Date of Award
2022
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Renee Hobbs
Abstract
Infographics are part of daily life because of the rise of digital media and technology, as learners now encounter a barrage of images carefully designed to convey data and information through social media. But what happens in the classroom when young learners first encounter this expressive genre? This case study examined a unit of instruction on analyzing and creating infographics in a content-area middle school classroom. Data included classroom observations through video and audio recording, examination of a student graphic organizer and student-designed infographics, and semi-structured interviews with students and the facilitating teacher. Results show that students learned how to analyze and reflect on infographic design elements and then apply these skills in the creation of an original infographic, using a digital platform. The research demonstrates that by using a well-structured curriculum, adolescents can analyze and design infographics even without teacher expertise in infographic literacy. This research suggests that middle school educators can introduce instructional practices that advance infographic literacy in the context of content-area instruction. Future research should examine the potential value of the infographic curriculum in broader contexts and subject areas.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Davis, Mark, "LEARNING TO VISUALIZE: MIDDLE-LEVEL LEARNERS ANALYZING AND DESIGNING SCIENCE INFOGRAPHICS" (2022). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1379.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1379