Date of Conferral

2016

Date of Award

2017

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

John Flohr

Abstract

Smart technology can support art educators and museum professionals in mediating the aesthetic experience. It can also increase museum attendance, enrich the viewer's delight and engagement with artworks and art collections, and provide an avenue for extending art on a global level. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a mobile art app with text-based narrative influences scores on an aesthetic experience questionnaire. This quantitative research measured the difference in pretest and posttest human-computer interaction scores on the Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire Form after participants used two versions of a mobile art app. Csikszentmihalyi's flow was the theoretical framework. After the administration of the pretest to 67 participants, 25 participants successfully viewed an art app with or without verbiage and then completed the posttest. Results revealed a significant (p < .001) mean increase in questionnaire scores among the group that used the app with verbiage (mean difference = 0.41), but no significant improvement among the group that used the app without verbiage (mean difference = -0.03). These findings indicate that certain mobile technologies are capable of mediating an aesthetic experience. Future research may provide information to educators and museums about the quality of the aesthetic experience. This information may increase and enrich human aesthetic experiences with art and may assist to develop human understanding of different perceptions that ultimately engender inclusivity and positive social change.

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