Mirror Screen: An Interactive Visual Emotion Identification System for Preschoolers

About the Project

Mirror Screen: An Interactive Visual Emotion Identification System for Preschoolers Sri Nurul Milla*¹, Raihanah Azka Reine Arifah² ¹Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia, MALAYSIA (E-mail: sri_nurul@uptm.edu.my) 2Universitas Indonesia, INDONESIA (E-mail: raihanah.azka@ui.ac.id) *Presenting author Keywords: Classroomscreen, Early Childhood Education, Emotion Identification, Interactive Technology, Preschoolers, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Introduction Emotional literacy in early childhood supports social-emotional growth, self-control, and classroom participation (Denham et al., 2012). But traditional self-reporting methods like verbal checks or chart boards often miss preschoolers' subtle feelings because their vocabulary and thinking skills are still developing (Bierman et al., 2008). To address this, the "Mirror Screen: An Interactive Visual Emotion Identification System for Preschoolers" uses Classroomscreen's flexible digital features to make emotion tracking easy and part of the daily routine. Teachers can set up Classroomscreen’s interactive features, like the Poll widget with smiley faces, webcam feeds, and visual cues, so the Mirror Screen becomes a tool for showing feelings. Young children can show how they feel by using simple, non-verbal touch screens when they arrive or switch activities. This setup gives teachers real-time, easy-to-read data on classroom mood, so they can quickly support students’ emotional well-being (Williford et al., 2013). The Mirror Screen connects digital classroom tools with early childhood emotion recognition, showing how easy-to-use web platforms can help young children build emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Objectives This study aims to design, use, and test the Mirror Screen system, an interactive digital tool for identifying emotions in preschool settings. The research focuses on the following goals: 1. Set up an interactive visual interface using Classroomscreen’s customizable widgets, like polls and visual cues, to help preschoolers easily and independently share how they feel. 2. Provide Real-Time Educator Insights: Aggregate immediate, visual emotional data to help early childhood educators gauge overall classroom climate and deliver timely social-emotional interventions. 3. Check how easy the tool is for young children to use, and whether it helps them become more aware of their emotions and manage them during daily classroom activities. Methodology/Innovation Development Process This study uses a user-centered design (UCD) approach to create and test the Mirror Screen. The research will take place in a preschool with one group of 30 children aged 3 to 5 and will combine qualitative and quantitative methods. System Setup & Materials The system runs the Classroomscreen web platform on a touchscreen monitor placed at a child-friendly height. The setup has three main parts: • Poll Widget: This is a simple four-point visual scale with clear, color-coded emotion icons (happy, calm, sad, frustrated) that lets children share how they feel without needing to read or write. • Webcam Feed: Works like a mirror so children can see their own facial expressions before choosing how they feel. • Visual Cues & Sound Widgets: Give non-verbal prompts and play sounds to guide and give feedback when children interact with the system. Data Collection & Testing Procedures 1. Interactive Check-ins: Preschoolers do regular check-ins when they arrive in the morning and during transitions. 2. The platform automatically records when each check-in is submitted and tracks the overall mood of the class. 3. Teachers use observation checklists and surveys to measure how easy the system is to use, how engaged the children are, and how often teachers use social-emotional interventions during the four-week trial. By turning affordable digital tools into a touch-based system, this approach offers a practical way to track young children's emotions on a larger scale. Results/Findings and Innovation Outcomes When we first introduce the Mirror Screen system, we expect it to be easy to use, keep children engaged, and add value to teaching during the four-week trial. Metric Target/ Expected Improvement Independent Check-in Rate Expected > 90% completion without adult assistance by week 2. Identification Accuracy Projected > 85% alignment between child self-report and observational teacher coding Intervention Readiness Anticipated 35-40% reduction in response time to emotional distress during transition. Table 1. The Expected Result of the study Anticipated Functional Outcomes 1. Low-Friction Self-Reporting: By using Classroomscreen's Poll widget with a Webcam feed, even preschoolers who cannot read (ages 3 to 5) should be able to check in on their own in less than 10 seconds. 2. Proactive Classroom Management: With real-time sentiment data, teachers can quickly notice signs of emotional distress and use calming strategies before any behavioral issues start. 3. Developmental Impact: Regular use is expected to help children learn emotional words and self-control faster, showing that affordable digital tools can support social-emotional learning in early childhood. Implications and Potential Impact The Mirror Screen shows how affordable, easy-to-use digital tools can support social-emotional learning and emotional growth in early childhood education. Significance & Practical Applications 1. For young children, it gives preschoolers who cannot yet read or write an easy way to build emotional self-awareness, learn to manage their feelings, and develop confidence during important early years. 2. For teachers, it acts as a real-time tool that helps shift classroom management from reacting to problems to offering emotional support, which can lower stress and create a better classroom environment. Scalability & Future Adoption The system is built on Classroomscreen, a widely accessible web-based platform. It only needs standard interactive displays, so low-resource schools can use SEL technology without facing financial barriers. In the future, the system could include features like tracking emotions over time, home-to-school check-ins, and visual options that can be customized for neurodiverse learners, such as children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. These updates would help make the Mirror Screen a scalable model for inclusive early education technology worldwide. References Bierman, K. L., Domitrovich, C. E., Nix, R. L., Gest, S. D., Welsh, J. A., Greenberg, M. T., Blair, C., Nelson, K. E., & Gill, S. (2008). Promoting academic and social-emotional school readiness: The Head Start REDI randomized controlled trial. Child Development, 79(6), 1802–1817. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01227.x Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., Way, E., Mincic, M., Zinsser, K., & Graling, K. (2012). Preschoolers' emotion knowledge: Self-regulatory foundations, and relation to school readiness. Social Development, 21(1), 137–152. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2011.00624.x Williford, A. P., Vick Whittaker, J. E., Vitiello, V. E., & Downer, J. T. (2013). Children’s engagement within the preschool classroom and their development to school readiness. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(1), 162–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.03.005