Visual Literacy Research Articles

The contribution of art therapy to literacy in diverse and stressed communities in inner city Johannesburg: Case vignettes from the Uhambo literacy programme

This article is about the Uhambo literacy programme and the application of multimodal pedagogies in an art therapy ‘open studio’ after-school programme. Low literacy levels were identified by Lefika La Phodiso Community Art Counselling and Training (Lefika) – an arts therapy organisation serving at-risk children from Johannesburg’s inner city, as well as other communities through the application of community art counsellors after their training. A literacy programme, Uhambo, was developed to support the aim of improving literacy among the children attending Lefika’s after-school programme. Lefika’s open studio provides a therapeutic and safe space for children from Johannesburg’s inner city. The Uhambo programme incorporates elements of the open studio, offering a focused integration of visual and verbal literacy. The two presented case vignettes from the programme explore how the groups were both therapeutic and educational, addressing emotional growth and improved literacy and learning using attachment theories and storytelling as frameworks. Drawing on attachment theories in psychodynamic literature, the article shows how adaptive art therapy programmes can give children agency to make meaning, increase confidence and pleasure in their artmaking and storytelling as well as improving learning outcomes, building resilience and creativity.

Redefining liberal arts education in the twenty-first century

Redefining liberal arts education in the twenty-first century

Political Visual Literacy

Abstract Visual politics is a fast-growing field and much of it is focused on images that inspire criticism. This tendency results in a lack of attention to oppressive visual practices. A political visual literacy approaches all visual practices as being layered with different “visual truths” that were developed in response to political commitments over time. These “visual truths” inflected visual practices in ways that may outlive the political settings in which they were first articulated. Most important of these is the desire to capture human difference that framed the development of visual technologies and is still embedded in a range of visual practices. The methodology I develop here links a conjunctural analysis of visual tools and practices and the visual truths implicated in them with their operationalisation by actors as cultural tools through the framework of mediated action. I develop this approach by interrogating two layered and harmful visual practices: the White-centrism of visual technologies and the racialised origins of transphobic visualities in automatic gender recognition technology.

When believing can be seeing: The unregulated approach to video evidence in U.S. courts and the need for archival legal standards

This paper examines the unregulated approach to video evidence in U.S. courts. It provides an overview of three key factors that contribute to the inconsistent treatment of video as evidence: the shifting and uncertain categories under which video is admitted as evidence, the discrepancies in how video is perceived and interpreted, and the lack of widespread legal training in visual literacy. Together, these factors exacerbate the challenges that visual perception and interpretation pose in court, as illustrated by the analysis of the varied use of video by district and appellate courts at summary judgment in McDowell v. Sherrer, a case involving an Eight Amendment excessive force claim. By discussing these challenges, the paper argues for the necessity of archival legal standards, which could facilitate research into uniform guidance and applications for treating video as evidence. Otherwise, civil rights and human rights may be disparately recognized and upheld.

Visual media literacy and ethics: Images as affordances in the digital public sphere

This article argues for the adoption of an affordance model for media literacy. Media literacy efforts have largely evolved separately from visual literacy programs, neglecting the role of the photographic image in the digital public sphere. The hyper-visuality of media today demands closer attention to visuals in media literacy efforts because individuals cognitively process images differently. Images are more emotionally powerful and memorable than words. For these reasons, visual communication cannot be treated in parallel with words. Conceiving of visuals in media as artifacts used by messengers instead of independent messages supports media literacy’s goals of helping individuals navigate today’s digital environment. While such an approach is not the only way to understand images, the affordance paradigm cultivates discourse that supports media literacy. Rooted in the constructivist paradigm, the affordance frame serves as a bridge between photographic indexicality and contingency.

