Investigation of the Effect of Capoeira Dance Education on the Dance Self-Efficacy, Happiness and Self-Confidence Levels of Disadvantaged Children Between the Ages of 7-13

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of 8-week capoeira-based physical activity training given to children under the care of Social Services on their dance self-efficacy, happiness, and self-confidence levels. 12 boys and 15 girls, under protection at Kassel Street Yahya Kaptan and Çayırova Children's Homes affiliated with the Kocaeli Provincial Directorate of Family, Labor and Social Services, voluntarily participated. Capoeira training was conducted 1.5 hours a day, 2 days a week for 8 weeks, consisting of rhythmic movements and basic ginga patterns. Dance self-efficacy, self-confidence, and happiness scales were applied before and after the training. The data were evaluated statistically using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A statistically significant difference was found only in the dance self-efficacy scores (p<0.05), while no significant difference was found for self-confidence and happiness (p>0.05). As a result, it was concluded that capoeira-based rhythmic movement activities positively affect children's perceived competence in dance, although no change was observed in their overall happiness or self-confidence levels. Key Words: Child, dance, happiness, self-confidence, recursion