Predictors of In-School Dance Engagement Among Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Middle School Students

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: Education in Literacy and the Arts

Abstract

Although positive outcomes for dance are clear, particularly for low-income children of color, prior research on benefits of dance engagement is limited due to not controlling for preexisting differences between youth who do or do not enroll in dance classes. Using data from the Miami School Readiness Project, a large-scale longitudinal project involving low –income, ethnicity diverse children, we examined predictors of middle-school participation in dance electives. Results indicated that of the 24,845 students, 5.6% enrolled in dance in middle school. Those enrolling in dance were more likely to be Latino, female, ELL, non-disabled, to not quality for free/reduced lunch, and to have greater 5th grade academic achievement and stronger school-readiness skills during pre-K compared to those who did not.

Authors

• Taylor Gara, George Mason University

• Tanya Tavassolie

• Adam Winsler, George Mason University