The Effect of Group Counseling with Chinese Folk Dancing on the Psychological Quality of College Students

Background and Aims: Chinese folk dancing is an energetic and essential part of Chinese culture, helping to uphold customs, promote a sense of community, and honor the rich diversity of Chinese cultural heritage. The objectives of this study were 1) to compare the mood states of university students before and after participating in dance movement activities, and 2) to compare the mood states of a control group and an experimental group after participating in the dance movement activities. Methodology: The sample group was the university students of the Chongqing Vocational University of Mechanical and Electrical Technology. The experimental group, consisting of 30 students, participated in a dance program, while the control class, also comprising 30 students, did not engage in dance courses. The experimental group used dance movement activities, while the control group followed traditional teaching methods. Data was collected using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale which is commonly used in China. It was analyzed using SPSS descriptive analysis and t-test. Results: The results of this study are as follows: 1) After the end of the experiment, the positive mood score of the students in the dance movement activities was higher than before the experiment, the negative mood score was lower than before the experiment, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). 2) The positive mood score of the experimental group receiving dance movement activity was higher than that of the control group, and the negative mood score was lower than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion: Overall, the results show that students' positive moods significantly improved and their negative moods significantly decreased when they participated in dance movement activities, both within the experimental group and when compared to the control group. This suggests that dancing movement activities have substantial emotional benefits.