MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

In this research review collection, I decided to choose studies that covered various

examples of images used in the teaching of history. I chose history-based images because

historical images can take many shapes. The examples I pulled include the use of photographs,

paintings, drawings, advertisement, and even graphic novels, in the teaching of historical events

and eras. Students and teachers are able to access all of these resources online through digital

archives and databases.

Article 1:
A Case for Using Images to Teach Women's History.
By Jessica B. Schocker
Summary:

A Case for Using Images to Teach Womens History is a narrative case study

published by Jessica Schocker, a professor at Pennsylvania State University. Her goal was to

prove that utilizing primary source images, would lead students to deeper levels of content

understanding. The author provides anecdotal data from her experiences teaching image analysis

strategies and leading discussions based on historical images. She also shares student

achievement of end of course assessments, comparing them to former classes, where the same

content was taught.

Ms. Schocker hypothesized that utilizing this strategy would help her students think

critically about historical events. These skills would then translate to better writing and better

collaboration amongst team members.

Review of Literature Summary:

This was a more informal case study, so the review of literature was limited. The author

did cite recent studies dealing with digitized primary sources, but she did not give an overview or

summary of these studies. She also mentioned research by Gerald Marker and Howard

Mehlinger that has identified a major issue with history instruction is the prevalent reliance on
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

textbooks, which lack engagement value. This however was referenced in her paper, and not part

of an organizer literature review. In her rationale she cited the work of Suzette Younges in

finding that images were more successful than texts in getting students to respond in a complex

manner. This is very relevant to her hypothesis.

Analysis of Methodology:

Ms. Schocker used both texts and historical images throughout her courses. She taught

mostly through large group discussions and small group collaboration. Her design was to

conduct an image based activity, after which she would teach a specific image analysis strategy.

These strategies included Close Looking, Switching Places, Juxtaposition, Sourcing, Inside and

Outside the Frame, Intertextuality, Framing Historical Questions, Fashioning, Figuring,

Portraiting, and Telling. She chose textbooks that supported the images and content. Due to the

nature of this study, I think the methodology was appropriate. Schocker offeres a clear

curriculum map and the assessment related directly to the goal.

Participants included students in her courses at Penn State over the course of a semester.

While the entire class was subject to the instructional strategies, final exam data was collected

from the 17 who gave permission for their exam to be used. This is enough for a case study, but

not enough to prove the strategies effective.

Results:

Jessica Schocker assessed effectiveness by looking at student final exam scores. The

exam consisted of three 500 word essays that required the analysis of two images representing

specific historical time frames. The focus of this exam was on depth, and not on a student being

required to share everything they learned. A holistic rubric was used for scoring. Ms. Schocker

found that the scores were consistently high, the essays where of high quality, identified
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

strategies used, and conveyed a deep understanding of womens history. Students in this group

even went on to charter a feminist club that still analyzes historical and current images of

women.

Personal Opinion:

I thought Ms. Schockers case study was very interesting. Her individual results show the

potential benefits of using historical images to help increase content comprehension and move

students towards more complex ways of thinking. I think it would be interesting to see this case

study expanded into a more comprehensive experimental study, so that the results can be

generalized. Although she did this with participants at the college level, I believe it would work

at the primary level very well also, however more research is needed to prove effectiveness.

Schocker noticed that engagement increased as students anticipated what the next image

would be. Students came prepared, having done prior readings, because they wanted to be ready

for the discussion. I think this would translate to younger students, who are already enthusiastic

about sharing their opinions and observations. I think Schockers research is a solid jumping off

point to an area that deserves more attention.

Learned:

Ms. Schocker did two things that I believe are critical to success. She took the time to

teach students strategies necessary for thoughtful image analysis, and she provided quality

images that represent multiple concepts, themes, ideas, cultural bias, and stereotypes, that would

be sure to drive conversation.

