The continuity of traditional culture in the artistic production of middle school students

In this study, it was aimed to reveal how traditional culture is interpreted within the context of art education by examining the reflections of middle school students’ seasonal migration experiences on their artistic production processes. The research was conducted in a middle school in Erzincan during the spring semester of the 2025-2026 academic year. The study group was determined through criterion sampling. Accordingly, middle school students who attend school and migrate to highlands during the summer were selected. The research was designed using phenomenology, one of the qualitative research methods. A semi-structured interview form and students’ artistic works related to the process were used as data collection tools. The data were analyzed through descriptive analysis, a qualitative data analysis method.According to the results of the research, students associated seasonal migration and highland life with nature, family, labor, production, animal husbandry, daily responsibilities, and elements of traditional culture. It was determined that students included elements such as mountains, highlands, tents, roads, animals, trees, human figures, and the natural environment in their artistic works. When students’ views on seasonal migration experiences and their artistic works were examined together, it was found that the elements related to nature, family, labor, production, animal husbandry, daily life, and traditional culture that they expressed in the interview form were also reflected in their drawings through similar images; therefore, there was generally a correspondence between their written expressions and artistic representations.