for Observing Dance Activities in the Classroom Environment (SODANCE), has been validated (Sims et al. 2016). Prior to this study, there was no direct observation method available to measure PA in a dance technique class in any setting. This type of assessment instrument is a valuable asset to the field for dance education advocacy.

The SODANCE instrument was modified from the System for Observing Fitness Instructional Time (SOFIT) (McKenzie, Sallis, and Nader 1991). The SOFIT instrument is used to measure PA levels by time sampling the activity levels of a randomly selected student (McKenzie et al. 1991). A worksheet has established areas with spaces for recording data. The researcher randomly selects four students at the beginning of class (when 51 percent of the students have entered the space). The researcher listens to a SOFIT pacing audio prompt that indicates every 10 seconds when to record data as well as when to move to the next student. At the audio prompt, the researcher records the current PA level of the chosen student using the established five codes of PA: lying (Code 1), sitting (Code 2), standing (Code 3), walking (Code 4), and vigorous (Code 5; McKenzie et al. 1991). After 12 data collections of that student, the prompt will instruct the researcher to locate the next student and begin recording data for that student. This cycle continues through all four students and then returns to the first student and so on for the remainder of the class (McKenzie 2009).

In addition to measuring PA levels, the SOFIT instrument also measures lesson context and teacher interactions. At each 10-second interval, the current lesson context is recorded. The lesson context areas for the SOFIT are management, knowledge, fitness, skill, game, and other (McKenzie 2009). The teacher interactions category measures what type of, if any, feedback on PA the teacher is providing to students. The options are: promotes in-class MVPA, promotes out-of-class MVPA, and no promotion (McKenzie 2009).

The SODANCE instrument was validated using the SOFIT procedure by the authors of this study. Secondary female dance majors at a performing arts school wore heart rate monitors and accelerometers during a validation protocol to validate the activity levels of the SOFIT coding system as well as determine the correct classifications of dance-specific activities (i.e., balance, pirouettes, etc.). Heart rate reserve data from each participant were classified according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) activity thresholds (Thompson, Gordon, and Pescatello 2009). These standards were then compared to the SOFIT classifications to determine the appropriate category. Single leg balances and leg swings were determined to be coded as a 4. Pirouettes and leaps were determined to be coded as a 5. Coding for SODANCE is reported in Table 1.

TABLE 1 SODANCE Classification Codes

Activity	SODANCE Code
Lying	1
Sitting	2
Standing	3
Walking	3
Running	5
Balance	4
Leg swings	4
Pirouette	5
Leaps	5

Based on this validation study (Sims et al. 2016), the SOFIT instrument vocabulary for lesson context was slightly altered to better reflect the activities of a dance technique class. The term skill was labeled technique. Any activities focused on improving students’ dance technique such as ballet exercises at the barre, floor work in modern and contemporary technique, and progressions across the floor were to be labeled as this. The term game was labeled choreography. Any time spent working specifically on choreography intended for a performance was labeled accordingly. The category other included activities such as improvisation, small group collaboration, and free dance. The physical activity codes and teacher feedback remained the same.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to observe dance technique classes using the SODANCE instrument, validated specifically for dance classes, to determine PA time, time spent in MVPA, time spent in lesson context areas, and frequency of teacher promotion of student activity.

METHODS

Participants and Setting

Data were collected at a public arts school (Grades 4–12) in southeastern United States. The school used an audition program with students majoring in various creative and performing arts. All students have a declared major such as drama, visual art, ballet, modern and contemporary dance, or creative writing, in which they take daily classes. Middle school students spend 55 minutes per day in their major class. High school students participate in a 100-minute major class.

A high school ballet class, a middle school ballet class, a high school modern and contemporary dance class, and a middle school modern and contemporary dance class were each observed using SODANCE four times. The teachers and students were instructed to not alter their teaching practices or behaviors for the observed classes.

Data Collection

Each class was videotaped and coded by a trained observer (the first author) using the SODANCE instrument and SODANCE pacing. To ensure interrater agreement, two trained observers coded two classes (12.5 percent of all classes), one high school and one middle school, each one time. All guidelines established by Thomas McKenzie (2009) were followed, including data collection start and end time, coding, time intervals, and participant selection.

Once 51 percent of the students entered the dance studio, the observer began recording data. Following the SODANCE pacing, the observer recorded the PA level, lesson context, and teacher interactions at the 10-second prompt for the randomly selected student. After 12 intervals, the observer changed to a second randomly selected student and so on through four randomly selected students. The observer repeated this pattern for the entirety of the class. When 51 percent of the students exited the dance studio, the observer ended data collection.

