Relations between literature textbooks' literary artwork (LAW) and its accompanying visual artwork (VAW) were examined in light of curricular goals. This study constituted new terrain, differing substantially from previously studied text-image relations in learning materials. Although these unique relations between LAWs and VAWs were investigated from a philosophical-artistic perspective they were hardly investigated in the school curriculum context. The study objectives were: (a) to analyze the general features and organization of the learning materials, including instructional support to LAWs, VAWs, and LAW-VAW relations; (b) to analyze and characterize the attributes of each of the selected LAWs and VAWs, in light of the curriculum's official goals and developers' stated intentions; and (c) to reveal the various kinds of LAW-VAW relations, in light of the curriculum's official goals and developers' stated intentions.

We analyzed textbooks which are replete with visual artworks (VAWs) and teacher guides for Grades 7-9. A complete artwork, literary or visual, served as a unit of analysis. The qualitative and quantitative analysis included: (i) general physical characteristics and organization; (ii) analysis of each separate LAW and VAW via categorization of their features using a predetermined set of eight criteria, and (iii) analysis of LAW-VAW relations, using a new set of criteria elicited from the previous step. Inter-rater reliability for the two sets of criteria was tested on a random sample of LAWs and VAWs.

We also questioned in writing two of the materials' developers. Findings revealed that despite textbooks' visual attractiveness, students enjoyed relatively low mindful exposure to rich LAW-VAW relations. LAW-VAW adjacency was mostly intuitive and not research-based, and VAWs intended to accompany LAWs were not chosen by application of the same criteria as those utilized for choosing LAWs, thus hindering artistic text-visual relations from achieving its optimal gains regarding literature teaching and learning.

The study examined relations between literature textbooks' literary artwork (LAW) and its accompanying visual artwork (VAW) in light of curricular goals. It constituted new terrain, differing substantially from previously studied text-image relations in learning materials.

Current Israeli literature textbooks for junior high school are replete with visual artworks (VAWs), intentionally selected by developers to enrich students’ acquaintance with similarities and differences between the verbal and the visual artistic languages and enhance awareness of literature's uniqueness as an art (Shirav, 1993).

Relations between the selected LAWs and VAWs, as well as instructional support for such relations, were probed for their contribution to the achievement of the official goals for learning literature.

Theoretical Framework

For information presented in a dual-language format of texts and images that are created independently, to be integrated into a single meaningful entity and to be interpreted, relevant information from one source must be mapped onto the other (Mayer, 2003; Schnotz & Bannert, 2003). This task is more difficult in the present case (literature textbooks) because neither source represents information directly or explicitly and each invites a wide range of interpretations.

LAW-VAW relations were investigated from a philosophical-artistic perspective (e.g., Lessing, 1965; Mitchell, 1994; Steiner, 1982) but hardly in the school curriculum context.

Study Objectives

1.      To analyze and describe the general features and organization of the learning materials.

2.      To analyze and characterize the attributes of each of the selected LAWs and VAWs, in light of the curriculum's official goals and developers' stated intentions.

3.      To reveal the various kinds of LAW-VAW relations, in light of the curriculum's official goals and developers' stated intentions.

Method

Data Sources

1. The Ministry of Education official goals of learning literature were analyzed.

2. A 10-item open-ended questionnaire for tapping developers' stated intentions and selection considerations was completed in writing, independently, by two of the development team members.

Learning materials for Grades 7-9, three textbooks and their corresponding teacher guides, were analyzed.

Learning Materials' Analysis Procedure

A complete artwork, literary or visual, served as a unit of analysis. The qualitative and quantitative analysis included: (i) general physical characteristics and organization of the materials; (ii) analysis of each separate LAW and VAW via categorization of their features using a predetermined set of eight criteria, which were elicited from our analysis of the official goals and the developers' intentions; and (iii) analysis of LAW-VAW relations, using a new set of criteria elicited from the previous step. Inter-rater reliability for the two sets of criteria was tested on a random sample of LAWs and VAWs.

Results and Discussion

Organizing principles. LAWs were organized according to four principles: language, publication date, themes, and literary genres. VAWs were organized only according to their adjacency to LAWs, suggesting the dominancy of the LAWs' perspective.

Instructional support. Teacher guides provided instructional support for many more LAWs than LAW-VAW relations. Textbook support accompanied only about 1/3 of the total number of VAWs, and jointly with the inherent difficulties described above, suggests learners' dependency on teachers' attitudes toward this interdisciplinary instruction.

LAWs' and VAWs’ characteristics. In accordance with official curricular goals, the analysis revealed that LAWs characteristics evince the perceived role of literature to promote readers' bonding with their heritage and culture and contribute to the development of adolescents' empathy with characters who voice the human struggle in its various revelations. However, according to the analysis results and developers responses, VAWs intended to accompany LAWs were not chosen by application of the same criteria as those utilized for choosing LAWs.

LAW- VAW Relations in Light of Curricular Goals and Developers' Intentions

LAW-VAW relation types. LAW-VAW relations could be classified according to more than one criterion. The most salient relation type, across the three grade levels, was a shared specific referent. However, this depicted referent in the image was not necessarily the focus of the literary text and thus might not contribute to deeper comprehension of the corresponding LAW. Only about 40% of all LAW-VAW relations were classified as relating to a similar theme, although this relation type may possibly enhance students’ imagination by evoking the enactment of a dialogue between the two different media.

The preference of an intuitive matching process between various LAWs and VAWs resulted in a marginalization of criteria such as place, period, and national context: a civic-political relation type accounted for the smallest portion of LAW-VAW relationships (3%), therefore deviating from the official goals of developing cultural and national identities.

LAW-VAW relations' supportive interpretations. Teacher guides' interpretations mainly addressed how each art expresses the same specific theme or element (e.g., how text and image express loneliness). However, the arts' continuous, dynamic interactions with reality and with contextual factors were barely treated in either of the learning materials, suggesting an emphasis on the arts' language rather than on their cultural and contextual aspects. This emphasis may curtail attainment of official goals that address cultural and contextual dimensions.

Conclusions

This literature textbook series was designed to include a large number of VAWs, as well as some related interpretations and tasks, as a means of engaging visual art and thus enhancing literature learning processes. Despite the textbooks' attractive design, various obstacles may impede students' and teachers' mindful utilization of these materials. Formation of LAW-VAW relations was largely associative and intuitive in nature, depending on specific developers' mindsets, rather than conducted through systematic consideration of stated goals for literature instruction. The selection of VAWs to match LAWs seemed to overly rely on aesthetic and design considerations instead of reciprocal LAW-VAW enrichment.

, namely, a gap emerged between culture-dependent goals and language-dependent guidance.

Study significance. This pilot study's theoretical importance lies in its novel perspective for examining text-image relations in the arts domain in relation to curriculum. Its practical importance lies in its contribution to curriculum development and design.