On the Methodology of Aesthetic Education

In the first part of the article the author points out the causes and reasons why the methodology of aesthetic education has not been adequately elaborated. In the second part he describes the main methodological tasks. ≫Methodology≪ is understood in its broadest sense. It includes not only the actual problems of methods, the choice of methods and their application, but the starting point is the notion that it is impossible to study aesthetic education regardless of other components of education and regardless of the present state of cultural development. The author then deals with the methods of research in aesthetic education and defines the relationship between experience and knowledge gained by research. He stresses the need for more research which would help to make work in the field of aesthetic education more scientific. He further mentions the need for experiments and especially underlines the necessity to study the results of the experiment by means of exact methods. He agrees to the use of quantitative and statistical methods, but demands that the conclusions arrived at by these methods be verified by other methods. In the end he considers the possibility of introducing programmed instruction, provided due respect is paid to the specificity of aesthetic education.