Affiliations: [a] Institute of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada | [b] School of Information Studies, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Tracey Bowen, Institute of Communication, Culture, Information {&} Technology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada. Tel.: +1 905 569 4960; Fax +1 905 569 4734; E-mail:tracey.bowen@utoronto.ca
Abstract: The most common tools individuals use to articulate complex and abstract
concepts are writing and spoken language, long privileged as primary forms
of communication. However, our, explanations of these concepts may be more
aptly communicated through visual means, such as drawings. Interpreting and
analyzing abstract graphic representations is still a challenge within a
text-based knowledge culture. This multidisciplinary study tested an
existing framework for interpreting and analyzing drawings individuals use
to communicate abstract concepts. The selected concept for case study was
knowledge. Participants were asked to draw what they believed knowledge looks like. 838
drawings created by respondents aged 5-65, were analyzed. The drawings were
examined and coded for graphic types, as identified by Englehardt's [17] graphic classification typology, and graphic objects. Three particular
implications for educators interested in using drawing as a tool for
explaining complex concepts in multimodal learning emerged: age affects how
and which graphic objects are used to visualize concepts, corresponding to
an individual's operational development; graphic representations can depict
both concrete objects and symbolize abstract concepts at the same time; and
drawing is a form of knowledge production that can be used to support
learning and further understanding complex or abstract concepts through the
production of shared graphic objects and symbols.
