Students' difficulties in reading images. Comparing results from four national research groups (original) (raw)
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When secondary school students use simulations for physics learning, they have to read and understand the visual representations displayed in these educational tools. In this study, we analyse how students read three physics simulations and we identify the difficulties involved in this reading process, intending to relate them with their understanding of the three physics models which students are expected to construct supported by the use of each of the simulations. We have analysed these visual representations through different perspectives (social semiotics, psychology and science education) and we have carried out individual interviews in order to identify, categorize and analyse the most relevant visual features that bring up reading difficulties. Our final aim is to support science teachers to develop critical visual reading in the science class.
How a picture can scaffold comprehension of text
2012
The EARLI SIG 2 is one of the twenty-two special interest groups of the European Association of Learning and Instruction. It focuses on how learning is influenced by the representation of the learning material, such as by way of text and pictures. However, as there is an explosion of new representations by the introduction of graphical interfaces, members of the SIG now consider multiple forms of representation, including, but not limited to, texts, pictures, graphs, diagrams, concept maps, animations, equations, virtual reality, information and scientific visualization, haptics, multimedia, hypermedia, and simulations. The SIG meets every two years, in alternation with the main EARLI conference, in order to establish continuity in collaborations of its members.
Students' comprehension of science concepts depicted in textbook illustrations
Electronic Journal of Science Education, 2008
Visual representations are commonly used in science instruction to enhance learning. In this study, 86 high school biology students were asked to study an illustration of meiosis to determine their ability to recognize, understand, and interpret textbook images. Data collected from interview and written responses to questions revealed that while the task helped them learn about the topic of meiosis in terms of labeling structures and describing the phases, students were unable to communicate an understanding of the overall purpose of meiosis. The findings of this study have implications for the design and scaffolding of visual representations.
Literacy to see: the importance of learning to read, understand and analyze images
Ocnos: Revista de Estudios sobre lectura, 2019
The present study emphasizes the importance of visual literacy understood as the ability to decode images, including the semantic depth of the iconic message, accompanied or not by text. To observe the performance of university students in terms of reading images and perception of implicit and subtle meanings, an experiment is conducted with students of the Degree in Early Childhood Education and Philosophy of Rey Juan Carlos University during the 2018-2019 academic year. The investigation consisted in the exposition of the experimental group (n = 209) and the control group (n = 51) to the reading of an illustrated album in the classroom, answering a questionnaire based on the meanings of the images that illustrate the book. The results detect a deficit visual reading level in both groups, which does not correspond to the profile of the competent reader. It is observed the need to develop specific skills of reading images, equipping future teachers with tools that allow them to encourage schoolchildren in the development of thinking and critical look.
Student's interpretations of visual models
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2015
Humans perceive and interpret graphical representations of models daily. Student's ability to do accurate interpretations of graphical and symbolical represented information is an important goal for the educational system. A study on 17 student's interpretations of graphical and symbolical representations of linear motion is reported. The collected material consists of about 10 hours video recording divided into 20 sequences about 15-50 minutes each. The tasks used to approach student's interpretation of graphical representation of linear motion where related to distance-time graph and analytical representations of distance function. The theoretical framework used is the theory of conceptual change for learning developed by Chi together with Tall and Vinner's framework on concept image and concept definition.
Learners Interpreting Instructional Images: Meaning-making and Decision-making Strategies
Journal of Visual Literacy, 33(2), 2014
Instructional images are used widely in textbooks and other learning materials, but the role of learner interpretation has not been adequately explored. While previous research has demonstrated the diversity of interpretation derived from images by learners, this research has not consistently taken place in the context of authentic learning tasks. In this study, we examine the interpretations made by in a university environment in an authentic learning context—specifically foreign language learners. Participants included English speakers learning Arabic and Arabic speakers learning English, and their use of a set of designed illustrations. Meaning-making and decision-making strategies were identified. demonstrating the nondeterministic role of images in the learning activity.
Students' Interpretation of Photographs in High School Biology Textbooks
2004
In some contexts, a photograph may be worth a thousand words. Previous research revealed a dialectical character of photographs: they simultaneously lack determinacy and exhibit an excess of meaning. The purpose of this study was to understand how, under this condition, high school students interpret photographs that were accompanied by different amounts and types of co-text (caption, main text). The data for this study consists of video-recorded interviews with twelve Brazilian high school students. What students perceived was in part a function of the presence of caption and main text; these texts not only described what could be seen but also taught students how to look at photographs. We conclude that high school students not only need to develop subject matter literacy but also a literacy concerning photographs to fully understand their textbooks.