Examining Trans-Symbolic and Symbol-Specific Comprehension Processes in Poem and Painting

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Learning Models and Frameworks for Humanities and Social Science

Abstract

Educators often integrate paintings with text instruction, presuming that the processes used to comprehend them are the same. However, scant research has shed light on this practice or determined which comprehension processes, if any, are best suited for integrated instruction. This study identified the comprehension processes used by 24 English and Art education majors who were assumed to be “good readers” of poems and paintings, respectively, to identify which processes were shared and specific to each composition. Of the 24 poem and 24 painting comprehension processes identified, most were shared (i.e., trans-symbolic). However, several comprehension processes specific to poetry and painting were also identified. The results provide tentative support for integrated art-literature instruction, but several cautions are noted.

Author

• Sandra Michelle Loughlin, University of Maryland