Perceived Gender Differences in Vocational Ballet Class and their Impact on Students’ Psychological Well-Being / Elisavet Papafotiou (2025)

Grounded in Basic Needs Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) and Motivational Climate Theory (Ames, 1992), this study investigated the relationship between potential differences in the training environment based on perceived gender in vocational ballet training and their impact on students’ psychological well-being. Because of the traditionally authoritarian nature of ballet training and previous research demonstrating that male students challenge such pedagogies, it was hypothesised that male students train in more task-involving environments. Dancers (N = 58) completed questionnaires about autonomy, relatedness, competence and psychological well-being, and semi-structured interviews with ballet teachers (N = 5) were conducted to compare their perspectives. Descriptive statistics demonstrated slightly higher Basic Psychological Needs (BPN) satisfaction of maleidentifying students, however, cannot be described as statistically significant because of unequal samples between genders. Multiple regression was run to test the relationship between gender, BPN satisfaction and psychological well-being. BPN satisfaction was the only significant predictor. Interviews with teachers were analysed using thematic analysis looking for themes aligning with Motivational Climate Theory and Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) to identify any differences based on students’ gender. Teachers apply student-centred pedagogies in their classes by caring for students’ individual needs and holistic development. Although a direct comparison cannot be made, there was a discrepancy between the perceptions of students and teachers, especially on autonomy, which can be associated with students not being accustomed to availability of autonomy in ballet classes and them needing more support to embrace it. This study indicates that it could be beneficial for ballet teachers of earlier stages to apply feminist pedagogies to allow dancers, especially females, to become accustomed to task-involving environments, develop trusting relationships with their teachers, and feel empowered on their personal journeys and careers. This could increase dancers’ well-being and confidence, while decreasing burnout, and maximising performance potential for longer.