Frihastyayu Bintyar Mawasti, Hartono, Agus Cahyono
This study examines the educational function of traditional dance in fostering emotional intelligence and its implications for aggressive behavior among elementary school students. Emotional intelligence plays a critical role in children's character development and social competence, particularly during middle childhood, a developmental period prone to emotional dysregulation and behavioral difficulties. Using a qualitative case study design informed by a social-emotional developmental psychology framework, this research involved ten third-grade students, consisting of five girls and five boys, from SD Islam Bilingual Annisa in Semarang, Indonesia. Data were collected through structured classroom observations focusing on students' emotional expressions, behavioral responses, and interaction patterns during traditional dance learning activities. The findings indicate that students who demonstrated improvements in emotional intelligence, specifically in emotion recognition, expression, and regulation, showed a reduced tendency toward aggressive behavior. Traditional dance learning facilitated empathy, strengthened self-regulation, and encouraged positive social interactions through embodied movement, cooperative practice, and expressive engagement. The integration of cultural values, rhythmic discipline, and collective responsibility within traditional dance provided a meaningful context for emotional awareness and behavioral control, enabling students to manage emotions more adaptively in social situations. Overall, these results highlight traditional dance education as a pedagogically practical and culturally responsive approach to promoting emotional balance, prosocial behavior, and character development in elementary education. Incorporating traditional arts into school curricula may serve as a strategic intervention to support children's emotional intelligence and reduce aggressive tendencies. This study contributes insights into the role of arts-based pedagogy in emotional and behavioral development within contexts. Copyright (c) 2025 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia
