Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
International Journal of Science Education
Volume
32
Issue
8
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Publication Date
2010
First Page
1099
Last Page
1126
Abstract
Visual representations are ubiquitous in modern‐day science textbooks and have in recent years become an object of criticism and scrutiny. This article examines the extent to which changes in representations in textbooks published in the USA over the past six decades have invited those critiques. Drawing from a correlational analysis of a corpus of 34 US middle school physical science textbooks, continuities are established with respect to the purposes that most textbook images serve and the numbers of schematic representations that are used. Changes are observed in the overall total number of representations in textbooks and in the proportion of representations that are photographic. Interpretive cases of individual representations over time are presented to further illustrate the continuities and changes that have taken place. Specifically, high‐fidelity images, such as photographs, are shown permeating or replacing schematic and explanatory images in the interest of promoting familiarization to students. This shifting emphasis toward familiarization is discussed as a specific cause for concern about quality and utility of representations in modern‐day US science textbooks.
Recommended Citation
Lee, V. R. (2010). Adaptations and continuities in the use and design of visual representations in US middle school science textbooks. International Journal of Science Education, 32(8), 1099-1126. doi: 10.1080/09500690903253916
Included in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Instructional Media Design Commons, Library and Information Science Commons
Comments
Published in final form at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09500690903253916