Exploring the Impact of Using Mirrors Versus Not Using Mirrors in an Intermediate High School Dance Class

The purpose of the study was to understand the use of mirrors vs. not using mirrors in the high school classroom. This thesis also expanded on research done in the last twenty years regarding students' relationship to the mirror and how educators could better use or not use the mirror in the classroom. The researcher asked five essential questions that guided this thesis: Q1 How does using mirrors vs. not using mirrors affect a student's body image in a high school dance class? Q2 Is it necessary to always use mirrors in the classroom as a learning tool for students? Q3 Does performing in front of the mirror or not in front of the mirror affect students' performance quality? Q4 Can students feel more confident in their body image when facing or not facing the mirror? Q5 Can students self-correct better when facing or not facing the mirror? The instruments used in this study were a pre-survey and a post-survey. The pre-survey was taken via Google Forms before the first unit, and the post-survey after completing both units. Each unit was four weeks long, one utilizing the mirror and one without the mirror. The first was a musical theater unit (facing the mirror), and the second was ballet (away from the mirror). It is unknown if the two dance styles of units affected the study's outcome. The study initially included 28 intermediate high school dance students who consented and took the pre-survey. The day the post-survey was conducted, only 25 participants were present and had completed the survey, skewing the data slightly. This study's main limitations were the short time for each unit and the small focus group. The researcher discovered through the surveys that the mirror mildly affected dancers' body image when facing the mirror. Conversely, not using the mirror could help dancers be less critical of themselves and help their body image. The researcher also learned that not using the mirror helped participants worry less about performing the movement perfectly but did cause stress when trying to learn choreography. Overall, the findings of this study suggested that mirrors could cause body image distress for some dancers and influence their performance quality. However, most dancers still found the mirror an essential tool in the classroom.