Inquiry Feedback.

I have begun Module 3 by looking back at my inquiry plan, and taking in to account the feedback that I received. My inquiry: The Dancers Mindset: 'Are dancers able to translate their skills outside of dance?' 'Do dancers have the 'winning mindset'? Needs some further clarification and focus. 

For example the term 'mindset' may prove problematic and cause some confusion. I had chosen this term as it is based on a 72- question test called '3G Mindset' which was devised by Dr Paul G. Stoltz and James Reed. The test has been devised to measure personality or qualities that make up our 'mindset'. These qualities or characteristics are grouped into three categories: Global: your openness and connectivity with the greater world around you. Good: the integrity and kindness with which you consider and treat others. And grit: the toughness, tenacity, resilience and intensity with which you pursue your goals. A 'winning mindset' is the result of scoring highly in said test, and is considered by 98% in a survey of several thousand employers worldwide, more desirable in the workplace than having a perfect skill set. 

As my inquiry is trying to research the ways that dancers relate their knowledge and understanding to the work place, 'do dancers have the 'winning mindset'? May be replaced by: do dancers have knowledge of a good work ethic? Do dancers have the knowledge to pursue their goals with resilience and tenacity? Do dancers have knowledge of connectivity with the greater world around them? All of which come back to my question of: 'are dancers able to translate their skills outside of dance?' Are we as dancers, able to use our knowledge in workplaces other than the dance profession, or is there a lack of being able to communicate these benefits in other professional spheres. 

I had initially wanted to use the '3G Questionnaire' as a tool for my inquiry, asking a number of dancers to each fill out the test. I would then use this to see if any patterns emerged or if the results were similar, therefore identifying personality traits in dancers. This may be difficult to achieve on a small number of participants and it has also presented some concerns in regards to ethics and copyright. Such 'personality tests' have been subject to criticism and controversy in the past. One problem with self- report measures of personality is that the participants are able to distort or fake their answers. The results rely on the respondents to be answering truthfully. Another concern is that personality tests also assume that personality is a reliable, constant part of the human mind or behaviour. 

Interviews may be a more appropriate tool to use for my inquiry, which will provide the opportunity to question professional dancers individually about their particular experiences. As it will be difficult to develop an understanding of all dancers' knowledge in a small scale research project, interviewing a select group of dancers will enable me to interpret their experiences in more depth, and to get an idea of their own awareness of the knowledge they posses as a dancer. Gathering such data from professional dancers who similar to myself, have had experiences of professional work places both within and outside of dance, will be a useful way of understanding my inquiry topic beyond the literature.  

I will continue to fine- tune my inquiry and to develop a better sense of the tasks I will soon undertake. I'll continue to research literature that is relevant to my inquiry, and post literature reviews to my blog in the coming weeks. 

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Module two focused on the planning of our Professional Inquiries. Through discovering the process of planning an inquiry, and having so many avenues to explore, it took me the duration of the module to come to a final decision on what my line of inquiry would be.

Developing Lines of Professional Inquiry

I began the module by choosing a selection of questions that were of interest to me, and could be used as a basis for my Professional Inquiry. Looking back at Module 1, and at the questions that had emerged, I chose six, all of which I thought were relevant and could be explored further. (Appendix A)

I spent some time researching each of the six questions on the Internet. My focus was to find which had corresponding research and literature already available. I used the articles I found as a basis to giving me guidance on the direction my inquiry could take. I read into the three most prominent topics further. These topics were surrounding: physically correcting students whilst teaching dance, the support and guidance given to dancers in furthering their careers and education given to dancers in relation to healthy eating and nutrition. (Appendix B)

It was interesting to read my peers' blogs to see the various themes that were emerging. By commenting on their blog posts, I was able to consider how my questions of interest could relate to theirs. These discussions then led me to join a SIG on Facebook surrounding teaching dance, that I thought was relevant to my areas of interest. 

Professional Ethics

Reader five led us to consider professional ethics when planning a line of inquiry. On consideration, I felt that due to my past experiences teaching dance, and due to the nature of my areas of interest, dance education was at the forefront of my inquiry. 
I researched the ethics surrounding teaching dance and found some really useful information that is likely to benefit me in the future and contribute to me becoming more professional in my practice. (Appendix C)

Tools of Professional Inquiry

We began to look at the various tools we could use to go about gaining the data and information needed to support our inquiries. I decided that an interview was a tool that I could use during my inquiry, and so decided to do a pilot interview with a professional associate. (Appendix D) After the interview, I considered the pro's and con's and how it would contribute to the result of my inquiry. After some consideration, I felt that a questionnaire or survey may be more beneficial. 

I looked at the dimensions of planning an inquiry. Many questions arose, including but not limited to; the motivation behind the inquiry, who the participants of the inquiry would be and data protection. (Appendix E)

After an interesting, brain- storming Skype session with Paula Nottingham, my ideas began to take focus and I was finally able to decide on the subject of my inquiry. Having considered all of the various aspects to planning an inquiry throughout Module two, I was able to begin formulating the final plan and structure to my professional line of inquiry. 

