Exploring the Developmental Approach of Senior Ballet Related Internal Research by the Trend Analysis and Content analysis with the Learning and Participating Ballet for Senior

Objectives This study analyzes trends in ballet-related research for older adults. Methods A total of 26 dissertations and journal articles published from 2011 to 2024, the time of the first study, were analyzed for content analysis. Data were collected using ‘RISS’, ‘KCI’ and ‘Google Scholar’ and content analysis was conducted. Results The results show that, first, the research is still underdeveloped and needs quantitative growth. Second, when looking at the trends by publishing organization, the most research was done in the field of dance, followed by physical education, and there were few studies in various academic fields. Third, the research methods are biased toward quantitative research, with exercise intervention studies being the most common. Fourth, the subjects of the studies were most often related to the physical and physiological aspects of aging. This suggests that ballet has value as an activity for the health of older adults. Conclusions Based on these findings, we suggest the following directions for the future of geriatric ballet research. First, the scope of the study should be expanded. As most of the previous studies have been conducted on healthy elderly women, it is necessary to segment and diversify the research population. Second, research methods have been dominated by quantitative studies, especially exercise intervention studies. Therefore, attempts should be made to understand older adults' perceptions and desires for ballet, leaders' perceptions of ballet for older adults, and program development. Third, research should be conducted to identify and improve the reality of the field of senior education (exercise, leisure, etc.). This will contribute not only to the expansion of research, but also to the establishment and spread of ballet for seniors in the real world. Fourth, there is a possibility that the study of senior ballet can be developed into a multidisciplinary approach, given that it has been tried in various fields other than dance and physical education. It would be desirable for the study of ballet education for the elderly as a physical activity to be integrated with other disciplines in the aging society to lead to more socially contributing research.