The Integration of Text and Image in Media and Its Impact on Reader Interest

Abstract

This paper addresses the design of instructional media both holistically and authentically by focusing on text-image relationships at the level of design strategy. The schema used is sensitive to working memory and cognitive load theory. Three text-image integration strategies are proposed and illustrated: prose primary (PP), with a central prose column and marginal imagery; prose subsumed (PS), with shorter prose segmented by imagery; and fully integrated (FI), where smaller textual chunks populate imagery. One hundred and thirty-seven (137) middle school students rated their interest in science textbook pages designed according to the outlined strategies. Interest measures are closely aligned with the situational interest construct in psychology. The subjects' selections favored higher levels of text-image integration, such that FI was rated more interesting than PS, which was in turn more interesting than PP. Results were rated reliable and significant at a 95% confidence level. Comprehension and sense of talk difficulty are briefly addressed.