Digraph Analysis and Reconstruction of Broudy's Aesthetic Education Theory: An Exemplar for Aesthetic Education Theory Analysis and Construction.

Abstract

Digraph analysis is presented as a method of formally analyzing aesthetic education theory to achieve greater precision and clarity in specifying constructs. As an exemplar, Broudy's theory of aesthetic education is analyzed for adequacy through digraph analysis, to determine the coherence and completeness of relations between its terms. The original digraph of Broudy's theory is then extended in the direction of formal adequacy through the addition of four terms to the original network of relations. Broudy's theory, extended through digraph analysis, becomes more precise and clear, and therefore has more utility for the design of aesthetic education programs and curricula. For terms of an aesthetic education theory to be adequate, they must be meaningful and complete. Steiner (1978) offers a number of analytic methods for the construction of art education theory, derived from theory construction in the social, physical and natural sciences, and in education and aesthetics. Specifically, Steiner (Note 7) suggests using definitional analysis to determine whether terms are meaningful and classificatory analysis to determine whether terms are complete in respect to the teaching-learning process. Analysis is required to determine adequacy of relationships between terms in a theory in respect to coherence and completeness, so that in the first case, no relationships are contradictory and in the second, none are missed.