Thoughts Following Skype Session

I had an interesting Skype session with Paula on Tuesday about the direction that my inquiry will take. 
I still hadn't finalised or come to a decision about the exact direction of my line of inquiry, and speaking with Paula was really beneficial. I now have a lot of ideas to think about, and hearing a different perspective was very helpful. 
I had initially been interested in the issues surrounding body image and diet/ nutrition in dancers, due to my past experiences during and post college. 

We spoke about my current job in recruitment, and my plans for the future and how my line of inquiry might fit in with those. I want my inquiry to be beneficial to my future career, whichever direction it might take. 
Paula commented on taking the subject of body image further, and looking at it as 'dancer mentality'- how we perceive ourselves, and managing those perceptions. 
I have noted in bullet points below some ideas we mentioned during our conversation. I would like to develop my initial ideas surrounding body image further, into how do dancers think? And how this translates outside of the dance profession?

• Body image related to dancer mentality
• A projection of our personality?
• How we perceive ourselves?
• Knowing- self and managing perceptions
• Fitting into culture outside of dance
• Personality of dancers, perception of ourselves in society
• Transferable skills
• Social media- social learning. Knowing yourself
• 'Personality tests' in modern culture

Proposed Award Title

After some consideration, I have decided that in relation to my future career development, I would like my award title to be:  BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance), the rationale behind which, I have written below.

I feel that due to my continuous training and past experiences, dance is the field where my strengths and knowledge lie, and it is also where I would like my future career to continue to take me. 

Whilst studying at The Hammond School, the syllabus had a strong emphasis on dance, particularly ballet, and while we did also study Singing and Acting, dance was the main focus. Hence, I graduated with a National Diploma in Professional Dance. Since graduating from college, I have been employed as a dancer in multiple contracts. Since 2007 I have danced in various shows and also spent a while freelancing- throughout this time I was employed in a purely dancer capacity. 

I would like my award title to be BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance) as this course is based on our professional experience. My experience to date has been primarily within dance, and it seems natural to develop my National Diploma in Professional Dance into a BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance). It is through my experiences both at dance college and as a professional dancer that have led to my line of inquiry. 

My line of inquiry, and this award title, will be beneficial to me in my future career developments. I hope to one day continue my career within the dance field as a dance teacher. My line of inquiry, although not specific to teaching dance, I hope will increase my employability as a teacher in the long- term. The findings and knowledge I will gain, through my inquiry will be passed on to my dance students one day. I hope to give them a better understanding and further education surrounding diet and nutrition in dancers. With this aim in mind, I hope this award title will be beneficial in continuing my career and securing further dance related work.  

Pilot Interview

I decided to conduct a pilot interview as my 'informal trial'. I asked a friend of mine, or 'professional associate' to participate in the interview. She currently works as a full- time dance teacher, however is oversees, so the interview was conducted over Skype. I felt that her previous experience as a professional dancer would be beneficial to my future line of questioning. 

• Before the interview

Before conducting the interview, I devised a list of questions. Although I haven't yet finalised my line of inquiry, I know that it will be something like 'how does nutritional education affect professional dancers later in life?' I used my planned questions to get an idea of what information would be revealed, and aid in the research of my inquiry. 

An example of some of the questions I asked were:

1. Did you feel conscious of your body image whilst in training?

2. Were you ever on a strict diet whilst at dance college?

3. Did you feel that you were given enough guidance and education on the importance of nutrition and healthy eating whilst at dance college?

• During the interview

I began the interview by explaining to my professional associate that the answers she gave me would remain completely confidential and that it was a 'pilot interview'. I outlined the agenda for the interview- that it would last approximately 20 mins, I would ask her around 10- 20 questions, and that if she felt uncomfortable answering any of the questions then that was fine and she didn't have to answer. 

I wrote up her answers as we were speaking which was quite time consuming and did slow down the process. As we were on Skype, there was a slight delay with some responses, which also slowed down the process. As she is a friend of mine, the interview was very informal and conversational. The questions I had prepared often led to further questions. 

• Findings

Some of the answers I was given, I found really interesting. Conducting my pilot interview has definitely been very encouraging as to where my research could take me and the results I could achieve. However, I'm not sure if interviews will be the most effective tool/ method for me to use for my inquiry. As my interview was with a friend it was very informal and relaxed and went well. I feel that for other people it could be a very different experience. Answering sensitive questions face- to- face with a stranger may be nerve- wracking and off- putting, and participants might not be as open and honest with me. This could actually be detrimental to my research. A survey or questionnaire might be more beneficial. 

The Ethical Dimensions Surrounding my Inquiry

What is the motivation behind the inquiry?

My line of inquiry will be surrounding body image and healthy eating/ nutrition in dancers, and within dance settings.
During both my time at dance college and my years of dancing professionally, body image has always been an underlying issue and sensitive subject.
Whether directly or indirectly, body image and dieting has had a negative impact on myself at some point during my career. I have also seen it have a negative impact on my colleagues/ peers at some point. I would like to help change that, using research and a line of inquiry. I am interested in researching how dancers are educated on healthy eating/ body image at college.