Data Analysis

The data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2008 for Mac. The mean frequencies for each activity code, lesson context, and teacher activity promotion were calculated. Based on these frequencies, percentage of time spent in MVPA, percentage of time in lesson context areas, and amount of teacher feedback in dance technique classes were calculated.

RESULTS

Student Physical Activity

Percentage of time spent in each activity category for all of the dance classes were as follows: lying, 1.02 percent (n = 30); sitting, 7.49 percent (n = 220); standing, 51.67 percent (n = 1,518); walking, 9.29 percent (n = 31); and vigorous, 30.53 percent (n = 897). Total MVPA was 39.82 percent. Percentages of time spent in SODANCE lesson contexts are as follows: management, 9.53 percent (n = 280); knowledge, 22.29 percent (n = 655); fitness, 6.94 percent (n = 204); technique, 44.04 percent (n = 1,294); choreography, 17.19 percent (n = 505); and other, 0.0 percent (n = 0). Percentages of teacher interaction are as follows: promotes in-class activity, 27.67 percent (n = 813); promotes out-of-class activity, 0.27 percent (n = 8); and no promotion, 72.06 percent (n = 2,117). The frequencies and percentages from the SODANCE observations are reported by class in Table 2. Frequencies and percentages by grade level are reported in Table 3. Frequencies and percentages by dance style are reported in Table 4.

TABLE 2 Frequencies and Percentages of SODANCE Categories for Middle and High School Students in Ballet and Contemporary Dance Technique Classes

		Middle School Contemporary		Middle School Ballet		High School Ballet		High School Contemporary
		Frequency	%	Frequency	%	Frequency	%	Frequency	%
Physical activity level	Lying	6	1.08	1	0.18	1	0.11	22	2.34
	Sitting	56	10.04	2	0.36	70	7.87	92	9.79
	Standing	256	45.88	303	54.99	477	53.66	482	51.28
	Walking	59	10.57	37	6.72	44	4.95	133	14.15
	Vigorous	181	32.44	208	37.75	297	33.41	211	22.45
Lesson content	Management	29	5.20	52	9.44	98	11.02	101	10.74
	Knowledge	162	29.03	83	15.06	269	30.26	141	15
	Fitness	20	3.58	5	0.91	42	4.72	137	14.57
	Technique	304	54.48	206	37.39	422	47.47	362	38.51
	Choreography	43	7.71	205	37.21	58	6.52	199	21.17
	Other	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Teacher interaction	Promotes in-class	124	22.22	123	22.32	308	34.65	258	27.45
	Promotes out-of-class	6	1.08	1	0.18	1	0.11	0	0
	No promotion	428	76.70	427	77.50	580	65.24	682	72.55

TABLE 3 Frequencies and Percentages of SODANCE by Middle School and High School Dance Technique Classes

		Middle School Dance		High School Dance
		Frequency	%	Frequency	%
Physical activity level	Lying	7	0.72	23	1.26
	Sitting	58	5.97	162	8.86
	Standing	559	57.51	959	52.43
	Walking	96	9.87	177	9.68
	Vigorous	389	40.02	508	27.77
Lesson content	Management	81	8.33	199	10.88
	Knowledge	245	25.21	410	22.42
	Fitness	25	2.57	179	9.79
	Technique	510	52.47	784	42.86
	Choreography	248	25.51	257	14.05
	Other	0	0	0	0
Teacher interaction	Promotes in-class	247	25.41	566	30.95
	Promotes out-of-class	7	0.72	1	0.05
	No promotion	855	87.96	1,262	69.0

TABLE 4 Frequencies and Percentages of SODANCE by Dance Genre of Ballet and Contemporary for Secondary Dance Technique Classes

		Ballet		Contemporary
		Frequency	%	Frequency	%
Physical activity level	Lying	2	0.14	28	1.87
	Sitting	72	5	148	9.87
	Standing	780	54.17	738	49.27
	Walking	81	5.63	192	12.82
	Vigorous	505	35.07	392	26.17
Lesson content	Management	150	10.42	130	8.68
	Knowledge	352	24.44	303	20.23
	Fitness	47	3.26	157	10.48
	Technique	628	43.61	666	44.46
	Choreography	263	18.26	242	16.15
	Other	0	0	0	0
Teacher interaction	Promotes in-class	431	29.93	382	25.50
	Promotes out-of-class	2	0.14	6	0.40
	No promotion	1007	69.93	1110	74.10

Class Context

With regard to class context, teachers of dance technique classes spent the most time focused on technique (44.04 percent), followed by knowledge (22.29 percent), choreography (17.19 percent), management (9.53 percent), and fitness (6.94 percent). None of the observed classes engaged in any activities that would be classified as “other,” such as improvisation, group work, or student choreography. There was little difference in the percentages between ballet and modern and contemporary dance. Students in modern and contemporary dance spent more time focused on fitness (10.48 percent) than did those in ballet (3.26 percent). Middle school students spent more time engaged in activities focused on technique (52.47 percent) and choreography (25.51 percent) than high school (42.86 percent and 14.05 percent, respectively).

