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Addressing “Value” Concerns with Advocacy Research: Dance Education in the United Kingdom

image of Addressing “Value” Concerns with Advocacy Research: Dance Education in the United Kingdom

This chapter offers a critical examination of the concept of “value” in relation to dance education in the United Kingdom during a period characterized by heightened uncertainty. Against the backdrop of governmental budgetary cuts, the seismic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the complex repercussions of Brexit, this writing explores evolving perceptions of dance education, linked to held values and necessitated advocacy. Drawing upon the personal experiences and reflections of a researcher who transitioned from dance teacher to academic investigator, this chapter engages in an exploration of debates that have developed within this shifting terrain. It draws upon unpublished writing by the author ( ) and updates it by drawing upon more recent academic discourse and the implications of global and national activity for dance research scholars. By navigating debates concerning the concept of value(s) and of advocacy in dance research, the chapter aims to assess the vulnerabilities of dance education research in the United Kingdom but also its capacity for resilience and innovation in the face of uncertainty. Ultimately, this chapter invites readers to contemplate the purpose and perceived value of dance education and research, in a context and time defined by flux and ambiguity.

Keywords: advocacy ; choice ; perception ; purpose ; United Kingdom ; value

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References

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References

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  2. Bakare, L. (2020), ‘Government scraps ballet dancer reskilling ad criticised as “crass”’, The Guardian, October 12.
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  3. Ball, Stephen J. (ed.) (2004), The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Sociology of Education, London: RoutledgeFalmer.
  4. Batchelor, Tom (2020), ‘Government advert encouraging ballet dancer to retrain in IT is ‘crass’, admits minister’, The Independent, October 12, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-government-advert-ballet-dancer-retrain-it-cyber-oliver-dowden-b987403.html. Accessed August 30, 2023.
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  6. Biesta, Gert (2009), ‘Good education in an age of measurement: On the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education’, Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21, pp. 33–46
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  7. Blenkinsop, Sarah, McCrone, Tamaris, Wade, Pauline and Morris, Marian (2006), How Do Young People Make Choices at 14 and 16? Research Report RR773, London: Department for Education and Skills.
  8. Block, Betty and Kissell, Judith Lee (2001), ‘The dance: Essence of embodiment’, Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 22, pp. 5–15.
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  9. Bonbright, Jane M. and Faber, Rima (eds) (2004), Research Priorities for Dance Education: A Report to the Nation, Washington, DC: National Dance Education Organization, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED485353.pdf. Accessed January 9, 2025.
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  12. Brinson, Peter (1991), Dance as Education, Abingdon: Routledge.
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  14. Challis, Chris (2006), ‘Dancing bodies: Can the art of dance be restored to Dance Studies?’, in G. McFee (ed.), Dance, Education and Philosophy, Aachen: Meyer & Meyer Sport, pp. 143–53.
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  15. Colin, Noyale (2024), ‘Introduction: Ethical agility in British contemporary dance technique’, in N. Colin, C. Seago and K. Stamp (eds), Ethical Agility in Dance: Rethinking Technique in British Contemporary Dance, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 1–20.
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  17. Davies, Peter and Ercolani Marco G. (2019), ‘Hard and soft choices? Subject selection by schools and students’, Oxford Review of Education, 45:1, pp. 1–31.
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  18. Dryler, Helen (1998), ‘Parental role models, gender and educational choice’, The British Journal of Sociology, 49:3, pp. 375–98.
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  19. Gibb, Nick (2015), ‘The purpose of education’, transcript, July 9, Education Reform Summit, London, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-purpose-of-education. Accessed August 24, 2023.
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  20. Giersdorf, Jens Richard (2010), ‘Dance Studies in the International Academy’, in A. Carter and J. O’Shea (eds), The Routledge Dance Studies Reader, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 319–34.
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  21. Gove, Michael (2009), ‘Academic rigour is the answer – not an A level in dance’, Evening Standard, April 12, https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/academic-rigour-is-the-answer-not-an-a-level-in-dance-6708633.html. Accessed July 16, 2023.
