Abstract

The professional development of teachers is fundamental to educational reform and promotion, and such a development includes teachers’ aesthetic experiences. This study aims to explore the impact of Chinese teachers’ aesthetic experiences on their professional development and the differences between male and female teachers in terms of the impact of aesthetic experiences on professional development. In total, 500 teachers from 20 universities in Hainan and Guangzhou, China, were surveyed, and 488 valid questionnaires were collected. A multivariate regression analysis was conducted to examine the impact of each variable. The results of the study indicate that “aesthetic attitude,” “understanding of beauty,” and “full experience” all have a significantly positive impact on the professional development of both male and female teachers, whereas “pleasure of beauty” has no significant impact on teachers’ professional development. The findings also demonstrate that no difference exists between male and female teachers in terms of the impact of aesthetic experiences on professional development, and the more practical conceptions of aesthetic experience have a direct impact on teachers’ development.

Key words: Aesthetics, aesthetic experience, teachers’ professional development.