A Study on the Aesthetics of Illustrations in Third and Fourth Graders’ Chinese Textbooks

Abstract

Textbooks are one of the most important tools for learning. Illustrations in a textbook can have critical influence on students’ understanding of the text and their interest in learning. However, studies on illustrations in a textbook in Taiwan are scarce. On this account, this study developed a list of aesthetic principles to examine illustrations. It aimed to explore and compare the types of representation of these illustrations and their corresponding principles of aesthetics in versions A and B of third and fourth graders’ Chinese textbooks. After exploring literature related to aesthetic principles, this study chose five of these principles that meet educational goals and are frequently discussed, for an analysis. Conclusions are as follows: 1. Proximity and harmony principles are often used, whereas the principle of unity is less often used. 2. The illustrations that “do not exceed more than one-half of the overall length” account for about 70% in both versions. 3. The two versions use “space design to present a blank design” more often, and “contrast of illustration size to show the focus of the layout” relatively less often. 4. Both versions pay more attention to “the accuracy of the illustration content” and “the consistency in the graphics and the text.” 5. Both versions pay more attention to “the illustrations not overlapping with the text” and “the color of the layout background not affecting reading,” but less to “the similarity of illustrations in color.” 6. The consistency in style accounts for 60% in both versions.



Author Information
Ya-Ting Lee, National Pingtung University, Taiwan
Yu-Ting Wang, National Pingtung University, Taiwan
Ying-Ting Liu, National Pingtung University, Taiwan
Jo-Chen Chung, National Pingtung University, Taiwan

Paper Information
Conference: KAMC2020
Stream: Teaching and Learning

This paper is part of the KAMC2020 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Lee Y., Wang Y., Liu Y., & Chung J. (2021) A Study on the Aesthetics of Illustrations in Third and Fourth Graders’ Chinese Textbooks ISSN: 2436-0503 – The Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture 2020: Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2021.1
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2021.1


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Posted by James Alexander Gordon