"The Function of Pictures in Prose: Reiteration and Interpretation" by Patricia Vandewalle-Stark
 

Date of Award

7-1987

Degree Type

Master's Essay - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Lauren Leslie

Second Advisor

Carl G. Thom

Abstract

At least since the days when George Washington was of school age, there have been pictures in reading books. Apparently, little thought was given to the presence of illustrations in reading texts until the 20th century. Now, as a new century approaches, pictures abound in all types of texts. But do they serve a function beyond mere decoration? Researchers have repeatedly shown that pictures positively affect children's learning. Using somewhat similar designs, Peeck (1974, 1985), Rusted and V. Coltheart (1979), and Rusted and M. Coltheart (1979) tested the learning of both illustrated and non-illustrated text information. With a few exceptions, the results demonstrated that illustrations had a significant positive effect on learning. An unpublished study by Schallert, Goetz, and Dixon (cited in Schallert, 1980) provided the same positive results, showing more learning taking place in the picture condition. Since the evidence appears obvious in terms of enhanced comprehension, these conclusions represent a beginning toward specifying some of the conditions under which illustrations facilitate learning. In other words, just how and when do pictures provide the most positive effects?

Comments

An Essay Submitted to the Marquette University Graduate School in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Education, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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