This study is a qualitative case study that examines the emotion labeling patterns of upper elementary students during a Sijo appreciation class designed by providing an emotional vocabulary list. Emotion labeling, as defined in this study, refers to ...
This study is a qualitative case study that examines the emotion labeling patterns of upper elementary students during a Sijo appreciation class designed by providing an emotional vocabulary list. Emotion labeling, as defined in this study, refers to the series of activities in which students select words from a provided list to name the emotions inferred from a poem and develop their emotional reasoning based on that selection. Drawing on theoretical reviews, the study hypothesizes that providing an emotional vocabulary list can function as an instructional scaffold that supports students’ emotional inference in literary reading. A total of six sessions were conducted, during which students were presented with a list of 134 emotion words to aid in their interpretation of Sijo texts. In each session, students selected appropriate emotional vocabulary and provided justifications for their choices. Through qualitative analysis of student worksheets and focus group interviews, three major patterns emerged: (1) students verbalized subtle impressions using emotional vocabulary; (2) they refined their interpretations through emotion-based reasoning; and (3) they linked poetic emotions with personal experiences. These findings suggest that emotional vocabulary can serve not only as a linguistic tool but also as a cognitive mediator that facilitates emotional engagement and interpretive autonomy in classical poetry education. This study offers an instructional model for teaching Sijo based on emotional inference and highlights the pedagogical value of structured emotional support in fostering meaningful literary experiences.