Images and Memory : A Literature Review of Issues in the Use of Images to Aid Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension and Recall

Abstract

Many Japanese high school teachers of English do not make use of images in classes, despite the fact that images have been shown to be more memorable than text. This article covers research in memory, L1 (first language) reading, and multimedia learning to see understand how images can aid in the acquisition of written language and reading comprehension ability in preparation for designing studies on the use of images in EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching and learning situations. Introduction: Could a thousand written words be better? A picture is worth a thousand words. This bit of popular wisdom suggests that images contain more information than text and that this information can be more easily processed and understood by the observer. More than ever before, written prose is likely to be accompanied with images (David, 1998), suggesting that the effectiveness of images in communicating—or at least getting attention—is widely accepted. Textbooks in schools make extensive use of images to facilitate learning. And new multimedia materials for use in classrooms, on PCs, or in e-books for mobile devices go beyond that, integrating text with both still and moving images. The combination is often visually stunning. But does it improve language learning? Open any English language textbook in Japan and you will find images—lots of them. A quick survey of the main units of two of the most popular EFL textbooks in Japan (used for English I with first year high school students) found an average of 2 images per page, occupying in some cases as much as 40 to 90 percent of some pages. And textbook makers are employing greater use of images in their materials it seems. A similar quick survey of two popular EFL textbooks for English I used 25 years ago, found an average of 1.02 images used per page. Publishers must think images are more important these days; they are using twice as many as 25 years ago. In contrast, teachers at high schools in Kanagawa in Japan do not seem to be making significant use of textbook images or other images in their classes, according to observations done in and around November of 2012. Classroom observations and examinations of teaching