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On pictures in prose

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Abstract

For some time now, researchers and educators have questioned the value of pictures for prose-learning. However, there is abundant empirical evidence to document the positive value of pictures. Consistent learning gains are associated with the use of pictures when experiments adhere to these five ground rules: (1) prose passages are presented orally; (2) the subjects are children; (3) the passages are fictional narratives; (4) the pictures overlap the story content; and (5) learning is demonstrated by factual recall.

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Reference Notes

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Both centers are supported in part by funds from the National Institute of Education. The opinions herein do not necessarily reflect the postion or policy of the National Institute of Education and no official endorsement by the National Institute of Education should be inferred. The authors are grateful to Michael Pressley and Sharon Stevens for their comments on an earlier draft of the paper.

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Levin, J.R., Lesgold, A.M. On pictures in prose. ECTJ 26, 233–243 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766607

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