The Use of Infographics to Enhance Reading Comprehension Skills among Learners

Interviews

According to Bernard (2000), interviews are tools that help capture the participants’ perceptions toward an issue. In this study, at the end of the implementation of the pedagogical intervention, a semi- structured interview was carried out to gather information about the students’ opinions in regard to the use of infographics and the development of reading skills. The questions that guided the interview were: Do you remember how many infographics we developed this semester? What are your opinions on the act of reading, taking into account the process that was carried out this semester? How can the use of infographics help you in your reading comprehension? In order to interpret the students’ interviews, teachers implemented a colour-coding technique. According to Strauss and Corbin (1990), this method enables research to identify silent patterns by finding commonalities from the data being analysed. Having analysed the data, the teachers found the following commonalities in the interviews: clarifying ideas, going beyond the texts and dynamising information.

Students’ Artefacts

LeCompte and Preissle (1994) indicate that saving the samples of work produced by students over time might be useful data for the researchers because it allows recording what the participants do, say, produce or write. In this study, students’ infographics were valuable artefacts to observe and analyse how learners developed the process of reading comprehension. Besides, the students’ artefacts were useful tools to guide learners and give them feedback on their process of reading comprehension. Likewise, teachers were able to know more about their students’ thoughts on the short English texts.

Reading Comprehension as a Process

According to Van den Brock and Espin (2012), reading comprehension is a complex interaction among automatic and strategic cognitive processes that allow readers to create mental representations of the texts. Amy (2015) indicates that ‘reading comprehension not only depends on characteristics of the reader, such as prior knowledge and working memory, but also on language process, such as basic reading skills, decoding, vocabulary, sensitivity to text structure, inference and motivation. Comprehension also requires effective use of strategic processes, such as metacognition and comprehension monitoring’ (P. 6). Hence, teachers play an important role in guiding learners in the process of acquiring or developing those strategies so that they are able to create meaning, connections and interactions with the readings and state their points of view about the texts. For instance, Gómez and Ávila (2009) conducted a study where they helped learners who were taking English classes in two elementary courses, in an EFL setting, to foster some reading skills and obtain better results in their class exams and international tests. The researchers applied strategies for reading comprehension such as comparison-contrast charts, graphic organisers, question-answer relationship and reciprocal teaching. The findings of this study indicate that students got better results in class exams. In addition, they were able to summarise the main ideas from the texts they were given. Therefore, they not only improved their reading skills but also their writing skills. This implies that presenting and applying reading skills to the students helped enhance their reading comprehension skills.

In this pedagogical intervention, the participants were introduced to short English texts related to their academic discipline. The teachers decided to guide learners by increasing the levels of reading comprehension as the intervention progressed. First, learners engaged in tasks of literal comprehension. Next, they worked on tasks of inferential comprehension, and finally, they were exposed to tasks of evaluating comprehension of texts that promote deeper and more critical interactions.

Carnine et al.(2010) indicate that in literal comprehension, learners should extract information that is explicitly specified in the text. Rupley and Blair (1983) state that literal comprehension is based on two strategies: recall or the ability to provide an idea (e.g., main idea or detail) that was part of a passage and recognition or the ability to identify specific information in the text. During this pedagogical intervention, literal comprehension was carried out using a text about body language, and learners were required to paraphrase the main ideas that they found in the reading. Likewise, in a task that involved reading a text titled ‘Sports and Social Identity’, learners were required to form sentences and formulate questions to their peers.

According to Rupley and Blair (1983), inferential comprehension might be an extension of literal comprehension. In inferential comprehension, readers go beyond recognising facts in the readings and start interacting with the text to make inferences about information not stated in the texts. At this stage, there is no enough understanding of the data provided by the author of the text. The reader should manipulate the reading to interpret and draw conclusions from the reading. In this pedagogical intervention, learners developed a task of inferential comprehension. This was achieved through the reading ‘Facts about Shopping’, where learners were required to manipulate the text so as to ascertain whether they agreed or disagreed with the authors of the text.

Herber (1970) points out that at evaluating level, readers should juxtapose what they have read in the texts with their previous knowledge or experiences of life in order to create new meanings to the texts. In the process of juxtaposition, readers should understand the text, make interpretations upon the author’s ideas, and analyse and evaluate the information obtained from the text. In this pedagogical intervention, the last two tasks required learners to juxtapose the information that they had read with their previous knowledge to create viable solutions to the stated situations of shopping bags and cyberbullying.

In this pedagogical intervention, reading comprehension was carried out as a process by means of strategies that could help learners be more critical toward the texts.

Visual and Digital Literacy

In this 21st century, the concept of being literate has been adapted to the new necessities and contexts. Nowadays, to be literate means not only to have the ability to read and write but also to be critical and to communicate effectively through different media. These new digital and visual environments govern education, interactions, behaviours and people’s ways of living. According to Jones and Flannigan (2006), digital literacy can be understood as ‘a measure of the ability of users to perform tasks in digital environments’ (p.6). Likewise, it refers to the ability of analysing, interpreting, organising and evaluating the information received from the media. Therefore, we as teachers should offer opportunities to our students to use digital literacy to construct creative products and to build knowledge critically from digital data. We as teachers need to guide learners through organized steps and clear objectives, so students can find real reasons to use it.

