This study examines non-professional adult dance pedagogy as a transformative practice, focusing on its impact on Social Aesthetic Perception (SAP) - adults’ perception of aesthetic qualities, interpretation of social cues, and co-creation of meaning through movement. SAP is conceptualized across three subscales: embodied perception (individual growth), social perception (relational growth), and integrative reflection (community-level growth). Mezirow’s (1995), Dewey's (1934), and Berleant's (2023) transformative learning theory, along with arts and social easthetics provide the theoretical grounding for understanding how adults shift their meaning perspectives through embodied critical reflection, aligning closely with SAP by illustrating how dance can reshape individuals’ perceptions of themselves, others, and the group.

Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, approximately 100 adult learners complete the newly developed SAP Scale (SAPS) and an adapted Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI; Schraw & Dennison, 1994). A subsample of 10–15 participants contributes interviews and observations. Preliminary findings suggest that sustained engagement in dance enhances SAP, self-awareness, and relational sensitivity, generating a “ripple effect” in which individual learning radiates into community-level outcomes.

Implementing SAPS in real-world dance classes challenges traditional adult learning (AL) measures that isolate cognitive, emotional, or social outcomes. Early results indicate that embodied dance experiences can foster aesthetic and communal capacities, demonstrating how practice-based research can test and transform AL theory.

This study employs a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2017), integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches to explore how non-professional adult dance pedagogy may influence SAP and metacognitive awareness. The quantitative phase is intended to examine predictive and mediating relationships among SAP, engagement, and developmental outcomes using structured questionnaires. Planned instruments include the newly developed SAPS and MAI (Schraw & Dennison, 1994), and an engagement index capturing attendance, duration, effort, and enjoyment. The qualitative phase will draw on semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and reflective journals to contextualize and deepen the quantitative results. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) and triangulation strategies will be employed to integrate findings across data sources. Participants and Setting The study is targeting adult learners participating in non-professional dance pedagogy programs, such as social dance classes. A control group of non-participants will be included for comparative purposes. Inclusion criteria for this study included adults aged 18 years and older who are non-professional dancers and willing to provide informed consent. Participants are recruited through social dance communities worldwide, primarily via Facebook, using a convenience sampling approach. The study aimed to capture a broad range of experiences with non-professional adult dance pedagogy. These criteria ensured that the study could explore the effects of dance pedagogy on SAP, personal development, and metacognitive awareness across a diverse adult population.

Preliminary findings indicate that adult dance pedagogy fosters transformation across individual, relational, and communal levels, creating what can be conceptualized as a ripple effect. At the individual level, learners develop heightened aesthetic reflection, perceiving their own movement with greater acuity. This self-awareness enables a more nuanced interpretation of others' movements, enhancing relational perception through empathy, attunement, and coordinated interaction. These individual and relational shifts do not remain isolated; they radiate outward within the learning environment. As participants express personal insights through movement, peers recognize and respond to these changes, generating a dynamic, participatory process in which growth becomes visible, shared, and embedded in collective practice. In this way, adult learners co-create an aesthetic and social environment in which the personal transformations of each member contribute to broader community-level change. SAPS captures the relational and aesthetic dimensions, while reflective metacognition is measured via the MAI. Embodied experience and aesthetic reflection ground learning in the body, while relational perception translates individual gains into communal outcomes. This framework aligns with Dewey’s notion of aesthetic experience, Berleant’s social aesthetics, and Freirean dialogical praxis, situating dance as a vehicle for socially and personally transformative learning. Quantitative and qualitative data from the ongoing study suggest that sustained participation in non-professional dance classes strengthens this ripple effect. Engagement fosters self-awareness, relational sensitivity, and collective coordination, illustrating how adult dance pedagogy can systematically cultivate SAP and foster a vibrant, co-creative learning community. In summary, the ripple effect underscores the central outcome of dance pedagogy: individual transformation radiates outward, shaping peer learning, collective dynamics, and community development, making adult dance both a personal and relational pathway to aesthetic and social growth. Therefore, the life experience of an adult person has the potential to be visualized as an art object that is rich in aesthetics to be perceived relatively.

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