Effect of the Botanical Art and Illustration Coloring Program on the Emotional Development of Students with Developmental Disabilities

Background and objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the botanical art and illustration coloring program on the emotional development of students with developmental disabilities in the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, this study analyzed the changes in the subfactors of emotional development of students with developmental disabilities. Methods: In the first stage, the botanical art and illustration coloring program was defined by a focus group comprised of specialists in the industry and academia. The second stage was to perform 8 sessions of the botanical art and illustration coloring program. The third stage was to examine the effects of the botanical art and illustration coloring program on the emotional development of students with developmental disabilities. The participants of this study were 26 students with developmental disabilities attending N University, and10 students (excluding 2 students who dropped out) were placed in the experiment group and 14 in the control group. Results: The control group showed no statistically significant difference in the four subdomains of emotional development, while the experimental group showed a statistically significant difference in all four subdomains such as non-dependence (p = .033), interaction (p = .029), internal control (p = .017), and stability (p = .000). The botanical art and illustration coloring program was thereby designed to have a positive effect on the emotional development of students with developmental disabilities in the current situation limited by COVID-19. Conclusion: These results suggest that the botanical art and illustration coloring program could improve the ability of students with developmental disabilities to promote emotional development. These positive changes are related to the mental stability of students with developmental disabilities in the current situation limited by COVID-19.