Precision Teaching and Tap Dance Instruction
Timing tap steps to fluent speeds cut errors and boosted performance, but watch for spontaneous improvement in controls.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team taught tap-dance steps with a precision-teaching plan.
They timed correct steps per minute and aimed for fluent speed.
All dancers were neurotypical adults learning in a studio.
What they found
Correct step rates went up and errors dropped after fluency drills.
Some new steps also got better even without direct teaching.
A control dancer improved too, so the extra gains may not be from the program alone.
How this fits with other research
Koop et al. (1983) cut swimming stroke errors with quick coach corrections.
Both studies show brief feedback loops sharpen motor skills.
Morante et al. (2024) used video feedback to give adult runners perfect form.
They also hit 100 % correct steps, but video was the tool instead of timing.
van Abswoude et al. (2015) looked at error rate in kids with cerebral palsy.
They found more or fewer errors did not change learning.
That seems opposite, yet the kids had CP and the task was different.
Pallares aimed for zero errors through speed goals, not by letting them happen.
Why it matters
You can borrow the fluency chart for any motor skill: gymnastics, shoe tying, or utensil use.
Time correct responses, set a speed aim, and watch errors fall.
Just add a no-treatment control or check baseline trends so you know the gain is real.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was (a) to use a precision-teaching (PT) framework to design, train, and evaluate a tap-dancing training sequence and (b) to evaluate fluency outcomes as a function of training tap dance components to optimal frequencies. The study trained a series of 8 tap-dancing steps to 4 novice dancers and evaluated the effects on untrained components and probes of retention, stability, endurance, and application. The study also included a control participant who only completed application probes. Weekly probes examining the facilitative effects of training on the untrained components revealed improvements for some untrained steps, but not all. Retention probes revealed little difference in frequencies from the last data point in training. Stability and endurance probes revealed marked increases in the frequency of corrects and decreases in the frequency of errors. The results of application probes showed improvements to some degree for experimental participants; however, the control participant also made gains in performance. This makes it difficult to draw conclusions regarding application. The study demonstrates how a PT framework may be useful to those interested in enhancing sports performance training. We discuss limitations and future directions.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2021 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00458-3