Probing understanding: emergent second language readers’ visual literacy / Marina Binti Mohd Arif

Due to the visually saturated world we live in more children are becoming visual learners but the school curriculum is yet to acknowledge this change and a lot of literacy teaching still focuses on the ability to decode and encode printed words. There is a need then to look into the potential of visuals in the teaching of second language literacy and to acknowledge the individual differences and needs of young learners. This study was conducted to better understand emergent second language readers’ visual literacy by looking at the meaning-making process that children engage in when transacting with books that consist of textual as well as visual input. Six 7-year old emergent second language readers were selected as the participants of the study and they went through individual sessions with the researcher using four types of picture books – printed picture book, wordless picture book, comic and online picture book. In the individual sessions, the young learners’ interpretations of visuals and how they use visuals to interpret the words as well the story in the picture books were documented through observation, interview, video and audio recording. Data from these sources were analyzed using the constant comparative method. They were analyzed for emerging themes which were used to develop categories for tentative hypotheses that became the basis for explaining the data’s meaning. The insights gained from this study have raised some significant issues about young second language learners’ visual literacy and second language literacy. Firstly, the data from the study has led to the understanding that the young learners in this study prefer visuals and use visuals in their attempt to comprehend the story in the picture books. Secondly, the data have also shown the importance of context in a child’s learning of the second language. The space that is given for the learners to explore new knowledge using what is known and what is familiar foster a sense of confidence and independence in them. Lastly, similar to other forms of literacy, the learners’ visual literacy must be understood in relation to their social and cultural practices. In conclusion, the data from this study have shown that visuals are a powerful source of information in second language reading and evidently in the process of acquiring second language literacy