Aesthetic education is a field of educational theory and practice that designates structured learning processes in which aesthetic experience, perception, and judgment are treated as specific and systematically addressed components of education [1][2][3][4]. It refers to educational approaches that intentionally incorporate aesthetic categories—such as form, expression, sensuous appearance, and artistic representation—into curricula and pedagogical frameworks, so that these categories become defined objects of understanding rather than incidental aspects of other subjects [1][2]. Within this perspective, aesthetic education focuses on learners’ capacities to notice, interpret, and respond to aesthetic qualities in artistic and non‑artistic contexts through concepts and methods drawn from aesthetics and related disciplines [3][4]. The term delineates a dimension of education in which aesthetic experience and aesthetic judgment are considered distinct elements of learning, clearly differentiated from yet related to cognitive, moral, and practical aims in the curriculum [1][2][3].
- Aesthetic experience
- Educational philosophy
- Aesthetic judgment
- Cultural Studies
Contemporary art, education, critique • Cultural Studies • Social Sciences • Social Sciences
References
- Joanna Pascoe; The necessity of aesthetic education: The place of the arts on the curriculum. Educ. Philos. Theory. 2025, 58, 770-773. [CrossRef], 770-773.
- Tony Eaude; The Necessity of Aesthetic Education – The Place of the Arts on the Curriculum. Br. J. Educ. Stud.. 2024, 73, 149-151. [CrossRef], 149-151.
- Laura D’olimpio. The Necessity of Aesthetic Education; Bloomsbury Academic: London, United Kingdom, 2024; pp. 147-150. [CrossRef]Laura D’olimpio. The Necessity of Aesthetic Education; Bloomsbury Academic: London, United Kingdom, 2024; pp. 147-150.
- Rafe McGregor. Aesthetic Education; Bristol University Press: 1-9 Old Park Hill, Bristol, United Kingdom, 2026; pp. 21-38. [CrossRef]Rafe McGregor. Aesthetic Education; Bristol University Press: 1-9 Old Park Hill, Bristol, United Kingdom, 2026; pp. 21-38.