The Impact of Dance Teaching Methods on the Psychophysical Well-being of Pre-service Teachers: A SEM Analysis of Student Satisfaction as a Mediating Factor

Background and Aim: The psychophysical well-being of pre-service teachers significantly influences their academic performance and professional development trajectory. While dance education offers recognized benefits for physical and mental health, empirical research examining the differential impacts of various teaching methodologies on well-being remains underdeveloped. This study investigates how Traditional Teaching Methods (TTM), Modern Teaching Methods (MTM), and Practical Teaching Methods (PTM) affect the psychophysical well-being of pre-service teachers, with specific attention to student satisfaction as a potential mediating mechanism. Materials and Methods: The research employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze data from 300 undergraduate pre-service teachers across six strategically selected teacher-training universities in Guangxi, China. A validated structured questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.833) measured teaching methods, student satisfaction, and psychophysical well-being dimensions. Analyses included descriptive statistics, reliability testing, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and path modeling using SPSS 26 and AMOS to assess both direct and indirect effects. Results: Analysis revealed that TTM (β = 0.878) and MTM (β = 0.819) exerted stronger effects on student satisfaction than PTM (β = 0.735). Student satisfaction demonstrated a significant direct effect on psychophysical well-being (β = 0.507, p < 0.01), functioning as a key mediating variable between teaching methods and well-being outcomes. While path coefficients from Figure 2 indicated direct relationships between teaching methods and well-being (TTM: β = 0.41; MTM: β = 0.40; PTM: β = 0.08), Table 8 emphasized the predominance of indirect effects through student satisfaction. Modern teaching methods received the highest student recognition (M = 4.27, SD = 0.67) among all approaches. Conclusion: The findings suggest that enhancing pre-service teachers' psychophysical well-being requires a dual focus on optimizing teaching methodologies and improving student satisfaction. While traditional and modern approaches demonstrated stronger effects than practical methods, an integrated pedagogical framework might yield optimal outcomes. Future research should explore blended teaching approaches that leverage the strengths of each method while addressing implementation challenges in dance education for pre-service teachers.