The Effect of Culture on Children’s Depiction of Covid-19 in Their Drawings
Résumé
Many studies have used drawing to examine children’s representation of covid-19 but no study to date has compared the drawings produced by children from different countries. In this study, French and Moroccan children aged 9-11 years-old were asked to draw everything they thought of when hearing the word covid-19 or coronavirus. The drawings were rated using a posteriori content analysis, revealing the use of seven graphic indicators. When comparing French and Moroccan children, we found no difference in the overall number of indicators but we found numerous differences in the types of indicators used to depict covid-19. French children depicted death and home/restricted places more frequently, whereas Moroccan children depicted the virus and cultural signs more frequently. In contrast, we found no cultural difference in children’s use of biomedical indicators. These results are discussed in terms of the influence of country-specific sources that may have shaped children’s representation of covid.