The 40 papers in this collection cover a wide variety of topics within the broad field of visual literacy. Three preliminary papers discuss visualization through film. The second section, which emphasizes visualization in a social context, contains 10 papers addressing cultural, political, social, and psychological issues, touching upon such…

It is proposed that visual literacy be defined as the ability to understand (read) and use (write) images and to think and learn in terms of images. This definition includes three basic principles: (1) visuals are a language and thus analogous to verbal language; (2) a visually literate person should be able to understand (read) images and use…

The instructional effectiveness of integrating abstract and realistic visualization was studied using five types of visualization, three levels of general ability and two modes of instruction. The dependent variable was performance on a four-part criterion test representing five different types of instructional objectives, which was administered…

In two experiments, students were shown a visual display and then a related text passage, or vice versa, to determine which condition improved recall. Results with 100 undergraduates and 112 middle school students supported the expected outcome of improved recall when the display preceded the text. (SLD)

Examines the effects of different types of computer-assisted phonemic segmentation training on phonemic segmentation, reading, and spelling of children with learning disabilities. Finds that phonemic segmentation training using visual support has no advantage over auditory training alone. Suggests that preschoolers and children with reading and…

Describes the design of a learning environment, called the Climate Visualizer, intended to facilitate scientific sense-making in high school classrooms by providing students the ability to craft, inspect, and annotate scientific visualizations. Discusses how visualizations can promote creation of scientific theories, especially in conjunction with…

Focuses on how visual images can help students integrate concepts and synthesize information to make a judgment, thereby guiding the learner toward higher order thinking. Uses geography to demonstrate how, by incorporating visual exercises, student perceptions of difficult concepts are enhanced. (CMK)

Beginning users often exhibit confusion about what it means to be "on" the Internet, and they would likely benefit from a discussion of the scope and structure of Internet connectivity. The problem lies in creating a meaningful visual which would accompany the verbal information. This document discusses an exercise whereby graduate…

The focus of this study was to measure the communicative power of business symbols with a business audience. A panel of three people selected 15 appropriate business symbols which then appeared on a questionnaire which showed each symbol with a blank space for the respondent to provide a one word or short answer of the symbol's meaning.…

The primary research problem confronting many experimental researchers is finding valid stimulus (instructional) and criterial (testing) materials that operationally fit their hypotheses. Five experimental studies have been completed, and two are in progress, using the Dwyer instructional materials to address the problem of finding valid…

Due to the importance of visual stimuli for learning, the videodisc is expected to have a major impact on education. When combined with the computer, it will greatly expand the capabilities of computer assisted instruction. There are two major types of videodisc equipment: the optical type with a laser beam to read the information from the disc,…

This study of 96 high school biology students investigates the effectiveness of visual instruction composed of simple line drawings and printed words as compared to printed-words-only instruction, visual tests, and the interaction between visual or non-visual mode of instruction and mode of testing. The subjects were randomly assigned to be given…

In planning media systems for individualized study it is valuable to know if printed materials are as effective as projected materials in promoting student recall. An experiment to compare printed and projected materials utilized subjects from graduate school, the tenth, and the twelfth grade. Subjects were tested on images in either printed or…

A printed text can be considered a picture on which readers project their own image in order to understand its original meaning. This process is explained via several kinds of original documents. Implications for instruction in reading a foreign language are discussed and several examples are given. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Offers nine suggestions for video tape production and instructional use in a student laboratory for a cartography course. Briefly discusses costs and benefits, including more time for instructors to focus on specific techniques and individual questions. (TRS)