Interpreting Visual Texts: Use of an Analytic Rubric to Evaluate Student Responses to Writing Prompts

Abstract

ABSTRACTYounger students’ visual texts are statements and stories conveyed through drawings or other artwork and often convey meaning beyond the child’s capability to communicate with written expression. Although opportunities for expression through drawing are routinely offered to children in the initial and middle stages of early childhood literacy education, children in the latter stages are more often limited to verbal communications and responses. An analytic rubric devised to evaluate the narrative aspects of the visual texts generated by early childhood students was used to assess the drawn responses of 19 third-grade students who were approximately age 8 years. The participants in this study created visual texts as responses to two prompts based on narrative and expository writing genres. Results suggest that the rubric can provide ample guidance for interpreting visual text developed by 3rd-grade students. The implications of using an analytic rubric for evaluating students’ visual texts are explored.