Degree Date

12-2016

Document Type

Dissertation - Public Access

Degree Name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Academic Discipline

Curriculum and Social Inquiry

First Advisor

Sara Efrat Efron

Second Advisor

Todd Price

Third Advisor

Eleanor Binstock

Abstract

Prompted by the ratio-scientific emphasis in the curriculum, I conducted this study to explore the lifeworlds of students to understand their lived experience of beauty in school. This investigation entailed a phenomenological study, the method of which included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with four high school students. This study aimed to examine the essence of beauty in the lived experience of students in school, to explore the perceptions of students regarding school as a place to appreciate beauty, and to understand the needs of students as a place that develops their aesthetic sensibilities. The findings include the description and interpretation of the experiences of students and the identification of six characteristics defining their experiences. Implications of the experiences and perceptions of the students on the curricular and extracurricular program of schools are discussed. Given that our ability to appreciate beauty is one of the defining characteristics of our humanity, exploring its place in the curriculum is of vital importance.

Comments

  • TABLE OF CONTENTS
  • ABSTRACT 4
  • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 5
  • List of Tables 11
  • List of Figures 12
  • CHAPTER ONE 14 Introduction 14
  • Background and Context 14
  • Defining “the experience of beauty” 16
  • Free Play 17
  • Elevation of the Soul 18
  • Refusal to Control 19
  • Interaction 19
  • Importance of the Research to the Educational Community 21
  • Nurture Human Aspirations 21
  • Break Down Walls and Bridge Gulfs 22
  • Allow Students to Thrive 23
  • Grow R-Directed Thinking 24
  • Preparing for Tomorrow 26
  • Personal Importance of the Research Question 26
  • Constantly Growing 26
  • Challenging Convention 28
  • The Form, Style, and Spirit of the Research 31
  • Qualitative 32
  • Speculative 34
  • Phenomenological 35
  • Reflexivity 37
  • Hermeneutic 37
  • The Hermeneutic Imagination 38
  • Hermeneutic Phenomenology: the Best Fit 39
  • TABLE OF CONTENTS
  • Personal Importance of the Research Method 40
  • Research Question and Goals 43
  • Research Question 44
  • Subquestions 44
  • What I Hope for as a Result of Conducting the Research 44
  • CHAPTER TWO 48
  • Literature Review 48
  • Introduction - Crossing the Threshold 48
  • Beauty Absolute – Plato 49
  • Poetic Power – Aristotle 52
  • Sensitive Cognition - Alexander Baumgarten 53
  • Aesthetic Judgment - Immanuel Kant 54
  • Subjective and Universal 54
  • Disinteredness and Free Play 56
  • Purposiveness 57
  • Free beauty and dependent beauty 57
  • The Sublime - Edmund Burke 60
  • Aesthetic Experience - John Dewey 61
  • Aesthetic Perception - Maxine Greene 64
  • Aesthetic Stance - Louise Rosenblatt 65
  • Aesthetic Moment - Patrick Slattery 66
  • Virtue and Aesthetics - Howard Gardner 67
  • Politics and Aesthetics - Terry Eagleton 69
  • Neuroscience and Aesthetics - Anjan Chatterjee 71
  • Aesthetics in the Curriculum - Marla Morris 74
  • Dance 75
  • Reader’s Theatre 75
  • Collage 75
  • Imagery 76
  • TABLE OF CONTENTS
  • Hybridization 76
  • Recent Studies 78
  • Narrow Disciplinary Focus 78
  • Focus on Adults 79
  • Aesthetics as Method or Mean 81
  • Arts Only 81
  • Conclusion - Boons, Insights and Gaps 82
  • CHAPTER THREE 85
  • Methodology 85
  • Introduction 85
  • The Things Themselves 85
  • Steps of the Method 86
  • A Method for Questioning and Wondering 88
  • The Steps I Followed in the Research 88
  • Pose the Question 90
  • Research Question 90
  • Subquestions 90
  • Goals 90
  • Suspend Beliefs 91
  • Gather the Data 95
  • Participants 95
  • Lily 96
  • Martin 96
  • Amy 97
  • Nancy 97
  • Sample Size 99
  • The Site 99
  • Validation Strategies 100
  • Data Collection Tools 101
  • TABLE OF CONTENTS
  • CHAPTER FOUR 104
  • Data Analysis 104
  • Describe the Data 104
  • Social Interaction 106
  • Resolution 111
  • Self-Awareness 115
  • Positive Feelings 118
  • Voluntary Participation 119
  • Intrinsic Value 121
  • CHAPTER FIVE 124
  • Synthesis and Findings 124
  • Describe the Phenomenon 124
  • The Essence of the Phenomenon 130
  • CHAPTER SIX 133
  • Conclusion 133
  • References 140
  • Appendix A: Informed Consent Letter 148
  • Appendix B: Questionnaire 150
  • Appendix C: Focus Group Interview Guide 151
  • Appendix D: Exit Interview Guide 153

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