Prompted by the ratio-scientific emphasis in the curriculum, I conducted this study to explore the lifeworlds of students to understand their lived experience of beauty in school. This investigation entailed a phenomenological study, the method of which included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with four high school students. This study aimed to examine the essence of beauty in the lived experience of students in school, to explore the perceptions of students regarding school as a place to appreciate beauty, and to understand the needs of students as a place that develops their aesthetic sensibilities. The findings include the description and interpretation of the experiences of students and the identification of six characteristics defining their experiences. Implications of the experiences and perceptions of the students on the curricular and extracurricular program of schools are discussed. Given that our ability to appreciate beauty is one of the defining characteristics of our humanity, exploring its place in the curriculum is of vital importance.
","abstract_html":"<p>Prompted by the ratio-scientific emphasis in the curriculum, I conducted this study to explore the lifeworlds of students to understand their lived experience of beauty in school. This investigation entailed a phenomenological study, the method of which included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with four high school students. This study aimed to examine the essence of beauty in the lived experience of students in school, to explore the perceptions of students regarding school as a place to appreciate beauty, and to understand the needs of students as a place that develops their aesthetic sensibilities. The findings include the description and interpretation of the experiences of students and the identification of six characteristics defining their experiences. Implications of the experiences and perceptions of the students on the curricular and extracurricular program of schools are discussed. Given that our ability to appreciate beauty is one of the defining characteristics of our humanity, exploring its place in the curriculum is of vital importance. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Reiff, Paul"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Curriculum and Social Inquiry","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sara Efrat Efron","Todd Price","Eleanor Binstock"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:32Z","subjects":["aesthetics","phenomenology","education","curriculum","hermeneutic","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Methods","Epistemology","Secondary Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/226","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sara Efrat Efron","Todd Price","Eleanor Binstock"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Reiff, Paul"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-03-06T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Curriculum and Social Inquiry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["aesthetics","phenomenology","education","curriculum","hermeneutic","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Methods","Epistemology","Secondary Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/226"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Prompted by the ratio-scientific emphasis in the curriculum, I conducted this study to explore the lifeworlds of students to understand their lived experience of beauty in school. This investigation entailed a phenomenological study, the method of which included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with four high school students. This study aimed to examine the essence of beauty in the lived experience of students in school, to explore the perceptions of students regarding school as a place to appreciate beauty, and to understand the needs of students as a place that develops their aesthetic sensibilities. The findings include the description and interpretation of the experiences of students and the identification of six characteristics defining their experiences. Implications of the experiences and perceptions of the students on the curricular and extracurricular program of schools are discussed. Given that our ability to appreciate beauty is one of the defining characteristics of our humanity, exploring its place in the curriculum is of vital importance.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Refreshment for the Soul: A Phenomenological Study of the Student Experience of Beauty in School"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sara Efrat Efron","Todd Price","Eleanor Binstock"],"dc:creator":["Reiff, Paul"],"dc:date.available":["2017-03-06T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Prompted by the ratio-scientific emphasis in the curriculum, I conducted this study to explore the lifeworlds of students to understand their lived experience of beauty in school. This investigation entailed a phenomenological study, the method of which included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with four high school students. This study aimed to examine the essence of beauty in the lived experience of students in school, to explore the perceptions of students regarding school as a place to appreciate beauty, and to understand the needs of students as a place that develops their aesthetic sensibilities. The findings include the description and interpretation of the experiences of students and the identification of six characteristics defining their experiences. Implications of the experiences and perceptions of the students on the curricular and extracurricular program of schools are discussed. Given that our ability to appreciate beauty is one of the defining characteristics of our humanity, exploring its place in the curriculum is of vital importance.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/226"],"dc:subject":["aesthetics","phenomenology","education","curriculum","hermeneutic","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Methods","Epistemology","Secondary Education"],"dc:title":["Refreshment for the Soul: A Phenomenological Study of the Student Experience of Beauty in School"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Curriculum and Social Inquiry"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:32Z"}