Abstract
This study explores the action preferences of dance-major students, college athletes, and non-dance, non-athlete controls using the “Action Checklist,” a tool of 295 verbs categorized by preference. Participants included 71 dancers, 83 athletes, and 29 predominantly female controls from Southern California colleges. Analysis focused on the frequency of verbs liked and their classification using two systems: Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis (body, effort, shape, space) and literal categories such as play, work, everyday actions, imagination, physicality, and arts. Four scales indicated creative potential. Results revealed significant differences between groups, highlighting traits of high creativity (e.g., energy or broad interests). The Action Checklist was used to assess action preferences and creativity across various populations.
Keywords: action preference; dance; kinesthetic intelligence; Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis (LBMA); pedagogy, action preference; da, action checklist, action preference, dance, kinesthetic intelligence, Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis, Laban Movement Analysis, pedagogy, dance pedagogy
How to Cite:
Alter, J. B., Heiland, T. L. & Richter, S., (2025) “Action Preferences of College Students in Dance, Other Majors, and College Athletics: Toward Understanding Students’ Use of Their Kinesthetic Intelligence”, Journal of Movement Arts Literacy 9(1): 1, 1-28. doi: https://doi.org//jmal.1585
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