The poster introduces a research into non-verbal components in Czech geography textbooks that has been carried out by the Educational Research Centre, Faculty of Education, Masaryk University, Czech Republic. It is designed as an explorative and comparative research analysis.
The research aims to analyse non-verbal components in recent Czech lower secondary geography textbooks. Non-verbal components are defined as non-verbal representations of the educational content that is elaborated in textbooks, such as pictures, photographs, maps, plans, graphs, diagrams, schemes, charts, pictograms and symbols.
Theoretical framework of the research is based on dual coding theory (Sadoski, Paivio, 2001) and the symbolic model of picture perception (Goodman, 1968). Cognition is based on two different, partly interconnected specific symbolic systems – verbal and non-verbal (visual). Both verbal and non-verbal systems are processed independently and interact with one another at the same time. This interaction results in internal (mental) representations of educational content, which are in school instruction confronted with various forms of external representations (depending e.g. on teacher's pedagogical content knowledge). Various forms of external representations are the main source of particular verbal and non-verbal components in textbooks.
Current research indicates that non-verbal components may improve motivation, attention, comprehension, retention and enjoyment of learning from texts (see e.g. Levie, Lentz 1982; Levin, Anglin, Carney, 1987; Schnotz, 2002). However, non-verbal components support the process of learning only if they meet some important criteria, such as being explanative, accompanied with explanative text and aimed at inexperienced learners (Mayer, Gallini, 1990). Our research question was whether nonverbal elements contained in Czech geography textbooks meet some of these criteria. The ultimate goal of our research is to provide the qualities of non-verbal components contained in analysed textbooks with regard to their potentiality to facilitate pupils' learning.
After review of research focused on effects of non-verbal representations on learning from texts (e.g. Levin, Anglin, Carney, 1987) and review of textbook analyses dealing with non-verbal components in textbooks (e.g. Yasar, Seremet, 2007) we identified important characteristics that can be utilised to evaluate non-verbal components in textbooks regarding their potential to facilitate learning processes. These are:
a) text relatedness (e.g. Levin, Mayer, 1993; Mikk, 2000)
b) captions (e.g. Woodward, 1993)
c) mode of representation – representational vs. non-representational components (e.g. Ballstaedt, 1997; Einsiedler, Martschinke, 1997)
d) types of non-verbal components (Ballstaedt, 1997 etc.)