Intermodality and visual literacy: exploring visual-verbal instantiation in children’s picture books on coronavirus

The study examines the intermodality in children’s picture books, with a special focus on the visual-verbal meaning instantiation in young learners’ visual literacy readings. Picture books serve as one of the main platforms and channels that prepare children for early literacy education. Coronavirus as a key theme children have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic period has been widely discussed in picture books for different educational purposes. This study employs systemic functional linguistics (SFL)-based multimodal discourse analysis and draws upon Painter, Martin, and Unsworth’s (2013) visual narrative analytic framework to explore the intermodal relationships between the visual and verbal meaning systems and how each semiotic system is represented and instantiated in the picture books as bimodal texts. Coronavirus: A book for children (2020) and My hero is you: How kids can fight COVID-19 (2020), the two most widely disseminated picture books on Coronavirus, were chosen for case study and comparative analysis. Through these, the intermodal meaning making process that features in children’s literature is examined and synthesised from the three visual analytical perspectives of the representations, relationships, and organisations in the social semiotic construction to facilitate children’s ability to read and comprehend the COVID-related visual information in integration with the verbal semiotics. The findings reveal the visual images function as visual recontextualization for the verbal realisations and provide imagistic contextualisation for the textualized storytelling.

Interrogating representations of transgressive women: Using critical information literacy and comic books in the Shakespeare classroom

How can instructors and librarians collaborate to provide the interpretive scaffolds for students to critically engage with visual primary materials? The authors, an English faculty member and a faculty instruction librarian at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester (UNH Manchester), used graphic fiction as the textual basis of information literacy (IL) instruction, encouraging students to interpret primary and secondary sources using visual literacy heuristics and critical inquiry skills. Their student-centered, inquiry-based IL session for a Capstone Shakespearean Adaptations course focused on critical thinking and research question design. Using woodcuts from primary historical texts and images from contemporary graphic fiction adaptations of Macbeth, the instructors decentralized the classroom, empowering students to ask probing questions about illustrations of witches in early modern English source materials. Students used their questions to explore interpretations of visual depictions of powerful women in historical primary texts and contemporary graphic adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Guided by the instructors, students decoded images using the metadiscourse of graphic fiction; generated questions to inform their own inquiry into the topic; applied their IL skills to new texts; and interrogated the biases of received narratives about women who transgress societal norms and expectations, both in the early modern period and in the contemporary world.

Developing visual literacy with the 5E model for learning Newton’s Laws

Nuestra asignación como profesores es usar los productos de la investigación educativa para robustecer los aprendizajes de disciplinas científicas como la física. Esta indagación tuvo como objetivo usar sistemáticamente el modelo 5E para el aprendizaje conceptual de las leyes de movimiento de Newton con estudiantes universitarios, para estimular el desarrollo de la alfabetización visual a través del uso de memes. Fue una investigación exploratoria con enfoque mixto. Los resultados sugieren que se puede tener 95% de confianza en que el intervalo de porcentaje resultante abarca el valor verdadero. Entonces, producto de la aplicación de una prueba validada, el porcentaje de la población total (1,590) de alumnos de la ESIQIE (México) de primer semestre del ciclo escolar agosto-diciembre 2021, que eventualmente no tienen conocimiento básico de las leyes de movimiento de Newton, está entre 92.26% y 77.74%. Y como resultado de esta propuesta didáctica, al menos 22.62% de la muestra tiende a desarrollar conocimiento profundo sobre estas leyes y una competencia de alfabetización visual avanzada, ya que tienen capacidad para comprender y aplicar conceptos retóricos visuales. Se concluye que el aprendizaje de las leyes de movimiento de Newton adquirido por los estudiantes está ligado a la ejecución del modelo 5E y al desarrollo de la alfabetización visual.

Swedish Feminist Manga and Critical Comics Pedagogy in Natalia Batista’s Sword Princess Amaltea

This article considers the Swedish feminist manga Sword Princess Amaltea and its pedagogical paratexts. Originally released in three parts from 2013 to 2015, Sword Princess Amaltea was written and drawn by the Swedish comics artist Natalia Batista, and has been translated and published in several languages, including English and German. Batista’s manga draws inspiration from both Japanese shôjo or girls’ manga and Nordic feminist literature. In this article I show how Batista cleverly makes use of manga’s visual conventions to challenge conventional representations of gender, sexuality, and the gaze. As a manga aimed at least in part at younger readers in school contexts, Sword Princess Amaltea and its accompanying instructional materials raise questions of genre and visual literacy in the language and literature classroom. Calling attention to the transnational circulation of manga and its genres, I analyze Sword Princess Amaltea with its paratexts in order to demonstrate the potential for a queer and feminist comics pedagogy.

