Joy and its Representations in the Drawings of Primary School Pupils

Abstract

This research investigates the representations of joy in the drawings of primary school students (ages 6-12). The main problem sought to answer the question: What are the representations of joy in the drawings of primary school students? The study aimed to identify these representations and use them to discover students' artistic talents.

The study was structured across four sections:

Section One covered the problem, importance, objective, scope, and definition of key terms (representations, joy, primary school students' drawings).

Section Two presented the theoretical framework on children’s drawings (concept, causes, obstacles) and the stages of artistic expression development.

Section Three detailed the methodology, including population survey, systematic random sampling, and analysis of the research tool and sample.

Section Four presented the results, conclusions, recommendations, and suggestions.

Key Findings and Conclusions

Prominent Results:

Joy was represented through a spontaneous, unforced expressive style and improvisation in form, relying on the freedom of line and color.

Joy manifested through the characteristic of distortion (or deviation) by departing from proportion and symmetry.

Joy was shown in the flattening of shapes using simple colors and minimal lines.

Main Conclusions:

Joy was represented by the students' aversion to academic artistic standards and traditions.

The features of joy focused on a mental level that relied on imagination as the starting point for expressing a deep-seated desire within the student.