Teacher Interaction and Behavior

In regard to teacher interaction and behaviors, the observed dance technique classes reported a majority of no PA promotion (72.06 percent). Teachers promoted PA in-class 27.67 percent of the time and out-of-class for 0.27 percent of time. The ballet classes had slightly higher percentages of in-class promotion (29.93 percent) than modern and contemporary dance (25.50 percent). High school classes had slightly higher percentages of in-class promotion (30.95 percent) than middle school classes (25.41 percent). For all classes, there was less than 1 percent of out-of-class PA promotion.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study indicate that students in these 16 dance technique classes spent 39.82 percent of class time in MVPA. This is below the national recommendation for physical education of 50 percent of class time spent in MVPA (USDHHS 2010). However, PA is not generally the primary objective of a dance technique class. Rather, the focus tends to be on technical skill development, artistic expression, creativity, or choreography. Despite the focus, dance is a movement-based activity that provides PA. In terms of advocacy for dance as a subject in schools, these data do suggest that dance contributes to students’ daily MVPA participation. This is powerful evidence that educators could use to convince administrators of the broad range of benefits of dance education.

Compared to other studies measuring MVPA in physical education, these dance technique classes resulted in similar or even higher rates of MVPA. Phillip Scruggs, Jonathan Mungen, and Yoonsin Oh (2010) found female high school students (Grades 9–12) engaged in MVPA 28.88 percent of a physical education lesson. High school students in the SODANCE study were engaged in MVPA nearly 20 percent more of the class time (37.45 percent). McKenzie et al. (2004) measured middle school students’ MVPA levels in physical education using the SOFIT instrument and found the students to be engaged in MVPA 35.2 percent of the lesson. Middle school students in the SODANCE study were engaged in MVPA nearly 15 percent more at 49.89 percent of the lesson. These findings suggest that dance technique classes contribute to equal or more MVPA than physical education classes.

In comparison to dance technique classes in private dance studios, the dance classes in this public school setting provided higher percentages of time spent in MVPA. O’Neill, Pate, and Beets (2012) found students of comparable age and background engaged in MVPA 16.33 percent of the time in dance technique classes in private dance studios. The students in the public school setting engaged in over two times this amount of MVPA (39.82 percent). These discrepancies might be due to differences in objectives in these two types of settings. Public schools might have a set of standards to guide the curriculum in class, whereas classes in the private sector might have more freedom in choices in curriculum. Additionally the teaching qualifications at the different settings might influence the instruction practices and pacing of the teachers.

Ballet classes elicited slightly more time in MVPA than modern and contemporary dance classes with 40.70 percent and 38.99 percent MVPA, respectively. This minute difference suggests that there are little to no PA level differences between ballet and modern and contemporary dance. This is an interesting finding in regard to dance style. Ballet traditionally begins with exercises at the barre, stopping for instruction between exercises. Modern and contemporary dance might have a “set” warmup that includes center work and floor work. The data in this study suggest that both approaches yield similar incidences of MVPA.

High school dance classes resulted in more time in MVPA than middle school classes with 49.89 percent (50 minutes) and 37.45 percent (21 minutes) MVPA, respectively. This might be due to the difference in length of class. The high school dance classes were 100 minutes as compared to middle school classes of 55 minutes. The additional time could allow the high school classes to spend more time on activities that contribute to MVPA. Students in the high school classes might be able to repeat exercises multiple times increasing PA levels. Moreover, the high school students presumably have more experience in dance so they might be able to learn and perform at a faster pace than the middle school students. Likewise, the dance exercises taught in the high school classes might be more difficult than the middle schools classes, resulting in higher cardiovascular responses.

Not surprisingly, the majority of class time was spent focused on technique (44.04 percent). This is generally the primary goal of a dance technique class: to develop technical skill proficiency in dance. It follows that nearly half of the class time would be devoted to this activity. Time spent focused on knowledge contributed to 22.29 percent of the class. The traditional format of a dance technique class includes providing instruction of dance exercises followed by performance of these exercises. It makes sense that this would be the second highest amount of time spent in class. The knowledge category also includes dance history, kinesiology, and corrective feedback content, so time spent covering these topics would also contribute to this time percentage.

