INTERPRETATION OF EMOJI® IN MALAY LANGUAGE AMONG CHILDREN IN MALAYSIA
- Author:
Dayang Fadzlina Abang Ibrahim
1
;
Dayang Fadzlina Abang Ibrahim
2
;
Zalikha Adila Zainuren
2
;
Mohd Zulfadli Harun
2
;
Zaridah Zainal Abidin
2
;
Norsaima Ismail
2
;
Rohaida Abdul Halim
2
;
Noren Nor Hasmun
3
;
Annapurny Venkiteswaran
2
Author Information
- Publication Type:Other Types
- Keywords: Emoji; Interpretation; Bahasa Melayu; Children; Communication
- From: Journal of University of Malaya Medical Centre 2024;27(Special Issue):111-125
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
- Abstract: INTERPRETATION OF EMOJI® IN MALAY LANGUAGE AMONG CHILDREN IN MALAYSIA:The existing dental anxiety scales for paediatric patients tend to categorize and label children according to their level of cooperation. However, human emotions are more complex, and each child is unique. Hence, a more dynamic and interactive method should be introduced for a better understanding of the patient’s current state of emotion. The aim of this study was to investigate the interpretation and understanding of children towards frequently used emoji® for the development of an emoji® dental emotional spectrum. Both online and physical surveys were conducted among 147 Malay language-speaking children aged between 4-to-16 years in Malaysia. The children were asked to interpret 30 pre-selected emoji® images in their own words using the Malay Language. The pre-selected emoji® represent happiness, neutral, fear, sadness, and anger. The interpretations were subsequently based on their similar meaning, a process that was validated by two experts in the field of linguistics. The study involved participants with an average age of 9.2 years, with the majority of them being female (61.2%). Of the 30 pre-selected emoji® images used in this study, 13 had respondent agreement exceeding 60% which was the threshold set for suitability for use in evaluating dental emotion. The remaining 17 emoji® images have a remarkable variability in the interpretation which indicates potential misinterpretation by the respondents. The 13 emoji® images range from happiness, neutral, fear, dislike, unhappy, sad, anxious, and angry with the emoji® images which represent “excited” (94.0%), “loudly crying” (97.3%) and “angry” (91.8%) had the highest agreement. Meanwhile, the emoji® images represented “confounded” and “downcast” had the least agreement among respondents (1.3%). Despite the universal meaning imposed by emoji®, the interpretations may vary in different populations and age groups. Emoji® images hold the potential to serve as a valuable tool for identifying and managing children’s behaviour.
- Full text:2026080612371213796INTERPRETATION OF EMOJI.pdf
