A Comparative Study on Education Management of Classical Dance in Thai and Japanese Universities
Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand
ABSTRACT
Thai and Japanese classical dance have a shared history of over one hundred years and are symbolic of the cultures of both countries. However, there are differences between the approaches to classical dance education in Japan and Thailand. This research aimed to compare educational management by analysing the differences between Thai and Japanese classical dance education, using a six-point criteria of the curriculum including: 1) information on the universities, 2) educational objectives, 3) school rules, 4) process, 5) credits, and 6) future courses. The factors that made them similar and different were also examined. The population of this study consisted of thirty eight Thai and Japanese dance students and six professors in the Faculty of Arts at Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand and Nihon University, Japan. The methodology included in-depth interviews and classroom observations.The data analysis compared the curriculum of classical dance courses available at both universities in 2016. The results of the research demonstrated that the curriculum of both universities shared a common structure. However, their educational aims and methodologies differed because Japanese classical dance was developed in private branch schools, while Thai classical dance was taught in public educational institutions. This is the key difference in the educational management of Thai and Japanese classical dance. The study concluded that there are significant differences in their purposes regarding the teaching of classical dance by culture or government policy in Thailand and Japan. The comparison of dance education styles in both countries may lead to a better understanding of the current situation and the problems with each style. This may be beneficial for the educational management of classical dance and the cultural development of both countries in the future.
KEYWORDS
Arts Education, Thai and Japanese Dance, Culture, Curriculum