Spires and Bartlett (2012) state that digital literacy includes three steps: 1) finding and reading digital content such as online articles, newspapers, comics, and magazines; 2) Creating digital content such as posters, videos, photos, blogs, and infographics; and 3) communicating or sharing the digital content. This step can be done through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. It can also be done through learning management systems such as Moodle or Blackboard.

Visual literacy is also linked to digital competence and the current learning process that this generation is facing. Chauvin (2003) explains that visual literacy is understood as the ability or competence of observing, analysing and interpreting visual actions, images and symbols and engaging in a cognitive process. According to Andersen (2002), these two literacies (i.e., visual literacy and cognitive information processing) are part of this generation of people who are completely immersed in the technological trend and who are somehow digital-savvy. Learners are keen on technology; therefore, they can learn using technology even without realising that they are learning and they can self-actualise.

Therefore, when it comes to this generation of students, the teachers’ responsibility is to help them choose the necessary tools, tasks and strategies that can help them to intelligently interact with the digital environment and take advantage of the new techniques of communication, so they are able to create digital content and express and share their ideas with the communities where they belong.

Infographics

The teaching-learning process is facing up a new methodology paradigm in this millennial generation that is surrounded by technology, computers, internet and social networks. Educators have a big challenge when it comes to the use of attractive, eye/attention-catching materials that enhance and foster student learning. The second language teaching process is no exception. Learners of this generation are open to receiving instant messages and lots of visual information. Therefore, it is important to implement strategies that can help them acquire visual/digital literacy and be critical. Infographics are a good pedagogical strategy that can enrich and nurture the development of students’ reading comprehension skills. Furthermore, the use of infographics develops digital and visual skills, analytical thinking, creativity, and long-term memorisation of vocabulary (Matrix and Hodson, 2014)

Smiciklas (2012) defines an infographic as ‘a visualisation of data or ideas that tries to convey complex information to an audience in a manner that can be quickly consumed and easily understood’ (p.3). The use of infographics develops students’ abilities of visualisation and organisation of ideas. In addition, it helps them to better understand and represent the text they read. Infographics foster the reading learning process and enhances the students’ ability to master vocabulary and grammar structures of the new language. In this study, during the elaboration of infographics, the participants moved from decoding information to representing their points of view and suggesting some possible solutions while taking into account the readings presented in the lessons. Therefore, infographics were used as the means of presenting learners’ understanding, interpretation and suggestions about the texts they read. Consequently, infographics can be good tools for facilitating reading comprehension in classrooms and the manner in which they are used will entirely depend on the needs and purposes of each setting.

Selecting Readings

In the setting where this pedagogical intervention was conducted, the syllabus indicates that students should work on readings related to their career discipline -in this case, psychology. Exploring readings related to the students’ discipline is beneficial because the readings could be linked to the learners’ interests. According to Hidi (2001), when learners are connected to their interests, they tend to be more persistent in working toward achieving their learning goals.

Teachers looked for readings connected to the learners’ English skill level (See Table 1). They found a website named dreamreader.net. This site offers distinct types of readings -from general to academic texts- that are categorised based on English skill levels: beginner, intermediate or advanced. After exploring the site and taking into account all the other relevant factors, the teachers selected the following readings for the pedagogical intervention.

Table 1: Readings for the pedagogical intervention.

Reading Aloud

During the intervention, teachers read texts aloud with students. Many studies have highlighted the benefits of this process. According to Gibson (2008), reading aloud can help learners reinforce graphemic-phonemic correspondences. It can also aid in the acquisition of the prosodic features of English, can be used as a method for autonomous learning, and may help anxious students feel more comfortable speaking the language.

Developing the Infographics

The teachers and students agreed that learners were going to complete their infographics in groups and discuss the readings with their peers. At the beginning of each class, students were required to focus on the topic of the infographic, the purpose of the infographic, the presentation of information and how the visual elements support understanding or analysis. The following sections present samples and further explanations related to development of the infographics.

Infographics Related to the Reading ‘Body Language’

For the first infographic, the teachers explained that identifying main ideas helps readers know what texts or paragraphs are about. They indicated that students should ask themselves some questions in order to identify a text’s main ideas. These included the following: What is the reading about? What is the topic of the paragraph or text? What does the author want us to know about the paragraph or the text?

For the body language infographic, students were asked to represent the text’s main ideas. They underlined these ideas and paraphrased them in their infographics. In the previous sample about the reading ‘Body Language’ (See Figure 2), students identified the main ideas and clearly presented them through images. They also presented examples and, in general terms, covered the key aspects of the text.

Figure 2: A sample infographic about the reading ‘Body Language’.

Infographics Related to the Reading ‘Sports and Social Identity’

For the second infographic, the teachers asked the students to create tests to evaluate whether or not their peers had understood the reading ‘sports and social identity’. Figure 3 shows a test that was developed by some students. The questions relate to the images and can be understood despite having some grammar errors. Overall, the students correctly answered the questions in the tests their peers created.

