EFFECTS OF KIDABELA MUSIC AND DANCE INTEGRATION ON PRESCHOOL CHILDREN’S LOCOMOTOR SKILLS

Abstract

Locomotor competence is a foundational component of early childhood physical development and can be strengthened through structured, developmentally appropriate movement experiences. This study examined whether the integration of Kidabela music and dance was associated with improved locomotor skills among children aged 5–6 years in Ambon, Indonesia. A quantitative quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design involved 30 purposively selected children from one early childhood education institution, with 15 children in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. The experimental group participated in Kidabela music-and-dance activities for approximately four weeks, with activities lasting about 30–40 minutes, while the control group continued the institution’s regular learning activities. Locomotor performance was assessed through an observation rubric covering walking, running, two-foot jumping, repeated jumping with balance, and balance while moving. The reported posttest mean was higher in the experimental group (M = 85.40) than in the control group (M = 70.20), t(28) = 6.872, p < .001, mean difference = 15.20, 95% CI [10.67, 19.73], Cohen’s d = 2.51. The findings indicate a large unadjusted group difference and suggest that culturally contextualized music-and-movement activities may support locomotor performance. However, causal interpretation is limited by the small non-randomized single-site sample, incomplete intervention and measurement documentation, and the absence of a baseline-adjusted analysis.