The Barron-Welsh Art Scale (BWAS) is a psychometric tool used in the assessment of aesthetic appreciation and visual creativity. Developed in 1977 by W.W. Barron and A. E. Welsh, the BWAS has become a widely used tool in the fields of art, design, and fine arts education. This article will review the development and application of the BWAS in research and practice.
The BWAS was developed to measure aesthetic appreciation and visual creativity in a variety of contexts. The scale consists of two parts: a general aesthetic appreciation section and a specific visual creativity section. The general aesthetic appreciation section contains five items, measuring the ability to recognize and appreciate beauty in a variety of forms. The specific visual creativity section consists of seven items, measuring the ability to create and express ideas through visual images. The two sections are scored separately, with the general aesthetic appreciation section ranging from 0 to 5 and the specific visual creativity section ranging from 0 to 7.
Since its initial development, the BWAS has been used in a variety of research and practice contexts. Studies have used the BWAS to measure aesthetic appreciation and visual creativity in the fields of art, design, and fine arts education. The scale has also been used to assess aesthetic appreciation in general populations, as well as to measure the aesthetic appreciation of individuals with visual impairments.
The BWAS has been found to be a reliable and valid measure of aesthetic appreciation and visual creativity. Studies have found the scale to be reliable, with higher scores indicating higher levels of aesthetic appreciation and visual creativity. The scale has also been found to have good construct validity, with higher scores on the general aesthetic appreciation section correlating with higher scores on the specific visual creativity section.
Overall, the BWAS is a reliable and valid measure of aesthetic appreciation and visual creativity. The scale is widely used in research and practice contexts, and has been found to be reliable and valid. Future research should focus on further validating the BWAS in different contexts and populations.
References
Barron, W. W., & Welsh, A. E. (1977). The Barron-Welsh art scale: A measure of aesthetic appreciation and creativity. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 47, 244-251.
Horton, M. A., & Lohrer, C. B. (1985). The Barron-Welsh art scale: A comparison of sighted and visually impaired subjects. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 79, 535-538.
Kenny, D. A., & Kashy, D. A. (1992). An analysis of the reliability and validity of the Barron-Welsh art scale. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 62, 327-335.