A Study Of The Visual Representation Of The American Chemistry E-Textbook "CK-12 Chemistry For High School"

Visual representations are graphical means of carrying knowledge,which graphically,pictorially,and multimedia the traditional text-based knowledge to stimulate the learners’ visual and auditory multiple senses.It has been found that the integration of visual representations in textbooks can make concepts,processes,and methods easier to understand,and can be very helpful in explaining and exemplifying abstract concepts in chemistry.Triple representation thinking is a unique way of thinking in chemistry and an important perspective for understanding the chemical world.The development and promotion of e-textbooks is gaining attention in many countries and regions,and the use of e-textbooks is gradually increasing due to the continuous upgrading of e-textbooks and the expansion of the influence of online teaching formats.However,at present,most domestic and foreign scholars’ research on visual representation in textbooks is limited to the level of paper-based textbooks,and few scholars have focused on the visual representation of electronic textbooks.With multimedia and rich media,e-textbooks are more innovative than paper-based textbooks in terms of visual representation design,and can create visual representations that cannot be presented in paper-based textbooks,which in turn is more conducive to students’ understanding of the material.Therefore,studying the design characteristics of the visual representations of chemistry e-textbooks and suggesting the optimization of the design of the visual representations of chemistry e-textbooks are meaningful for the subsequent development of higher quality chemistry e-textbooks.To this end,this study selected "CK-12 Chemistry for High School",a commercially available chemistry e-textbook for grades K-9 to K-12 developed by the CK-12 Foundation based on the Next Generation Standards(NGSS)and the 50 state chemistry curriculum standards,as the object of study.Based on the literature analysis,the framework of visual representation analysis of "CK-12 Chemistry for High School" was constructed from two dimensions of composition and relationship based on the characteristics of visual representation of electronic textbooks and from the perspective of triple representation of chemistry.The study found that the overall visual representation of "CK-12 Chemistry for High School" is characterized by "a large number of chapters with a wide gap between them".In terms of the composition of visual representations:(1)There are rich types of representations,mainly macro-representations and symbolic representations,and each type of representation is distinctive;(2)The presentation forms are diverse,mainly in the form of videos,and the gallery,animation and video forms can enhance students’ experience and improve learning efficiency;(3)The degree of information clarity is quite good,and the visual representations that convey information implicitly and vaguely are relatively concentrated.In terms of the relationship between visual representations and other elements:(1)The elements within the non-single visual representation are closely connected and connected in various ways.(2)The degree of "connection" with the content of the teaching materials is very high,and almost all visual representations are completely related to the content of the teaching materials,and are connected to the content of the teaching materials through three forms: text,sound and operation.(3)The relationship with students realizes two-way interaction between HF and students,and students change from "receivers" to "participants" to increase their motivation and autonomy in learning.Based on the above findings,this study yielded several insights into the design of visual representations of chemistry e-textbooks,in terms of the composition of visual representations:(1)Setting up visual representations of different chemical triple representation types according to the characteristics of the chapter content and increasing the use of multiple representations and multiple representations as appropriate.(2)Diversify the presentation of visual representations and make full use of interactive or dynamic presentation forms such as galleries,animations and videos to enhance learning interest and efficiency.(3)The quality of visual representation is strictly adhered to,and the information conveyed by each visual representation must be clear and unambiguous.In terms of the relationship between visual representations and other elements:(1)Non-single visual representations can establish connections between internal elements through both spatial connections and temporal connections.(2)Visual representations that are fully relevant and connected to the content of the material in order to reduce the reading burden on students.(3)Visual representations should be set up with rich and varied interactions to increase students’ motivation and autonomy in learning.