Home Archived Research corner Back Research corner 21st November 2014, 12:00am Tes Editorial Share Research corner https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/research-corner-63 Copy Link `Do illustrations help or harm metacomprehension accuracy?’ by Jaeger, A J and Wiley, JLearning and Instruction, 34: 58-73, December 2014 (Elsevier)You’ve worked on a handout for ages, breaking up reams of text with fun, topical pictures to make it engaging. But beware: those pictures may be giving students an inflated sense of their own abilities.Academics from the University of Chicago in the US conducted two experiments designed to test the effects of illustrations on students’ metacomprehension accuracy - or, in other words, their ability to predict their own achievement in a certain subject.They found that students who read a text with decorative images were not as accurate in pinpointing their comprehension of a topic as peers who had read a text with conceptual images or no images at all.The researchers discuss why students might have this reaction to such images: one possible answer is that they have a “heuristic belief that multimedia improves comprehension”. Another possibility is that students have “been `seduced’ into relying too much on images as a source for their comprehension judgements”.“Although images or illustrations may be included alongside text with the best of intentions,” the academics write, “textbooks often present students with a variety of images that mix important and unimportant ideas, which can be difficult for students to distinguish between.”So next time you’re designing your teaching resources, think about the pictures you are using and why.As the authors put it: “The design elements that give online learning materials high production value may in fact be harmful to the self-regulated learning processes that students need to deploy in online contexts”.Sarah CunnaneShare your views by tweeting @tesHot off the pressMolecules: the elements and the architecture of everything by Theodore Gray (Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers)ISBN 9781579129712Illustrated with stunning photographs, this book explores chemical structures and surveys the wide array of materials that different arrangements of molecules can produce, from soaps and solvents to pigments and perfumes.Lost.in the Mountains of Death by Tracey Turner (Bloomsbury )ISBN 9781472906212This interactive book offers a fun way to learn about the world and its habitats, challenging readers to choose their own paths and attempt to survive to the end of the story. It includes links to the geography curriculum and features facts about the environment, as well as survival tips on how to escape from mountain lions and face treacherous storms.Beyond Stuttering: the McGuire programme for getting good at the sport of speaking by Dave McGuire (Souvenir Press)ISBN 9780285642843Dave McGuire struggled with a debilitating stutter for many years and shares his techniques and strategies for tackling the issue and building the confidence to enjoy speaking.For book queries, please email chloe.darracott-cankovic@tesglobal.com Want to keep reading for free? Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters. Register Log in Keep reading for just £1 per month You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get: Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content Exclusive subscriber-only stories Award-winning email newsletters Subscribe now Read more Weekly round-up: Capita loses Sats and GCSE fears Tes Editorial • 18th April 2024 Reception Baseline Assessment: what you need to know Gráinne Hallahan • 3rd April 2024 Weekly round-up: Teacher pay drop and school moves Tes Editorial • 28th March 2024 Weekly round-up: Teacher pay and staff shortages Tes Editorial • 21st March 2024 Recent Most read Most shared MPs to investigate boys’ poorer school performance News 19 April 2024 Teacher recruitment targets not changed in Scotland News 19 April 2024 Put teachers at the heart of education reform Analysis 19 April 2024 DfE: No Progress 8 replacement for next two years News 18 April 2024 CfE: Secondaries ‘starting again’ as pupils lack ‘common knowledge base’ News 16 April 2024 How to get feedback right to create better learners Teaching & Learning 17 April 2024 DfE: No Progress 8 replacement for next two years News 18 April 2024 6 ways MATs can tackle SEND challenges News 18 April 2024 Suspensions up by three-quarters since pandemic News 18 April 2024
