Interpersonal Meaning: Verbal Text–Image Relations in Multimodal Science Texts for Young Children

Maria Koutsikou,Fotini Bonoti,Maria Papadopoulou,Vasilia Christidou

doi:10.3390/educsci11050245

Maria Koutsikou, Fotini Bonoti + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050245

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Abstract

Verbal text and images constitute the principal semiotic modes interacting to produce interpersonal meanings in multimodal science texts for young children. These meanings relate to pedagogical perceptions about children’s learning. This study examined verbal text–image relations regarding the interpersonal meaning dimensions of address (the way the reader is addressed), social distance (the kind of the relationship between the reader and represented participants), and involvement (the extent to which the reader is engaged with what is represented) in multimodal text excerpts from science-related books for preschool children. The sample consisted of 300 randomly selected units of analysis. For each unit, the verbal and the visual content was analyzed along each dimension, and the relevant verbal text–image relation was determined. Results indicated that regarding address and involvement, relations of convergence appeared significantly more frequently than relations of complementarity and divergence. Concerning social distance, relations of complementarity and divergence were observed more frequently than relations of convergence. Results are discussed in the context of the Systemic Functional Grammar and the Grammar of Visual Design, in the light of the socio-cognitive perspective on science teaching and learning. Implications for the selection, design, and use of multimodal science texts for young children are also discussed.

Highlights

In an attempt to fill this gap, the present study aims at addressing the following research question: What are the relations between verbal text and image promoted by multimodal texts about science in related books for preschool children regarding the interpersonal meaning dimensions of address, social distance, and involvement?
Our findings indicate that a greater emphasis on the interpersonal meaning and a more systematic analysis of the interaction and interrelation between verbal text and image in science texts for young children is required, aiming at facilitating understanding and supporting them in learning science
It has been shown that verbal text–image convergence facilitates successful association and coordination of the two modes, supporting children’s comprehension of multimodal science texts [66]

Summary

Introduction

Teaching and learning in science are considered as multimodal processes, where a multitude of semiotic modes (e.g., language, visual representations, gestures, and body language) contribute to the presentation and communication of scientific meanings, while inter-semiotic interaction produces new meanings during instruction [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10] This multiplicity and complexity of meanings produced by the interplay of various modes suggests that in the context of a ‘pedagogy of Multiliteracies’ [11] students, from an early age [12,13], need to be able to analyze, interpret, critically understand, and use different representational modes of meaning-making, as well as the ways these modes interact [11,14,15,16]

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