Bogusch, B. B. (1983). Effects of Five Different Picture Placements in Printed Text on the Acquisition and Retention of Verbal Information and Concrete Concepts. Thèse de doctorat, Florida State University, 130 pages et annexe.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of five variations in the location of meaningful illustrations in relation to their referent text on immediate recall and retention of verbal information and concrete concepts, on time to completion of the instruction, and on students' opinions about the instructional materials, the subject matter, and their own performance. The bases for the conceptual framework for the study were the information-processing model of Robert M. Gagné (1974) and research on the functions of pictures in text. Assessment instruments were an immediate posttest, a parallel delayed retention test, and an opinionnaire. Covariates were standardized reading test scores; time, in minutes, to completion of the instruction; and, for analysis of retention test results, immediate posttest scores. The study was conducted in two phases - a pilot study and the experiment. Data from 45 fifth-grade students in two intact classrooms were analyzed for the pilot study. Data from 291 fifth-grade students in twelve intact classrooms was examined for the experiment. Analysis of covariance resulted in no significant differences in the effects of the five illustration placements on total immediate posttest scores, total delayed retention test scores, the subparts of verbal information scores and concrete concepts scores on the two tests, or on the time taken to completion of instruction. Chi-square analysis of response frequencies on each of the ten items of the opinionnaire revealed no significant differences among the five treatment groups for any item. The covariates accounted for most of the explained variance in the analyses of covariance. This study provided a theoretical basis for research in the use of pictures in text, but did not add to the research body on which the decisions of graphic and instructional designers about the use of pictures in text should be based.