Exploring the impact of classroom climate on music aesthetic literacy in nonmusic majors

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0333470 October 7, 2025 2 / 13 to promote intellectual and emotional growth, thereby preparing students for more meaningful and fulfilling lives [3]. Despite these recognized benefits, music aesthetic education in Chinese higher education faces considerable challenges, especially for nonmusic-major students. The current structure of aesthetic education for nonmusic majors is often margin- alized within the broader curriculum, leading to limited exposure and engagement with music-related courses. Many nonmusic majors lack sufficient opportunities to explore music as part of their personal and intellectual development, which hinders the broader educational goal of fostering well-rounded individuals [4]. Furthermore, the issue is compounded by a lack of resources and a de-emphasis on aesthetic education, leading to an uneven distribution of music education opportunities across different academic disciplines. In particular, there are critical concerns regarding the quality and effectiveness of music aesthetic education courses. These challenges are exacerbated by insufficient attention to the classroom environment, both physical and social. In higher education settings, the classroom climate—encompassing the physical space, instructional design, and the dynamics of teacher–student interaction (TSI)—plays a crucial role in shaping students’ learning outcomes. Scholars have increasingly recognized that an optimal classroom climate reflects educational philosophy and influences students’

psychological well-being, motivation, and performance [5,6]. In musical aesthetic education, this becomes even more vital, as fostering an inspiring and supportive classroom climate may impact students’ aesthetic literacy and subsequent engage- ment with music significantly [7]. Given these challenges, it is essential to investigate how the classroom climate can enhance the effectiveness of music aesthetic education among nonmusic-major college students. This study aims to address the current gap in empirical research by exploring the impact of the classroom climate, specifically the physical environment (PE) and TSI, on the acquisition of music aesthetic literacy (MAL). By doing so, it seeks to provide insights into the key factors that predict the success of musical and aesthetic education in general, to enhance the quality and reach of such programs in higher education institutions. Thus, the research questions guiding this study are 1. What is the impact of the classroom climate, including the PE and TSI, on the acquisition of MAL among nonmusic-major college students? 2. What factors predict the influence of the classroom environment on the effective- ness of music and aesthetic education? Literature review Theoretical basis This study integrates Bandura’s social cognitive theory [8], particularly the triadic reciprocal causal model, to investigate the relationship between classroom climate dimensions and music aesthetic literacy (MAL) among nonmusic-major college and Exploration of coconstruction of college music aesthetic Education Classroom with

“Four Dimensions, Three Transformations, and Dual Entities” under the action of aesthetic education Infiltration in the form of an award (JGYB24140) received by LZ. This study was also financially supported by Guangzhou Postdoctoral Research Project Funding in the form of an award received by HJ. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.