Self-Efficacy and Movement Competency: Correlates of Dance Performance

Abstract

Dance is a key Physical Education (PE) learning area that integrates physical literacy, cultural expression, and socio-emotional development, yet many adolescents experience uneven readiness to perform. This study examined the relationships of self-efficacy in dance and movement competency with dance performance among 110 Grade 7 students in public secondary schools on Camiguin Island, Philippines. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and Dynamic Systems Theory, the study determined whether these psychological and motor-related factors are associated with performance outcomes in a PE context. A descriptive–correlational design was employed. Data were collected using a dance-adapted self-efficacy scale, a modified Movement Competency Screen (MCS), and a rubric-based Dance Performance Scale. Because Shapiro–Wilk tests indicated non-normal distributions, Spearman’s rho was used for the correlational analyses, which were based on the 109 students with complete data across all variables. Students generally demonstrated high self-efficacy, fair movement competency, and an approaching-proficiency level of dance performance. Self-efficacy in dance was weakly but significantly associated with dance performance (rs = .226, p = .018), whereas movement competency showed a negligible, non-significant association (rs = −.008, p = .935); the null hypothesis for self-efficacy was rejected and that for movement competency was retained. These results suggest that, in this setting, learners’ confidence beliefs relate to dance performance more than general movement quality does, although the weak magnitude indicates that performance remains a multidimensional, emergent construct shaped by additional technical, expressive, and cognitive factors. The restricted variability of performance scores should be considered when interpreting the magnitude of these relationships. The study recommends re-investigating these variables in the same or other contexts, with greater attention to performance-score variability, for confirmation.