W. Reid Hastie: A Visionary for Research in Art Education

Abstract

W. Reid Hastie, the fifth president (1957-1959) of the National Art Education Association, promoted the need for a scholarly venue devoted entirely to issues and research in art education and a place where related research results could be presented on a regular basis to the field of art education, as well as the larger field of education. His vision led to the initiation of Studies in Art Education, a journal of issues and research in art education. The first issue was published in the Fall of 1959. Hasties vision, practice, and support of research are examined within the context of the history of research in art education and the rapidly changing world of higher education following World War II.When Studies in Art Education was introduced to the field of art education in 1959 as a journal for professional and critical dialogue about issues and research related to art and art education, it was a landmark. For die first time ever, there was a scholarly venue devoted entirely to issues and research related to art education. The fact that it has survived and flourished is a testament to the vision of W. Reid Hastie, the National Art Education Association (NAEA) president (1957-1959) under whose leadership Studies in Art Education was established. It is also a testament to the need for a forum where art education researchers could share the results of their work and engage in a dialogue with professional colleagues throughout the world (Beelke, 1972).Research Trends in Art EducationWhile there is an established history of research in art education predating the beginning of Studies, most related research prior to 1 940 was conducted by individuals outside the discipline. Those few individuals, both art educators and non-art educators, who published their work did so in a variety of educational, psychological, and sociological journals (Davis, 1967). The earliest known piece of published research with a relationship to art education was a study conducted by the legendary leader of the child study movement, G. Stanley Hall. In May of 1883, he published a report on a study of the contents of children's minds on entering schools in the Princeton Review (Hall, 1883).In her thesis, A Summary ofScientific Investigations Relatingto Art, Mary Strange (1940) presented a systematic look at scientific research in art and art education prior to that time, identifying all published research that she could locate. She reported that during the 57-year period between 1883 and 1939, 162 studies were published in books and in a wide variety of educational and psychological journals such as Pedagogical Seminary, American Journal ofPsychohgy, and the British Journal of Psychology. These publications grouped themselves into four general categories: (a) color and color vision, (b) drawing and/or graphic ability, (c) picture preference and appreciation, and (d) tests and measurements. An examination of this work reveals that most of it was conducted by individuals outside the field of art education, primarily by psychologists and sociologists. In many cases, it appears that art was being used as a means to an end, without any foundational basis in aesthetics, creativity, or artistic processes (Davis, 1967). For example, the focus of many of the studies was not on art but on other topics such as mental development, intelligence, special talents and defects, differences in males and females on various traits, and school success. Art was simply used as a vehicle to examine the phenomenon being investigated.Following World War II, the United States experienced unprecedented growth in higher education with the returning veterans and support of their education by the G.I. Bill. Art education was not excluded, and educational opportunities in die field were characterized by phenomenal growth, especially at the graduate level. More researchers who were art educators emetged, bringing about more research in art education. The field of art education was developing to a point that more research was necessary if continued growth were to occur. …