Examination of children's expression of basic emotions with drawings

Expression of basic emotions with drawings

Abstract

This study aims to investigate children's situations of giving details in expressing their basic emotions and the reasons for preferring basic emotions by examining the facial expression drawings of children in detail. The study's design is a phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative research methods. The sampling method is homogeneous. Thirty-nine children aged five years attending preschool education in the fall semester of 2021-2022 participated in the study. As a result of the research, the children included the basic emotions of happiness, sadness, surprise, and anger in their drawings. The most preferred basic emotion was happiness whereas the least preferred basic emotion was anger. All four basic emotions in children's drawings included eye and mouth signs; all children with angry basic emotions drew eyebrows and teeth. The children did not use teeth as an indicator in expressing any basic emotions other than the angry basic emotion, and they never used tongue as an indicator in sad and angry expressions. The children could express their basic emotions through the facial expressions and pictures they drew. The study results are significant because they reveal that children recognize their basic emotions and can express them in detail through drawings.