The 31 papers selected for presentation at the 1981 Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) convention and inclusion in this document were subjected to a rigorous blind reviewing process and represent some of the most current thinking in educational communications and technology. Topics covered include aptitude treatment…

A language training approach employing a multimodality receptive language program was used with eight retarded preschool children to increase receptive language development and to stimulate verbal (expressive) language behavior. Day activity center teachers worked with the Ss three times weekly for 7 months using the Minnesota Early Language…

By observing the attentiveness of children watching six pilot programs of "The Electric Company," the staff of the Children's Television Workshop (CTW) gathered detailed data on the visual appeal of the show. Six high appeal attributes were isolated: (1) functionally relevant action; (2) strong rhythm and rhyme; (3) electronic bridges;…

This report provides the proceedings of the twenty-second Lake Okoboji Educational Media Leadership Conference which dealt with various aspects of visual literacy in education. The general sessions are briefly described. A major portion of the report pertains to nine subtopics: (1) visual literacy in teacher education; (2) implications for the…

A study reports that, while elementary students dislike bare classroom walls, they have little interest in other children's work, but like and remember having their own work displayed. Children do not absorb the content of wall displays, but they have strong emotional reactions to decorations. (Author/SJL)

When learning-disabled high school students (N=22) were taught about astronomy by either presenting key concepts with a visual spatial display or by presenting concepts with texts, tests measuring short-term mastery of content favored students taught with the visual display. No differences were found between the groups on transfer or maintenance.…

Describes methodology and results of a study examining the role of layout and graphic design in the legibility of instructional text displayed on cathode ray tubes. This report includes a multidimensional scaling analysis, an analysis of the stimuli and independent variables, and labeling and dimensions using adjective and interview data. (MBR)

This study investigated the effects of a visually mediated intervention (i.e., social stories, written social phrases, pictures of social skills, and videotaped feedback) on the social communication of five elementary students with pervasive developmental disorders. Five triads, each with one subject and two typically developing peers were formed.…

To provide a framework for describing how children respond to picture books, first and second grade children were observed over a 10-week period. Variations in the responses of individual students, changes in their reactions over time, and the importance of considering the context of a response are discussed. (PP)

Describes a study of undergraduate students at Pennsylvania State University that was conducted to assess the impact of instructional color coding on visually and verbally oriented tests and on field dependence independence. Use of the GEFT (Group Embedded Figures Test) is discussed, and differences in cognitive processes are considered. (11…

Discussion of the development of instructional multimedia materials focuses on a study of undergraduates that examined how the use of visual icons affected learning, differences in the instructional effectiveness of visual versus auditory processing of the same information, and timing (whether simultaneous or sequential presentation is more…

A simulated art history textbook reading assignment was designed to examine the effects of visual information on student learning and understanding. A sample of 234 students was taken from a population of freshman/sophomore English students in a large metropolitan community college district. In phase one of the study, students took the Group…

Current research at Brigham Young University (BYU) determined that basic visual literacy instruction is needed in disciplines outside of the arts. Following a needs assessment survey of BYU's 83 departments, an honors general education Arts and Letters course in visual literacy was piloted in the 1996 winter semester. Lectures were presented by…

This study examined the effectiveness of observable visual imagery strategy for the encoding of verbal information with special attention given to the relative effectiveness of the strategy for field-dependent and field-independent learners. The subjects, 54 undergraduate and graduaute students ranging in age from 20 to 54, were randomly assigned…

Current issues in educational communications and technology are addressed in this collection of 47 conference papers in which research reports predominate. Topics discussed include factors related to the learner, e.g., learning strategies, information processing, spatial ability, cognitive style, and cognitive strategies. Presentation format and…