ERIC Number: EJ1064155
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0167-8329
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
What Does Knowledge Look Like? Drawing as a Means of Knowledge Representation and Knowledge Construction
Bowen, Tracey; Evans, M. Max
Education for Information, v31 n1-2 p53-72 2015
The most common tools individuals use to articulate complex and abstract concepts are writing and spoken language, long privileged as primary forms of communication. However, our, explanations of these concepts may be more aptly communicated through visual means, such as drawings. Interpreting and analyzing abstract graphic representations is still a challenge within a text-based knowledge culture. This multidisciplinary study tested an existing framework for interpreting and analyzing drawings individuals use to communicate abstract concepts. The selected concept for case study was "knowledge." Participants were asked to draw what they believed "knowledge" looks like. 838 drawings created by respondents aged 5-65, were analyzed. The drawings were examined and coded for graphic types, as identified by Englehardt's [17] graphic classification typology, and graphic objects. Three particular implications for educators interested in using drawing as a tool for explaining complex concepts in multimodal learning emerged: age affects how and which graphic objects are used to visualize concepts, corresponding to an individual's operational development; graphic representations can depict both concrete objects and symbolize abstract concepts at the same time; and drawing is a form of knowledge production that can be used to support learning and further understanding complex or abstract concepts through the production of shared graphic objects and symbols.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Knowledge Representation, Learning Processes, Freehand Drawing, Concept Formation, Graphic Arts, Coding, Classification, Case Studies, Learning Modalities, Visual Learning, Visual Literacy, Visualization
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada (Toronto)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A