Exploring motivation and critical thinking through visual literacy in language classes. (c2009)

Abstract

Visual aids in education or in teaching have been given a lot of attention in the past few years. Researchers have been attempting to discover all relationships existing between the use of visual aid and the learners' understanding and acquisition of concepts. Therefore, this study attempts to determine the impact of visual literacy on students' motivation and critical thinking in language classes. In other words, the study attempts to answer the following question: How are motivation and critical thinking developed through visual literacy in language classes of four to six graders? The instruments used in this study are the following: Semi-structured interviews conducted with teachers of cycle IT in three schools in Beirut, Lebanon, surveys distributed to the students of cycle II in the three target schools, and analysis of documents collected from the teachers that were the students' own work. The results showed that the use of visual literacy motivates students, makes the classroom more relaxing, and have them love the subject, and enhances their critical thinking i.e. their ability to internalize the concepts they are being taught. Further research in the area of visual literacy should be conducted in Lebanese schools.