Development of the Graphical Analysis Protocol (GAP) for Eliciting the Graphical Demands of Science Textbooks

School-based science textbooks have morphed in format and now mimic the layout of webpages and science trade books, with typical layouts including photographs, table, textboxes, flowcharts, drawings, and a myriad of other visual representations. Teachers report preference for these high visual-content books to traditionally formatted textbooks. While an increasing visual presence in science has been noted by many and explored in both middle and high school science textbooks, there is little information available about the graphical demands of science textbooks. Additionally, there is little research exploring the manner in which verbal and visual text work together. We discuss the development of a new instrument, the Graphical Analysis Protocol (GAP), based on four principles: (1) graphics should be considered by form and function, (2) graphics should help a viewer build a mental model of a system, (3) graphics and texts should be physically integrated, and (4) graphics and texts should be semantically integrated and discuss three research articles utilizing the GAP instrument for unique science textbooks.

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