Figure 3: A sample infographic about the reading ‘Sports and Social Identity’.

Infographics Related to the Reading ‘Facts about Shopping’

The readers were asked to evaluate the texts they read, indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with the authors’ ideas, and provide reasons for their agreement or disagreement. For the third infographic, ‘Facts about Shopping’, the students were asked to justify their answers by giving their own opinions or by citing a supporting theory.

In Figure 4, the students justified their answers, starting to be more critical toward the text presented. This reading claimed that ‘Magazines say that most women who enjoy shopping are more confident and happier’. The students disagreed with this statement, arguing that ‘The feeling of confident (sic) and happiness can be temporary and not complete because the person can have a crisis by spending money that does not have’.

Figure 4: A Sample infographic about the reading ‘Facts about Shopping’.

In this example, the students indicated that buying can be driven by a state of crisis, thereby rebutting the writer’s opinion using their own knowledge.

Infographics Related to the Reading ‘Shopping Bags’

The fourth reading discussed a topic that is currently trending in the news in our country: the use of shopping bags. For this fourth infographic, the students were asked to present alternatives to reduce the use of these bags to examine whether they were aware of the problems occasioned by using them. In Figure 5, the students argued that ‘Never throw bags or any type of garbage into the toilet, rivers or the sea, if you do not want to hurt animals’. This statement highlighted the negative effects of using and dumping plastic bags, thereby allowing the students to be active readers and reflect on a topic that has elicited debate in our country and around the world.

Figure 5: A Sample infographic about the reading ‘Shopping Bags’.

Infographics Related to the Reading ‘Cyberbullying’

For the fifth infographic, the students read a text about cyberbullying, which is an important topic in our country and around the world. These students are future psychologists who will be guiding people to overcome social problems such as cyberbullying. Therefore, this infographic presented a good opportunity for the students, as future psychologists, to identify alternative solutions to the problem.

In Figure 6, the students organised their ideas to introduce possible solutions to cyberbullying. They first indicated what cyberbullying is, then they identified possible factors contributing to this problem and, finally, they presented a solution from a psychological perspective.

Figure 6: A Sample infographic about the reading ‘Cyberbullying’.

In this infographic, the students went beyond the reading; they demonstrated their creativity in presenting viable solutions to the problem of cyberbullying. By doing so, they showed that reading is not just about decoding words, but also proposing solutions to problems.

Clarifying Ideas

The students’ answers indicated that the use of infographics helped them clarify ideas from the texts. Here are some of their opinions:

Participant M said: ’El uso de infográficos permite desmenuzar la información; para así poderla presentar mejor’

[‘The use of infographics allows us to break all the information down into pieces so that we can present it better organised’.]

Participant D said: ‘las infografías permiten aclarar ideas, se obliga uno a buscar las palabras para representarlas en las imágenes’

[‘Infographics allow us to clarify ideas, they push us to look up the words and help us represent them in images’.]

Participant J said: ‘las infografías hace que las ideas sean más claras ..hay que buscar la manera de presentar la información más precisa’

[‘Infographics make ideas clearer. We have to look for a precise way to present the information’.]

Source: Students’ interview (October 17th, 2017)

The students felt that they were able to better clarify information from the texts when using the infographics. It can be said that the students started a process of representing their understanding of the readings through images and texts. Therefore, the use of infographics can help learners take information from texts and re-create what they have understood, thus enhancing their reading comprehension skills.

Going beyond the Text

The learners indicated that through the pedagogical intervention, they were able to see that reading implies going beyond the text. The following lines present some of their opinions:

Participant J said: ‘se tiene que ir más allá, no solo quedarse con el texto, sino buscar más información para argumentar lo que el texto indica.

[‘It is necessary not to remain with the information given by the text, but to go beyond. To look for more information to argument what the text indicates’.]

Participant M said: ‘con estos ejercicios se pudo criticar el texto, dar el punto de vista’

[‘With these exercises, we could criticise the text and give our points of view’.]

Source: Students’ interview (November 20th, 2017)

In the last infographics, the learners interacted more with the texts and tried to agree or disagree with the authors of the readings. They also presented viable solutions to the problem of cyberbullying. Clearly, they were able to apply their knowledge to solve a current social problem and, therefore, the teachers could feel that they went beyond the text.

Dynamising the Information

The students indicated that using infographics helped them dynamise the information that they wanted to convey, as presented in the following statements:

Participant C said: ‘las infografías permiten aclarar y expresar mejor la información, además es más dinámico‘

[‘Infographics allow us to clarify and express the information better. Besides, it is more dynamic’.]

Participant J said: ‘las infografías dejan que seamos más claros y precisos y no tan generales. Además de que usamos colores para estimular la visión y la atención’

[‘the infographics help us being clearer and precise avoiding being so general in our ideas. Furthermore, we can use colours and that stimulates our attention’.]

Source: Students’ interview (November 7th, 2017)

Through the use of the tool Visme, the students were able to represent their thoughts visually-by applying colours, images and even sounds to the information. It can be concluded that visual tools helped them to actively participate in the process of reading comprehension.