Students ' Interpretation of Photographs in High School Biology Textbooks°

ABSTRACT: In some contexts, a photograph may be worth a thousand words. Previous research revealed a dialectical character of photo-graphs: they simultaneously lack determinacy and exhibit an excess of meaning. The purpose of this study was to understand how, under this condition, high school students interpret photographs that were accom-panied by different amounts and types of co-text (caption, main text). The data for this study consists of video-recorded interviews with twelve Brazilian high school students. What students perceived was in part a function of the presence of caption and main text; these texts not only de-scribed what could be seen but also taught students how to look at pho-tographs. We conclude that high school students not only need to develop subject matter literacy but also a literacy concerning photographs to fully understand their textbooks. Every image embodies a way of seeing. Even a photograph. For photo-graphs are not, as is often assumed, a mechanical record. Every time we look at a photograph, we are aware, however slightly, of the photogra-pher selecting that sight from an infinity of other possible sights. This is true even in the most casual family snapshot. The photographer’s way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject. … Yet, although every image embodies a way of seeing, our perception or appreciation of an image de-pends also upon our own way of seeing. (Berger, 1972, p. 10) We live in a visual world. Television, movies, and photographs are pervasive, constantly overwhelming us with images of reality i