THE INFLUENCE OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON STUDENTS' ATTITUDE TOWARDS AESTHETIC EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN KUNMING YUNNAN

Abstract

This study investigates the current status of three leadership styles—transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire—in higher education institutions in Kunming, Yunnan Province, focusing on their correlations with students 'aesthetic education attitudes (emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions). It analyzes the mechanisms and combined effects among these styles and proposes targeted improvement strategies. A stratified random sampling method was employed to select 550 students as participants. Data collection utilized a revised Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and an aesthetic education learning attitude scale, with descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis conducted using SPSS software. Results revealed: Transformational leadership significantly positively influenced all three dimensions of students' aesthetic education attitudes (p<0.01); Transactional leadership showed weak positive effects only on behavioral dimensions (p<0.05); Laissez-faire leadership demonstrated no significant positive impact and exhibited a slight negative trend in cognitive dimensions (p>0.05). The combined effect of these leadership styles on aesthetic education attitudes was statistically significant (p<0.01). This study provides empirical evidence for optimizing leadership strategies in university aesthetic education management.