“Om man själv inte tycker dans är roligt så är det svårt, eller så får man vara en bra skådespelare” : en didaktisk studie om hur lärare arbetar med dans i idrott och hälsa

Sammanfattning: Aim The aim of this study is to examine how teachers in secondary school work with dance in physical education and which didactic challenges of teaching that appear. The following three questions will help to answer the study’s aim. What and why do teachers choose a specific content in dance? How do teachers work with dance? Which didactic challenges do teachers face in dance practice? Method We have used a qualitative method to be able to answer our aim and questions. Therefore, we have chosen to interview seven physical education teachers who work with dance in secondary school. We used a selection method called the snowball effect. The interview guide had semi structured interview questions to be able to control the conversation with eventually follow-up questions.   Results The study shows that teachers have used the cultural form of dance most of the time, mainly traditional Swedish folk dances, such as “Bugg” and “Waltz”. The teachers felt that they had to motivate more in dancing compared to other fields in the subject, because of old gender stereotypes and norms. The teacher’s interest for dancing, in combination with the student influence and individual adjustment and digital instruments, are important parts to be able to motivate the students for dance practice. The study shows the learning links together with the teachers’ assessment of the students and therefore the students’ grade got in focus instead of the specific learning. The teachers in our study pointed out that it’s in the interaction between teachers and students, and between students where the ability for learning increase the most.   Conclusions The teachers didactic challenges are motivation and driving force for how they choose to work and which content they use in practice. The cultural dance form premiers in practice, while the expressive dance form barely exist based on the subject’s traditions. The teacher needs to be both positive and flexible. Student influence, individual adjustment and digital instruments are leading factors how to motivate students and therefore promote learnings. The learning is interpreted through students’ grades. The learning object is presented as unclear for both teachers and students.