Time spent in choreography contributed to 17.19 percent of class time. This time might vary depending on the class and need for choreography development for upcoming performances. In this specific incident, the students were preparing for an upcoming performance, so more class time was spent focused on choreography than might be representative of a regular dance technique class. Time spent in management contributed to 9.53 percent of class time. Although this percentage is not overwhelmingly high, it could be reduced by better time management in terms of recording attendance, water breaks, and use of technology.

Surprisingly only 6.94 percent of class time was devoted to fitness. This low incidence of fitness could be an example of the difficulty distinguishing between pure fitness and dance activities that incorporate fitness benefits. The SODANCE instrument distinguishes fitness activities as those specifically targeted for fitness benefits such as push-ups or abdominal exercises. However, in dance technique, many dance exercises contribute to fitness, but also serve technical skill implications such as relevès and grande pliès. In the classes observed there was no opportunity for students to participate in dance improvisation or small group collaborations, which would be categorized as “other” on the SODANCE instrument. This could be a result of the specific classes observed, the teaching preferences of the instructors, or the curriculum of the school.

The majority of teacher feedback was of no PA promotion (72.06 percent). This might be a result of the teachers not valuing physical activity as a vital part of the class. The teachers provided feedback in terms of correcting technique, encouraging expression, and classroom management. Teachers promoted in-class PA 27.67 percent of the time and out-of-class PA 0.27 percent of the time. Interestingly the students are encouraged to participate in dance technique classes outside of school and are required to submit practice logs documenting their out-of-class dance activities. However, the teachers did not mention or encourage these activities in the dance classes observed.

Limitations

As with all studies, this investigation has some limitations. Although instructed not to, teachers and students might have altered their behaviors due to being observed, resulting in reactivity. Additionally, the time of the school year might have affected the time spent in various lesson contexts. For example, the dance majors were preparing for an upcoming performance, which might have resulted in more time spent in choreography than class at other times of the year. Additionally, the data might differ depending on when in the unit the class is observed. If the teacher is presenting new material there could be more time spent in the knowledge category and less in MVPA. Conversely, if the students have been practicing the dance material for many classes, there might be less time spent learning the exercises and the class might move faster from one activity to another, resulting in higher rates of MVPA. Moreover, the teachers’ instructional habits could have influenced the data. All ballet classes were taught by the same teacher, but different teachers taught the middle school and high school modern and contemporary classes. However, there were few differences among the three different teachers among all categories. The data presented here represent the students at this school. Further research at varying schools would provide more balanced data about the practices at all schools.

Another limitation of this study is its specificity to dance technique (i.e., ballet and modern and contemporary dance). This instrument might not be appropriate for other forms of dance such as tap, folk, or social dance forms. However, the SOFIT instrument has been used to measure dance curriculum included in physical education classes, so it might be applicable. Further research is needed to validate the SODANCE instrument for creative movement classes and other forms of dance technique.

The SODANCE instrument was used in the K–12 public school setting with dance majors. Students in a traditional K–12 school setting with dance as an elective subject might present different findings. The students in this study participate in dance technique classes a minimum of five days a week. Students at other schools where dance is an elective course or fills another space in the curriculum might not participate in dance as frequently and might have different activity levels. Additionally, studies using the SODANCE instrument in the private sector might report different findings due to different objectives for students.

The SODANCE instrument measures time spent in MVPA, time spent in lesson contexts, and teacher encouragement of in-class and out-of-class PA. It does not measure additional components such as student motivation, student engagement, or student enjoyment. These factors could affect or correlate with the data measured by the SODANCE instrument. Future research could measure these items for a more comprehensive perspective.

CONCLUSION

The SODANCE instrument has the potential to provide quantitative frequency data on the physical activity levels of students in dance technique classes. Information about time spent in MVPA, time spent in certain lesson context areas, and amount of teacher feedback can be gathered from this instrument. This study provides evidence that students in dance technique class are participating in slightly less than 40 percent of class time in MVPA. Although this does not meet the national standard for physical education of 50 percent of class time in MVPA, it does provide a starting point to begin to address the issue. Additionally, time spent in MVPA is not necessarily the primary goal of a dance technique class, but could provide an additional component in terms of advocacy for dance in schools. Future studies should examine the influence of professional development and trainings on PA outcomes of students in dance technique classes.