Abstract
In this work, based on a doctoral dissertation in the field of education, the Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP) was innovatively
used for data analysis to assess group or gestalt (“non-individual”) movement of children in a public preschool. The choice
of inquiry was driven by the author’s belief that freedom of movement and expression are foundations for natural learning
processes and should therefore be included as core structures in school learning. Through an ethnographic, emergent research
design, the KMP was used to demonstrate the relationship between movement and expressive parameters in different classroom
activities. Three profiles of group or gestalt movement were constructed based on three movement activity categories that
emerged from the research data for 14 children. In the formal activities, there was a high degree of external control of how
the children moved their bodies and expressed themselves. In the improvisational movement/dance and art-making activities
there was a low degree of external control of how the children moved and expressed themselves. Comparison of the three activity
profiles showed that how the children of the study moved their bodies and expressed themselves influenced important learning
and developmental processes.
used for data analysis to assess group or gestalt (“non-individual”) movement of children in a public preschool. The choice
of inquiry was driven by the author’s belief that freedom of movement and expression are foundations for natural learning
processes and should therefore be included as core structures in school learning. Through an ethnographic, emergent research
design, the KMP was used to demonstrate the relationship between movement and expressive parameters in different classroom
activities. Three profiles of group or gestalt movement were constructed based on three movement activity categories that
emerged from the research data for 14 children. In the formal activities, there was a high degree of external control of how
the children moved their bodies and expressed themselves. In the improvisational movement/dance and art-making activities
there was a low degree of external control of how the children moved and expressed themselves. Comparison of the three activity
profiles showed that how the children of the study moved their bodies and expressed themselves influenced important learning
and developmental processes.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-20
- DOI 10.1007/s10465-011-9112-8
- Authors
- Rebecca R. Burrill, 115C Sisson Rd., Harwich Port, MA 02646, USA
- Journal American Journal of Dance Therapy
- Online ISSN 1573-3262
- Print ISSN 0146-3721