Does the Inquirer want to bring about a social good?

I hope that my inquiry will bring about a social good. I particularly hope that when teaching dance in the future, I am able to use my research and line of inquiry to benefit my dance students. That I am able to give them a better education surrounding body image and healthy eating and nutrition, due to my inquiry.

Who stands to benefit most from the research?

I believe that I stand to benefit from my inquiry. I hope that it will aid me in becoming more professional in my practice in the future. I am also aiming for my future dance students to benefit from my inquiry- through the knowledge and understanding I can pass on and teach to them.

Who are the participants?

I am going to endeavour to contact a range of participants. They will be: my peers that I attended college with, students that are still attending that college, past work colleagues, dancers that attend auditions/ dance classes at dance studios in central london and the dance students of a professional associate of mine. This will therefore include a varying range of ages (roughly 16- 35) and varying levels of experience.

Why were these participants chosen?

I decided to choose these participants, as it is likely that all of them will have experienced the effects of diet and body image in dance in varying degrees at some point in their life.
I feel it is important to keep my range of participants quite broad, as this will hopefully give me a wider scope to base my findings on. I feel that each of the participants I would like to get involved, can have a valuable input into my research.

How will you contact them? Will you need to talk to gatekeepers to do this?

I will contact my participants primarily via social media, for example Facebook and Linked In. I will use social media particularly to contact students from The Hammond School, those that I went to college with, and those that are still attending. I may also use groups on Facebook such as 'The Hustle' to contact other professional dancers.
I will get in touch with the principle of The Hammond School via telephone (which may need to go through the gatekeeper) or through a formal email. I will also use email as a means to contact other participants.

How will you make sure that your participants can leave the inquiry if they desire to do so?

I will make it clear when approaching my participants that their involvement is completely voluntary and that they are free to leave the inquiry at any point. I will make sure to do this verbally- if possible, and well as sending an email making it clear what their involvement will mean. I'll also make it clear that their participation, e.g. questionnaire answered will be kept completely confidential and anonymous.

Do the participants have your contact details?

Yes the participants will have my contact details. I will give them my phone number and email address. That way, If they have any questions or concerns, they are able to contact me and speak to me about it.

Are you storing the participants data safely?

Any digital data will be stored on my laptop, that only I have access to. Anything in paper format will be kept confidential and in a secure, locked place, again that only I have access to. After having used the information for my inquiry, all data will be deleted or shredded.

Ethics in the Workplace

When thinking about ethics, I considered my lines of inquiry, past experiences and potentially future ones, and it is within dance education that my questions lie, and where it is important for me to understand ethics. 

Ethical issues within dance education is a huge subject, and can include; ethics and the learning and teaching of dance, ethical practice in dance and codes of ethics, practice and conduct.  

Having taught dance myself in the past, there were many things to be considered, although at the time I wasn't given much guidance on what was expected, and what was the formal 'code of conduct'.

Through doing some research online, I found some interesting points that could be considered the correct ethics and code of conduct when teaching dance, or a good guide to base my own teaching on. 

- Dance teachers will have clearly defined aims and goals. The benefits an individual student can expect to receive through staff's conscientious implementation of these aims and goals will be clearly stated.

- Dance teachers will make sure that they are capable of providing any services claimed. 

- Dance teachers will have the experience, knowledge and/ or qualifications required for the range of levels and techniques being taught. Student teachers will be trained and supervised to ensure the school's teaching standards are maintained. 

- Dance teachers will ensure that class sizes are suitable to the levels and techniques being taught. Students in each class will be of a similar age and/ or standard. 

- Dance teachers will ensure that the dance facilities provided:
> conform with minimum safety and space requirements
> have suitable flooring, with a safe surface designed and constructed to minimise risk of injury. 

- Dance teachers will use effective and flexible teaching skills to create a productive learning environment. Dance teachers will:
> strive to communicate a love of dance
> show professional attitudes, including punctuality, reliability and responsible care of students
> strive to develop self- discipline and self- motivation in the students
> encourage and support the individual in the class situation 
> present general concepts of movement as well as those of a particular dance style. 

- Dance teachers will recognise the role of dance in the development of the whole person. They will also seek to recognise and develop each student's potential, whether it lies in dance or in related fields, and offer appropriate guidance for further progress.

- Dance teachers will endeavour to recognise physical anomalies, modifying their teaching and seeking medical advice when necessary. The teaching and choreography must be anatomically safe, and teachers must be prepared to deal with medical emergencies. 

- Dance teachers will take responsibility for seeking more knowledge in all aspects of their work. 

(Code of Ethics for Dance Teachers, Australian Dance Council, 2012)


There are aspects of ethics to consider in relation to my own research and professional inquiry. 
Things to be considered are: who will be a part of my research/ inquiry? How will i make sure they're involvement and data will remain confidential? Who will benefit from my inquiry? Are my participants taking part voluntarily? What if they no longer want to participate? And how will the use of imagery/ video affect my inquiry?