Citation:

Schocker, J. B. (2014). A Case for Using Images to Teach Women's History. History Teacher,

47(3), 421-450.
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

Article 2:
Fostering Historical Thinking with Digitized Primary Sources.
By Bill Tally and Lauren B Goldenberg
Summary:

This study served to answer two research questions about a pilot professional

development program. The program focused on teaching teachers instructional strategies used

for analyzing images, and providing resources in which to find them. Researchers wanted to

know how students, whose teachers participated in the training, perceived their class and what

historical thinking skills they exhibited at the end of the course. The goal was to see if the

professional development lead to increase in student engagement and student achievement, based

on a culminating task.

Review of Literature:

The literature reviewed showed that evidence suggests that students who are able to

thoroughly analyze images perform better across all content areas. The authors pull from

research that identified the challenges instructors encounter when trying to help students develop

the skills needed to comprehend and think critically about primary sources. The authors point to

Sam Wineburgs research on how students learn from primary documents, and what strategies

teachers can use to teach it as the basis for their design.

Analysis of Methodology:

This is a pilot study, a term used by the author, designed to determine what impact a

professional development program had on instruction. An online assessment was created that

would test the historical interpretations of one of three historical images. Students would be

required to draw their own conclusions based on what they see, combined with prior knowledge.

Students would begin the task by reading a primary document, and then use evidence found from

the image to draw conclusions. The sample of teachers were pulled from participants of a
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

professional development on The Library of Congresss American Memory collection. Teachers

who participated in the professional development rated their comfort levels with technology. The

teacher sample included teachers across the spectrum of comfort levels. 159 students took part

from four schools. Data was collected from student questionnaires and evaluation of the final

task.

Results:

68% of the students in classes whose teacher participated in the professional development

said that the class was different than prior classes in the same field. Participants claimed that the

use of technology, primary documents, and combined whole and small group work helped them

gain a deeper understanding of historical content. While the majority of students said there was

more work required in the current course v. past classes, the felt they learned more and liked

history more than they did previously. Data showed increase in observational, inferencing,

corroboration, and evidence citing skills.

Personal Opinion:

I think this study was conducted well, and the information provided was sufficient to

show that the training had an instructional impact. My main concern, however, was that the study

does not fall into any experimental, or non-experiment, research design group. The study lacked

a control group, needed for comparison. I would love to see how this would play out in an

elementary setting, and if the results would be the same. I would also like to see the same data

provided from classrooms of teachers who did not participate in the professional development, as

a control group. I also think part of the development should have carried over into the classroom,

with the development of full lessons and quarterly check-ins. I find the problem with a lot of
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

professional development opportunities, is that there is no follow up or support after the training

is over.

Learned:

From this study, I learned that there is a direct correlation between effective teacher

development programs and student achievement and student engagement. The keys are to find

programs that teach us proves strategies and share relevant resources, and then to implement

those strategies in our classrooms. This study shows that providing training on how to find

authentic primary images, and how to use them, can help us keep students excited about history

and foster media literacy The student also illustrated how the effective use of images in

instruction can make learning fun!

Citations:

Tally, B., & Goldenberg, L. B. (2005). Fostering Historical Thinking with Digitized Primary

Sources. Journal Of Research On Technology In Education, 38(1), 1-21.

Article 3:
Using Historical Graphic Novels in High School History Classes: Potential for
Contextualization, Sourcing, and Corroborating.
By William Boennan-Cornell
Summary:

This purpose of this study is to answer the question, what potential opportunities and

barriers exist in using Historical Graphic Novels (HGNs) when teaching history? The two main

goals were to determine if HGNs would help students contextualize historical information across

texts, and if they could help students corroborate intertextually by comparing accounts of events.

Review of Literature Summary:

The author used the work of Sam Wineburg to identify contextualization and

corroboration as skills needed for the work of historians. The literature review also included a
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

reference to the work of Stephan Stahl and others that illustrated the need for students of history

to find connections between events, eras, and historical texts.

Analysis of Methodology:

This appears to be a correlational study. The author was able to pull a complete sample of

all HGNs that met the criteria due to the group size. Each sample HGN was analyzed to

determine what addition context and scaffolding opportunities were available in each sample.

Each sample had to be in a graphic novel format, include historical content, was published from

1985-2010, and be a non-fiction text. They coded the HGNs into the categories of

contextualization, sourcing, and corroboration. These were broken up into even sub categories

and coded again.

