Analysis of the contents of physical expression in the pre-service training of primary teachers

Abstract

This paper deals with the analysis of pre-service training of primary teachers in the area of physical expression. Its aim is to compare the contents of the teaching guides with the key concepts which are considered essential by the scholars in the field of the expressive movement technique. From a twofold methodological perspective, a descriptive and documental analysis of the subjects present in the primary school teaching degrees taught in Spanish state universities was carried out. Due to the existing diversity and heterogeneity of these programs, only the subjects where the concepts of «corporal, expression, movement, expressive» appeared were selected. General aspects of the subjects such as number of credits, theoretical and classroom teaching percentage, and the «Contents» section of the teaching guides were included. The results obtained show a current trend to consider physical expression as a dispensable area in the training of prospective primary teachers as it only has 6 ECTS credits in an elective course, out of all the credits of the degree. The subjects, from a more practical than theoretical approach, present contents of a different nature with hardly any references to the own technique of the discipline, pointing to the teaching of various techniques of dancing, dramatization, mime or playful activities such as games, songs and acrosport. References to creativity or to the creative processes are also scarce in the total balance of the guides. Our conclusions offer some guidelines to lead the didactics of body language in the degrees with the aim of transmitting students the knowledge needed to implement the discipline as a learning of unquestionable value in schools.