Effects of Art Literacy–Based Visual Arts Activities on Verbal Expression, Emotional Language, and Symbolic Thinking in Children Aged 48–72 Months

Kazım biber

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.69650

Effects of Art Literacy–Based Visual Arts Activities on Verbal Expression, Emotional Language, and Symbolic Thinking in Children Aged 48–72 Months

Author(s)	Mr. Kazım biber
Country	Turkey
Abstract	Abstract This study examined the effects of art literacy–based visual arts activities on children’s art literacy levels as well as their verbal expression, emotional language, and symbolic thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was employed. The participants were 40 children aged 48–72 months attending public preschools in the Altıeylül and Karesi districts of Balıkesir, Türkiye (experimental group n = 20; control group n = 20). The experimental group participated in an eight-week structured program consisting of art literacy–based visual arts activities, whereas the control group continued routine visual arts activities implemented within the preschool education curriculum. Quantitative data were collected using the Art Literacy Observation-Based Rubric developed for this study and analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), with pretest scores treated as covariates. Qualitative data were derived from children’s verbal expressions produced during visual arts activities in the experimental group and analyzed through descriptive analysis. The quantitative results demonstrated that art literacy–based visual arts activities had a statistically significant and educationally meaningful effect on children’s overall art literacy scores (partial η² = .15). In addition, significant differences were observed in favor of the experimental group in verbal expression, emotional language, and symbolic thinking skills. The qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative results by indicating a clear enrichment in children’s visual perception, interpretation, meaning-making, and expressive processes. Overall, the findings suggest that structuring visual arts activities around art literacy principles and process-oriented practices in early childhood education supports children’s cognitive and affective development in an integrated manner.
Keywords	Early childhood education; art literacy; visual arts activities; verbal expression; emotional language; symbolic thinking
Field	Sociology > Education
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On	2026-02-28
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.69650

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Effects of Art Literacy–Based Visual Arts Activities on Verbal Expression, Emotional Language, and Symbolic Thinking in Children Aged 48–72 Months

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