Creative dance studies in elementary schools: a systematic search and a narrative review

Abstract

This is a systematic search and a narrative review of school-based Creative Dance (CreaDa) programs and intervention studies in elementary education. Advanced searches with PRISMA methodology resulted in 19 eligible studies, which were further analyzed based on the GREET checklist criteria. The main categories of the extracted data were the description of programs and interventions, their delivery and participants’ characteristics, the findings of the studies and limitations referred. Each category included many sub-categories of analysis, which shed light on topics related to CreaDa implementation from the researchers’ and the practitioners’ perspective. The descriptive analysis and presentation of each sub-category was complemented with figures, narrations, comments, discussion and in some cases suggestions. It seems that CreaDa implementation in elementary schools has the tremendous potential to mainly cultivate children cognitively and psychosocially. Essential information for future research and practice and further considerations based on sections’ analyses were summed up and presented.