The Effect of Self-Talk on a Novel Dance in Greek Traditional Dance Class

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of instructional self-talk on dance performance of a Greek traditional dance ‘Giatros’, among Secondary Education students. Participants were 32 children (12 boys, 20 girls), aged 7-15 years old (M =11.47, SD= 2.27). They were divided in two age groups, corresponding to education levels: 1) school year 3^rd to 6^th (7-11 years old), and 2) school year 7^th to 9^th (12-15 years old). In each age group, children were randomized in two groups: a) experimental and b) control. Both experimental and control group was taught the dance using the mimetic method, while in the experimental group the technique of self-talk, was also applied. Participants’ dance performance was video recorded and analyzed. According to the 3-way ANOVA with repeated measures, all students learned the basic dance pattern however, dance performance in experimental group was significantly higher (p<.05) than in control group in both age groups. Results revealed that instructional self-talk is an effective technique that may be used in Secondary Education Greek traditional dance classes.  

Keywords: psychological techniques, children, self-talk, Greek traditional dance.