MyDanceDown: evaluating dance competence and emotions in individuals with Down syndrome

Abstract

Individuals with Down syndrome face cognitive limitations that hinder learning and understanding in various contexts. Dance, which has rarely been explored in special education, offers improvements in acquiring skills including motor and emotional development. The use of mobile learning tools can also have a positive impact on the learning process and motivation. This work presents the development and evaluation of a mobile learning tool in the context of dance called MyDanceDown. This tool is proposed as a complement to practical activities for learning basic classical dance steps, to be used both in class and at home by students with special educational needs. A pre-post-test experience with the tool was conducted, involving 6 students with Down syndrome during a summer course at the Danza Down Association. Both dance competence and the emotional state of the participants were evaluated during the experience. The results offered three main findings. First, the students showed a statistically significant improvement in their dance competence at the end of the experience compared to the beginning. Second, the correct or incorrect completion of the task influences the emotion of enjoyment, with students being nine times more likely to experience enjoyment if the task is completed correctly, while the probability of feeling anger increases by 50% if it is completed incorrectly. Third, there were indications that increasing the complexity of the task tends to negatively affect the experience of enjoyment during learning.