On Qualitative Research Toward Aesthetic Experience. Theoretical Considerations and Methodological Approaches Using the Examples of Research in Cultural Education

Abstract

The challenge of cultural education is to initiate aesthetic experiences in a target audience. But how can these experiences become the object of empirical research? In this article, I describe a number of fundamental theoretical aspects of aesthetic experiences and their significance in the field of empirical research. The adequacy of this research on aesthetic experiences is examined. It can be shown that previous research provides helpful methodological orientations and that verbal expressions as well as artistic products can function as research material. Using a grounded theory approach, I point out how both expressions and products could be combined productively within a research project in music education. The results provide instances of aesthetic experience in specific educational settings; i.e., different projects in which students create music compositions. I conclude by outlining further tasks of empirical research on aesthetic experiences.

URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1503252