Results:

The study found that HGNs are valid sources for teachers to use when looking for

opportunities to allow students to use the three strategies coded. The study found that some texts

lent themselves to some strategies over others, and the degree to which they lent themselves

varied widely from one graphic novel to another.

Personal Opinion:

This study was simple in design and yielded interesting results. The tool was evaluated

for potential effectiveness, which I found interesting. I suppose that would be the first step before

evaluating the actual effectiveness. I like that it showed the merit of HGNs in instruction. While

I understand that there are many teachers, especially at the elementary level, that believe graphic

novels do not have the same instructional value as a traditional novel. Ive even heard teachers

tell students in the media center that they have to check out real books. I think they are missing

out on a great opportunity. Graphic novels are instantly engaging, contain dynamic images and
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

dialogue, and you will find the same story elements found in more traditional stories. This means

that they are perfect for teaching the same skills as other texts. This study found an additional

advantage, the use of HGNs for teaching historical facts and concepts. I think this is a great idea.

We struggle with finding the most engaging ways to teach historical content and here is a perfect

tool. While I think the options now are limited; the genre is young, I believe it will grow quickly

as people see the obvious benefits. I cant wait to use this in my classroom and possibly make

some of my own.

Learned:

I learned that Historical Graphic Novels are a great resource when teaching strategies that

promote visual literacy, as well as historical content knowledge. I learned that resources chosen

have to be considered carefully to determine which skill it lends itself to the most. The study

illustrated how the content arranged in graphic novels is easier to follow and comprehend when

compared to typical textbook formats. I also learned that the larger categories could be broken

down into smaller ones, for example, understanding and looking for corroborations can include

finding parallel accounts of the same event connected by a theme, or image, Agreement and non-

agreement by other characters and reports to collaborate, but with different data sources. While

this might be too much for an elementary school student, I think that it is useful for us to

understand the different layers and example types.

Citation:

Boennan-Cornell, W. (2015). Using Historical Graphic Novels in High School History Classes:

Potential for Contextualization, Sourcing, and Corroborating. History Teacher, 48(2), 209-

224.
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

Reflection:

What I enjoyed most about this assignment was that there are so many strategies that I

will be able to utilize personally and instructionally. There are several image analysis strategies

that Ms. Schocker utilized that I am unfamiliar with. I am excited about doing additional

research and using several of them with my fourth graders this coming school year. Sourcing,

Juxtaposition, and Switching Places, and Inside and Outside the Frame seem very interesting and

feasible for fourth graders. I love the idea of having students think about what is in the image

first, and then stepping back and thinking about the historical and social context of the image;

what is happening outside the frame.

I found it interesting that the studies done by Schocker, Tally and Goldenberg, both point

towards the Library of Congress and National Archives as motivation for their work. The growth

of the digital collections have clearly sparked needed research into the benefits of utilizing those

resources. I like that the second study focused on the effectiveness of a professional development

program. As teachers, we waste a lot of valuable time learning about the latest educational trend,

only to have it found ineffective. Studies like this help leadership make informed decisions and

illustrate the effectiveness of quality development programs.

All of these studies look at the effect of instruction of image analysis on student

achievement and attitude. They all also have a sample that includes students over the age of ten

years of age. I wonder if there is research on the effectiveness of these interventions on younger

students. I would argue that by starting early, there is the potential to create excitement about

history and social sciences that could carry through to upper grades and beyond.

The third article I analyzed, by William Boerman-Cornell, began with a reflection on the

layout of common textbooks. After reading all of the different types of information on a single
MEDT 7490 Assignment 5: The Use of Images in Social Studies Instruction Amanda Fox

page, the main text, images, captions, etc. I began to see how overwhelming all of that

information can be to process. How can we expect cohesive comprehension, when the

information is scattered? I think his research showed that we need to make the content

interesting, but also well organized. I also noticed that multiple articles referenced the work of

Sam Wineburg, which is why there was vocabulary consistency. I see the value in shared

language when talking and learning about image analysis skills and strategies. I also love the

idea of using graphic novels to teach history.