Visualising COVID‐19: Implications for Design Education

AbstractThis paper reports on the findings of a visual text analysis of selected infographics and data visualisations used in news websites during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Sydney, Australia. Infographics and data visualisations used in news website articles disseminated and communicated local and national information to the public about the COVID‐19 pandemic and related social implications. For the first time live data, animation and interaction were used in reporting health and societal information to a general news readership, contributing to the knowledge base and visual literacy of the public. The information presented was not only clear but also aesthetically appealing. This paper examines the styles of news digital infographics and data visualisation of three longitudinal studies using lessons learned from Grainger et al. (2016), Dick (2020) and Tufte (2001) and contextualises the context, narrative, aesthetics, communication, data, functionality and examines the collaboration between communication designers, journalists and the development team. The implications for communication design education are explored in the context of skills, tools and teamwork needed for future communication design students.

Visual Metaphor in Early Second Language Education

The paper adapts the theory of knowledge enablement in knowledge-sharing companies to the needs of the second-language classroom to explicate the association between pedagogical interaction and the effectiveness of the teaching process. The goal of the inquiry is to alert language teachers to the hidden opportunities visualization and layout suggest in designing a stress-free educational environment conducive to amplifying language knowledge and skills in a context stimulating knowledge enablement. Visualization is explored at two levels: 1) the level of text layout and illustrations; and 2) the level of visual images and visual metaphors. The method of structural and functional modelling is used to present the layout of exercises and language content and the visual metaphor identification method is employed in the analysis of visual images. A conclusion is asserted of the instrumental role of visuals in English coursebooks for young learners as a medium of visual literacy and as a factor in streamlining the development of productive second language skills. This claim is substantiated by a case study that 1) demonstrates the contextualizing function of images and visual metaphors in English language coursebooks for young learners; and 2) explores the means, instruments and ways of visualizing the instructional content of two TEYL coursebooks published in 2014 and 2015.

Digital reading of literary works in comics format during the COVID-19 pandemic

As social distancing was officially recognized worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the physical presence of teachers and students in the traditional classroom has been abruptly replaced by a digital environment in an online class. Visual literacy is directly related to understanding that visual information is an ornament of verbal information and a semiotic element that adds meaning to the text. Due to the multimodal language of comics, which provides a fruitful situation for constructing meaning during remote emergency learning, the relevance of the topic has been verified. Thus, this paper aims to present insights concerning the use of classic literature in comic book format. In this sense, the theoretical basis was built with the contributions of authors who corroborate the discussions presented here, anchored in the proposal of a didactic sequence carried out with elementary school students in the city of Barra do Garças - MT (Brazil), amid the pandemic context. The results revealed a change in the student's perception, even though the verbal language is predominant over the image. Regarding the classic literary works, it was noticed that the language change facilitated the understanding of the text read, making the reading enjoyable and exciting and making a bridge between past and present.

The beautification of men within skincare advertisements: A multimodal critical discourse analysis

This study draws on the theory of Social Semiotics and the methodology of Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) to examine the textual and visual design of skincare advertisements targeted towards men. The current proliferation of the market for male-oriented facial products represents an important shift towards the increased attention to the beautification of male bodies in Western societies. Such beautification encourages men to work on and improve the self (and face) through intensifying practices of “aesthetic labour.” Aesthetic labour places emphasis on an entrepreneurial self-care and self-control regime that promotes an active late lifestyle fostered through ideas about “successful ageing.” As expected, the analysis of the corpus consisting of advertisements from L'Oréal Men, Nivea Men and Clarins Men shows that the male face is generally constructed as a “problem” that can be cured through the consumption of skincare products. The consumption of these products increases men's visual literacies of the face and hence normalises male beauty practices that seemingly encourage men to care for and work on their skin, which can be construed of as a feminising practice. Nonetheless, the advertisements employ masculine traits and strategies that link cosmetic products to traditional values of masculinity. The beautification of the male body, thus, turns the consumption of skincare products into a performance through which men can maintain their already privileged status in society, rearticulating the double standard of ageing (Sontag, 1972).

