He Xue
ABSTRACT
This study examined the integration of aesthetic education in elective courses at Guangzhou Railway Vocational Technical College and its impact on students’ artistic competence and satisfaction. A mixed-method research design was employed, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the integration process. The study involved 40 teachers and 200 freshmen students, including 100 from the computer science major and 100 from the cross-border e-commerce major. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and open-ended surveys and were analyzed using frequency and percentage distributions, mean, Pearson correlation coefficient, and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that teachers effectively integrated aesthetic education in elective courses through diverse teaching strategies, extensive resource utilization, activity integration, and practical applications. Students’ artistic competence, assessed in terms of practical skills, spatial thinking, aesthetic ability, and expressive ability, was rated at a very high level. The results showed strong positive correlations between the extent of integration—particularly teaching strategies, resource utilization, and practical application—and students’ artistic competence and satisfaction. However, activity integration did not show a significant relationship with artistic competence or satisfaction, indicating a need for more targeted and engaging activities. Despite these successes, several challenges were identified. Students faced difficulties such as low self-confidence, challenges in integrating art with other disciplines, time constraints, and adapting to new learning methods. These obstacles occasionally hindered effective classroom participation and interdisciplinary learning. Overall, the study demonstrates that the comprehensive integration of aesthetic education in elective courses enhances students’ artistic competence and satisfaction, while highlighting the importance of addressing practical challenges in interdisciplinary teaching. The findings suggest that continuous curriculum refinement, innovative teaching strategies, and adequate resource provision are essential for maximizing the benefits of aesthetic education integration. These insights provide valuable guidance for educators and administrators seeking to optimize elective course offerings and foster holistic student development.
Keywords: Aesthetic education; curriculum integration; artistic ability.
https://doi.org/10.57180/qtay1348