Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide

Abstract

The Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide (DWIG), developed by Carroll, Dale, & Bail in 2023, is a specialized research instrument designed to explore the deep connections between therapeutic dance participation and the perceived wellbeing of individuals living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Specifically, the guide aims to understand the impact of both regular dance class attendance and the critical element of public performance on participants’ subjective experiences. The instrument consists of eight open-ended interview items, structured to elicit rich, qualitative data.

The initial application of the DWIG was conducted as a qualitative study involving an Australian sample of participants drawn from two metropolitan Dance for Wellbeing class locations. Importantly, as this is a newly developed qualitative schedule, no formal reliability or validity results for these specific items were reported in the original publication.

Keywords

Parkinson’s Disease, Dance Class Participation, Public Performance, Wellbeing Perceptions, Qualitative Assessment, Dance Therapy, Program Evaluation, Subjective Well Being.

Authors

Carroll, Suzanne J., Dale, Michael J., Bail, Kasia.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide is to conduct a detailed, qualitative assessment of the wellbeing impact resulting from participation in a structured dance program. This program is unique in that it includes public dance performance, aiming to capture the subjective value and psychological benefits derived by people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

This interview schedule serves as a tool for program evaluation, going beyond standard clinical metrics to understand the social, psychological, and personal meaning participants ascribe to their involvement in both the dance classes and the public performance setting.

Construct

The instrument measures the construct of Wellbeing Perceptions, specifically examining how this psychological state is influenced by therapeutic movement and social engagement activities within the context of managing a chronic neurological disorder. The construct is treated as complex and multi-dimensional, exploring elements such as psychological safety, sense of self, community participation, achievement, and perceived value.

The eight interview items are designed to probe these dimensions, allowing respondents to elaborate on connections between physical movement, social contribution, and overall subjective well-being derived from the performance experience.

Validity

No formal validity results were reported for the eight interview items utilized in the initial study (Carroll et al., 2023). As the instrument functions as an original, qualitative interview guide, traditional psychometric validation metrics typically associated with quantitative scales are not immediately applicable or were not the focus of the initial research. Researchers should note the absence of reported data regarding content or construct validity.

Reliability

Data regarding the reliability of the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide is currently unavailable. Since this instrument is an open-ended interview schedule used for qualitative assessment methods, standard measures of reliability (such as inter-rater reliability for coded themes or test-retest reliability) were not provided in the primary source documentation.

Factor Analysis

Factor Analysis is not applicable to the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide, as it is a qualitative instrument consisting of open-ended questions designed for in-depth exploration, rather than a quantitative scale intended for dimensional reduction or latent variable modeling.

Instrument

Test Type: Original, Interview Schedule/Guide

Format: Item responses are open-ended, requiring detailed, narrative responses from participants. The guide includes structured primary questions supplemented by detailed probes and follow-up cues.

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human (Male and Female)

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Population Details: Respondents were Dance Class Participants living with Parkinson’s disease. The initial sample was drawn from two metropolitan locations in Australia.

Test Methodology: Qualitative Assessment Methods, typically involving thematic analysis or interpretative phenomenological analysis of transcribed interviews.

Keywords

Client Attitudes, Client Participation, Dance Therapy, Parkinson’s Disease, Performance, Program Evaluation, Treatment Process and Outcome Measures, Subjective Well Being, Australian Sample, Qualitative Research.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

• Dale, Michael J.: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4285-1842
• Bail, Kasia: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4797-0042

Affiliation Email addresses:

• Carroll, Suzanne J.: University of Canberra, Health Research Institute. Email: [email protected]
• Dale, Michael J.: University of Canberra, Health Research Institute.
• Bail, Kasia: University of Canberra School of Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health, and Ageing Research Group.

Correspondence Address:

Carroll, Suzanne J.: University of Canberra, 23B21, 11 Kirinari St, Bruce, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 2617. Email: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Publisher

Commercial: No

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Carroll, S. J., Dale, M. J., & Bail, K. (2023). “Out and proud…. in all your shaking glory” the wellbeing impact of a dance program with public dance performance for people with Parkinson’s disease: A qualitative study. Disability and Rehabilitation: An International, Multidisciplinary Journal, 45(20), 3272–3283. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2022.2122598

Items of the Dance for Wellbeing Interview Guide

This measure consists of eight numbered items, with multiple probes and follow-up questions.

Items

1. Please tell me about the dance performance you’ve done with the Parkinson’s group?

   a. Follow-up for details of when, where, with whom, context, and the dance work itself

   b. Role in performance e.g., performer, carer, teacher

   c. Why did you choose to attend/participate?

2. How did/does the dance performance make you feel?

3. Can you talk about how, if at all, the dance performance relates to well-being, for you?

   a. Cues, if required or followed up on, may include: Wellbeing for you might include any connections between the use of physical movement, psychological safety, community participation, sense of self, sense of value, feeling of place, feeling of belonging, achievement and satisfaction in fulfilling dreams, aspirations and goals, social contribution and other complex social phenomena that may be perceived to contribute to individual identity, health and wellbeing.

4. Is there a difference for you regarding the performance in front of an audience, compared to practise or learning sessions? If so, how?

5. Has this experience changed anything for you?

   a. E.g., in relation to your prior experience of dance or performance?

   b. E.g., in relation to your prior experience of Parkinson’s or other related conditions?

6. Could you describe what value, if any, you think there is in a dance performance of this kind?

7. What, for you, are the most important elements of this dance performance? Why?

8. Was the performance meaningful for you? Can you elaborate?

   a. In what way was it meaningful to you?

   b. The dance context? The dance performance? The performers? The music?

   c. Was it a broad association or specific (e.g., relate directly to some other experience; directly relate to a particular aspect/part of the dance or the dance more broadly)?