Differences in the Triplechem Learning Model with Balinese Local Wisdom and the Discovery Learning Model in Influencing Students' Visual Literacy and Mental Models about Acid-Base Solutions

This study intends to investigate the differences in the effect of the TripleChem learning model with Balinese local wisdom and the Discovery Learning model on students' visual literacy and chemical mental models about acid-base solutions. The research was designed using a quantitative approach and classified as quasi-experimental. The research design used was a pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design. The population of this study was 206 junior high school students with Balinese cultural backgrounds with various beliefs (religions), namely Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. Cultural content will cause learning to be more contextual, more interesting, and bring students closer to their own culture. The sampling was done using a simple random sampling technique, and obtained two sample classes, one class as the experimental group, and the other as the control group. The experimental group was taught using the TripleChem learning model containing Balinese local wisdom, while the control group was taught using the Discovery Learning model. The dependent variable in this research was visual literacy and students' mental models of chemistry. Data collection was carried out using a visual literacy test (10 items in total; item validity between 0.520 – 0.893; and test reliability coefficient of 0.895) and a chemical mental model test (8 items in total; item validity between 0.669 – 0.878; and test reliability coefficient of 0.922). Data analysis was carried out descriptively and MANCOVA. The results show that the TripleChem learning model is more effective to be applied to improve students' visual literacy and mental models about acid-base solutions compared to the Discovery Learning model. This condition is caused by the syntax of the TripleChem learning model which is more sequential and structured to build students' visual literacy and chemistry mental models. The application of the TripleChem learning model in chemistry learning needs to be supported by laboratory facilities to display chemical macroscopic phenomena and animated media to explain these phenomena at the level of matter particles.

Fine art as a factor in the development of modern art animation in the UK

The subject of the study is the specificity of artistic and visual techniques used by the British creators of animated films, using the example of the paintings "Shaun the Sheep" and "Van Gogh. Love, Vincent." The object of research is the artistic animation of Great Britain at the beginning of the XXI century. The article reveals the trends of British animation in recent years by analyzing the elements of the visual series of cartoons created using the expressive means of classical art. The works considered in the article demonstrate the author's approaches of modern British directors in relation to the artistic and figurative solution of cartoons related to various types of fine art, for example, sculpture in plasticine animation and oil painting. The aim is to identify and characterize the visual techniques in British cartoons of the early 21st century. The research methodology presents the greatest difficulty, since it has not been fully developed in relation to the characteristics of the artistic and visual specifics of animated films, but at the same time opens up opportunities for interdisciplinary analysis. The research uses an art historical analysis, in particular a structural study of the plot and compositional features of animation. The novelty of the research is due to the fact that in Russian science the stated problem remains practically unexplored. For the first time, the paintings "Shaun the Sheep" and "Van Gogh. With love, Vincent" are considered from the point of view of means of artistic expression and in terms of meaning formation. Based on the results of the analysis, it is concluded that modern British animation proceeds by creating films in which visual arts are actively involved. This sets a high level of performance of paintings, because it requires the authors to have impeccable command of visual literacy, which allows them to achieve maximum expressiveness of images. It is likely that in the future, reliance on the artistic language of classical art and the manual labor of animators will continue to form as a specific feature of British animation.

(Re)Tasking Literacy for The Digital Age

The notion of literacy is traced across the historical evolution of the phenomenon, and special emphasis is placed on the planes and modalities of its application. The key perspectives hereby examined are the following: 1) cognitive perspective, 2) cultural/social perspective, and 3) rhetorical perspective. While primarily focusing on the notion of digital literacy, the paper also examines the relatable notions of visual literacy, media literacy, reading literacy, and orality. The key premises, leaning on the works of Kress, Cytowic, Meyrowitz, Manovich, Jakobson, Ong, etc. are examined, revised, and used to offer different yet complementary perspectives on the meaning(s) of literacy applicable in the contemporary digital context.

Truth, Fake and Authenticity in the Age of Digital Journalism – a Model of Visual and Media Literacy Pedagogy

This paper presents a pedagogical model for academic journalism and mass communication education that is based on visual and media literacy. The work contributes to the discussion of post-truth issues that continue to challenge traditional ways of teaching journalism, media literacy and visual communication in the digital age. The learning model theoretically deconstructs visual information disorder, from new forms of visual text to an examination of economic, ideological and power relations in journalistic products. Its aspect is based on projects for the practical improvement of visual, media and communication skills. The ultimate goal of this pedagogy is to develop students’ knowledge and skills so that, for each news story, they are interested in questions relating to the accuracy of sources, patterns of visual communication and ways of conveying meaning.

Advantages and Challenges of Teaching Graphic Novels in English Classrooms: A Systematic Review

Graphic novels are a multimodal format that is growing in popularity, and they are increasingly being used as part of the literature curriculum in schools around the world. However, for a variety of reasons, graphic novels continue to be met with scepticism, and many instructors are hesitant to include them into their classrooms. This paper presents a systematic literature review of 18 relevant published research on the teaching of graphic novels in the English classrooms (English as a Second Language [ESL] and English as a Foreign Language [EFL] contexts) around the world for the past decade from the year 2012 to 2022. The findings highlight the advantages and the challenges of the teaching of graphic novels in English classrooms. Results revealed that there are five advantages of teaching the multimodal medium in the English classes which are; improved comprehension, boost reading motivation, enhance critical thinking skills, increased vocabulary acquisition and improved English-speaking proficiency. The review's findings also show that there are three key challenges in teaching graphic novels; lack of visual literacy among students and teachers, lack of instructional strategies and scepticism towards graphic novels. Furthermore, it was also discovered that the visual element of graphic novels which contribute to the primary benefits, is also the one that presents the greatest challenge. The limitations of past studies and recommendations for future research were also discussed.

Visual Arts Education literacy in university contexts

In a digital world, which is evolving more and more rapidly towards the culture of the visual, acquiring visual literacy tools can be essential, especially for the professional future of university students. Art education manages to enhance the development of visual learning and motivate the student in their process of analysis, discovery, understanding, assessment and apprehension of the visual arts. The use of the image as a teaching tool in the classroom favours the progress of critical and reflective observation and promotes expressive skills. The objective of this work was to present experiences on visual learning in Art Education in university contexts. A systematic review of the literature was carried out during 1990 to 2020. The results allowed us to recognize the main author agents, their research tendencies, and reveal certain gaps in critical knowledge. Research findings and trends converge on the advantages of incorporating visual resources in higher education, emphasizing the importance of sensory approaches to support learning.

GRAPHIC DESIGN AND THE E-COMMERCE MODEL FOR SOCIAL NETWORKS: CASE STUDY IN RIOBAMBA

This research aims to analyze the graphic design and the e-commerce model applied in the graphic pieces disseminated by the companies “Baltimore Food and Drink” and “Humo Smokehouse” on the social network Facebook from March 2020 to February 2021. The methodology was qualitative-quantitative, where the interaction of users and the posts published by the companies under study were analyzed. This information was used to validate the hypothesis. The documentary method helped study the problem of collecting information to analyze the elements of literacy, e-commerce models and interaction. The inductive method allowed the premise to emerge from the observation that in the social network Facebook, companies published graphic pieces to promote their products or services during the pandemic. This resulted in 24 analysis matrices, in which visual literacy elements, user interaction and the e-commerce model used by the companies are considered, observing that user interaction changes according to the use of visual literacy elements and the e-commerce model used. Consequently, it is concluded that the use of visual literacy elements and the e-commerce model influence user interaction. It is recommended to appropriately apply graphic design elements in all visual arts to fulfill their communicative function and generate more interaction with users.