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  22. Greenbank, Paul (2003), ‘The role of values in educational research: The case for reflexivity’, British Educational Research Journal, 29: 6, pp. 791–801.
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  23. Hawkes, Neil (2009), ‘What is values-based education?’, High Wycombe: The Downley School, https://www.downley.bucks.sch.uk/_files/users/3/Documents/FDF8616E95F54BE3A2E051594AD190D6.pdf. Accessed December 3, 2023.
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  25. McCabe, Bernice (2016), ‘Schools must aim higher than teaching to the test’, The Telegraph (Education), May 27, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2016/05/27/schools-must-aim-higher-than-teaching-to-the-test/. Accessed December 5, 2023.
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     [Google Scholar]
  27. Murray, Jane (2023) ‘What is the purpose of education? A context for early childhood education’, International Journal of Early Years Education, 31:3, pp. 571–78.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. ODUK (2022), Everything We Loved about Dance Was Taken: The Place of Dance in UK Education, Birmingham: One Dance UK.
  29. ODUK (2023), Taking It Higher: Dance in HE, Birmingham: One Dance UK.
  30. Overby, Lynnette (2023), ‘Introduction to research in dance education’, in R. Candelario and M. Henley (eds), Dance Research Methodologies, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 185–90.
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  31. Pring, Richard (1996), ‘Values and education policy’, in J. M. Halstead and M. J. Taylor (eds), Values in Education and Education in Values, London: The Falmer Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Risner, Doug (2010), ‘Dance education matters: Rebuilding postsecondary dance education for twenty-first century relevance and resonance’, Journal of Dance Education, 10:4, pp. 95–110.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Roberts, Yvonne (2023), ‘What makes schoolchildren tick? For some, it’s decimals. For others, dance’, The Observer, April 23, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/23/what-makes-schoolchildren-tick-for-some-its-decimals-for-others-dance. Accessed August 20, 2023.
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  34. Robeyns, Ingrid (2006), ‘Three models of education: Rights, capabilities and human capital’, Theory and Research in Education, 4:1, pp. 69–85.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Robinson, Ken (2010), Changing Education Paradigms, New York: TED Conferences, https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms. Accessed November 6, 2023.
  36. Robinson, Ken (2016), ‘Why dance is as important as maths’, The Cohan Lecture, London: The Place, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oNrxHX5GKU. Accessed November 6, 2023.
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  37. Rowe, Nicholas, Martin, Rose, Buck, Ralph and Anttila, Eeva (2018), ‘Researching dance education post-2016: The global implications of Brexit and Trump on dance education’, Research in Dance Education, 19:1, pp. 91–109.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Sanchez, Erin, Aujla, Imogen and Nordin-Bates, Sanna (2013), ‘Cultural background variables in dance talent development: Findings from the UK centres for advanced training’, Research in Dance Education, 14:3, pp. 260–78.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Schultz, Theodore W. (1993), ‘The economic importance of human capital in modernization’, Education Economics, 1:1, pp. 13–19, https://doi.org/10.1080/09645299300000003.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Stamp, Kathryn (2012), ‘A reflection on the position of dance within the secondary school curriculum’, PGCE essay, Brighton: University of Brighton.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Stamp, Kathryn (2016), ‘Exploring students’ perception of dance education: A case study investigating the impact of dance on college students’, MA thesis, Brighton: University of Brighton.
  42. Stinson, Susan (2015), ‘Searching for evidence: Continuing issues in dance education research’, Research in Dance Education, 16:1, pp. 5–15.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Tate, Nick (1999), ‘What is education for?’, English in Education, 33:2, pp. 5–18.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Taylor, Monica J. (1998), Values Education and Values in Education, London: Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
  45. Wigfield, A. and Eccles, J. (2000), ‘Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation’, Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, pp. 68–81.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Willingham, E. (2016), ‘Wells Fargo encourages budding actors to become botanists then apologizes’, Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2016/09/04/wells-fargo-encourages-budding-actors-to-become-botanists-and-apologizes/#39599a954a56. Accessed November 4, 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
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  48. Stamp, Kathryn (2025), ‘Addressing “value” concerns with advocacy research: Dance education in the United Kingdom’, The Intellect Handbook of Dance Education Research, Bristol: Intellect, pp. 417–26.

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