Graphicacy: Do Readers of Science Textbooks Need It?
In contrast to literacy and numeracy, graphicacy is under-explored. Yet it is not only linked to fundamental cognitive abilities, but is also important in all areas of instruction. This paper reports an analysis of the graphics that appear in K-12 science school books. The questions were the followi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Conference Paper |
| Published: |
Universite Pierre-Mendes-France
2012
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://earlisig2-2012.upmf-grenoble.fr/UserFiles/EARLI_SIG2_Proceedings_2012.pdf http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/17133 |
| Summary: | In contrast to literacy and numeracy, graphicacy is under-explored. Yet it is not only linked to fundamental cognitive abilities, but is also important in all areas of instruction. This paper reports an analysis of the graphics that appear in K-12 science school books. The questions were the following: what skills might school students need to understand these graphics? Do books provide guidance or instructions to help students process these graphics? We found that many graphics required a high level of graphicacy, in terms of strategies and skills required to understand them. Moreover, strategic guidance or instructional help were rarely provided. |
|---|