The impact of creative dance curriculum on epistemic curiosity in young children: A practice-based examination from the perspective of intrinsic needs

Abstract

Epistemic curiosity is the core internal drive that leads individuals to seek knowledge and explore new ideas. It is regarded as the most important internal motivation and personality trait that promotes learning and innovation. Particularly in early childhood, the initial formation of epistemic curiosity is crucial for developing creativity and autonomy. Physical activity curricula are recognized as essential and irreplaceable components of early childhood education. This study examined the effects of two dance activity curricula on the epistemic curiosity of 4–6 - year - olds (N = 103) in a Chinese preschool context. The experimental group participated in the Creative Dance Curriculum, and the control group participated in the DanceSport Curriculum for ten weeks (twice a week, 40 min per session). Findings revealed that, compared to the DanceSport Curriculum, the Creative Dance Curriculum significantly enhanced children's dance creativity performance, confirming its effectiveness. After controlling for gender, age in months, and BMI, the Creative Dance Curriculum significantly promoted young children's epistemic curiosity more effectively than the DanceSport Curriculum, consistent with the expected hypotheses. A series of mediation effect tests further revealed that young children perceived teacher's autonomy support and autonomy-need fulfillment as key mechanisms by which the Creative Dance Curriculum promotes young children's curiosity development. The discovery of this mechanism provides practical reference and theoretical support for developing curiosity in young children and the unique value of the Creative Dance Curriculum in developing curiosity in young children.