Research+Methodology

**Research Method**
The approach that I intend to take at this point will be a qualitative study composed of data relating personal experiences, interviews and case studies from available literature. The subject of visual literacy applies itself to a grounded theory because of its understanding and generality (Johnson & Christensen, 411). My study was going to be geared to high schoolers, but because of the available research, I am going to expand it to include 7 - 12th graders. A well designed curriculum for visual literacy can be used in every discipline in a school.

The research has consisted primarily of case studies and narratives. The qualitative research seems to be the most useful in helping me determine the best way to create an effective resource for both teachers and students to understand visual literacy and use it in their daily lives. There are consistent reports showing how the social aspects of our student's lives are critical in shaping their reality (Merriman, p. 5). I believe that this research will be valuable in teaching them how to think critically and reflectively.

My approach to this research has changed somewhat from the beginning. The information I have gathered and comments from classmates and Dr. B. have led to me realize that researching visual literacy (VL) will be qualitative and investigative. I am researching practices that have been successful and can be replicated in 7-12 grade classrooms. Many of the lessons I envision would involve deconstructing advertisements, reading photographs and utilizing VL techniques to improve communication. Only one article I have read to date, provides any quantitative data. The results I anticipate gathering from students who had received instruction in using VL techniques would be obtained in primarily three ways. Qualitative interviews in an informal, conversational style would be the primary method of obtaining a student’s feelings and interpretations following instruction. The questions are often open-ended and are part of the lesson. It would be important to have a relationship of trust and rapport with the students so that they would share about their emotional responses and thought processes relative to an image (Johnson & Christensen, 207). Focus groups would be an alternative to individual interviews and may be more suitable with certain groups. Naturalistic observation will also be used with a number of lessons where group activities are taking place and I would be listening to student interactions or viewing student products (photos, power points, etc.). Rubrics will be helpful assessment tools, and it may be appropriate to use surveys or questionnaires at some point, but I would anticipate that these would not be used very often. In my understanding and vision of VL integration, it is (by its’ very nature) about personal and emotional responses to images and discussing reactions to them. The qualitative data gathered from successful visual literacy lessons will be provided by student projects, narratives and personal accounts.

Johnson, B. & Christensen, L. (2008). Educational research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

Merriman, S. (2002) Introduction to Qualitative Research. Jossey-Bass, Inc.