CHAPTER II – THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Review of Related Literature

There is no adequate literature available on this matter but an effort is made to search some literature to find out the pertinent studies done on grade levels of students to provide the empirical support to validity of this study. It is assumed that the learning styles are different at all instructional levels so in the result of that assumption the search is kept broad and extensive. Literature about impact of visual aid presents diversified evidences. In the first section of literature review a few studies which were conducted on business professionals are discussed and the second section consists of studies conducted on students.

Scheiber and Hager (1994) provided relatively strong evidence in support of visual aid, and concluded that the visual aid plays a crucial role for making and delivering an effective presentation. Further they also found from a survey conducted on managers that more than two thirds of the respondents “very frequently” or “frequently” gave presentations. Visual Images demonstrate life or learning as it happens. They represent and suggest a visual representation similar to that of journal entries, artefacts’ and field notes (Bach, 2001). In using visual narrative in the learning environment we can be given an opportunity to evoke memories whereas Bach discussed ‘a memory around we construct and reconstruct life stories’ (2001, pp7). Visual narrative research makes visible different parts or stories that can then be later looked upon, just as photographs are used in the historical or family history sense. Most of all it enables us to look at a scene in our lives with different perspective, transformation of fixed memories is available (Bach, 2001). Photographs can allow us to learn, reflect and grow from our experiences.

According to the various researchers like (Benson, 1997; Branton, 1999; Dwyer as cited in Kleinman & Dwyer, 1999) existence of visual component now a days in learning and teaching is increasing combination of images, instructional manuals, and visual presentation, with text in text books, class room presentations and computer interfaces broadens. Educational institutions’ history is evident of continuous relationship between verbal and visual information, that they were espousal of visual enhancements in instructions.

Morrison and Vogel (1998) suggested that there are many other factors on which business presentations rely, and they considered these factors beyond the substance and structure of the presentation. The factors they have mentioned are “audience factors, environmental factors, and perceptions of the speaker” and they found that the visual variable affected all the other underlying factors. Further they reported a 79 per cent over 58 per cent of audience consensus on the base of comparison between visual and non-visual usage. They also found that using several colors and extra animation create bad image against presentation and all the efforts of the presenter prove useless.

This part of literature review highlights those studies which were conducted on students of different grades levels. These studies are based on the framework of making comparison and finding either the significant difference in student’s perception exists or not. Pruisner (1993) conducted a study to estimate the impact of color on learning and understanding capacity of the student. The whole seventh class from Midwestern junior high school was selected as a sample for making comparisons as one of four treatment groups. The variables used in this study were “(1) color-cued presentation, and assessment; (2) color-cued presentation, black and white assessment; (3) black/white presentation, color-cued assessment; (4) black/white presentation, black/white assessment”. Finally the Color-cued presentation was found the most preferred presentation type and it was realized as an important element to enhance the apparent performance of systematic color cue in graphic presentation. Wilson (1967) also finds the evidences in support of visual aid and verifying the findings of previous studies conducted on visual aid learning. And found that the visual aids have significant perception for the teachers, as a teacher they have to deal with a lot of problems in their respective fields. Moreover they reported that a child might be a good reader if they were taught by using visual aids and they can learn more than they learn through the traditional learning methods.

Roth (1992) suggested that visualization is a factor of intelligence that includes the mental manipulation of spatial configurations and has been associated with spatial abilities, creative thinking, and conceptual problem solving. He also suggested that the move from print to electronic media would increase the need to educate the next generation for the use of visual images. Bennett (1988) reported that in number relationship and algebraic statement visual aids are very helpful in enhancing understanding and learning capacity. We have discussed earlier that impact of visual aids on student perception consists of diversified findings but the most of the literature of empirical studies comes up with positive impacts of visual aid.

To formulate a better understanding of color’s impact, one must first form a basic understanding of Carl Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious. According to Jung, all of us are born with a basic psyche that can later be differentiated based upon personal experience. This basic psyche reflects the evolutionary traits that have helped humans to survive throughout history. For example, an infant has a pre-disposed affinity for two dark spots next to each other, an image that equals their visual interpretation of a human face. This affinity for the shapes is not learned, but reprogrammed into the collective unconscious of all human children.

In Frank Mahnke’s color pyramid. The pyramid lists six levels of our color experience in an increasingly personalized interpretation. The clear hierarchy of the graphic, however, belies the immediate impact that mood, age and life experiences play in the moment to moment personal interpretation of color. Balancing the research of color interpretation with these personal interpretations becomes the designer’s task as environmental color choices are made.

In 1976, