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UBC Theses and Dissertations

The effects of two methods of picture-oriented instruction on the comprehension and recall of grades 8 and 11 social studies text Macmillan, Bonnie Jean

Abstract

Two non-traditional picture related methods of instruction were developed for this study: a picture-oriented method and an altered-pictures method. They were designed to determine whether either method was more effective than traditional content area instruction in helping students to remember and understand social studies text. In addition to the immediate effects on text comprehension and recall, the delayed effects of these two pictorial methods were examined. Also investigated were the effects of individual imagery ability and gender on a student's potential to profit from such methods. The teachers giving conventional instruction focused students' attention on the text passages only, although pictures did accompany the text. In the picture-oriented method of instruction teachers directed attention to both pictures and text, developing picture/text integration. Finally, teachers using the altered-pictures method of instruction discussed the meaning of mnemonically recodable elements which had been added to the pictures. In both the grade 8 and 11 samples the two experimental groups outperformed the conventional groups on measures of immediate and delayed recall. For the grade 8 sample, it was found that the altered-pictures method of instruction resulted in superior recall compared not only to that level of recall produced by the conventional method but also to that produced by the other experimental method (picture-oriented). In addition, when considering immediate with delayed performance two weeks after instruction, the grade 11 students who received the altered-pictures instruction outperformed the conventional group. For both grade samples, an additional finding was that males outperformed females in their overall recall (both immediate and delayed measures) regardless of imagery ability or type of instruction received. At both grade levels, no particular type of instruction was of benefit to one gender more than to the other, and students of high or low imagery ability were able to profit similarly from all forms of instruction.

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