An international study of young peoples' drawings of what is inside themselves

Abstract

What do young people know of what is inside them and how does this knowledge depend on their culture? Inthis study a cross-sectional approach was used involving a total of 586 pupils from 11 different countries.Young people, aged either seven years or 15 years, were given a blank piece of A4-sized paper and asked todraw what they thought was inside themselves. The resultant drawings were analysed using a seven pointscale where the criterion was anatomical accuracy. However, we also tentatively suggest other ways in whichsuch drawings may be analysed, drawing on approaches used in the disciplines of visual design and visual culture.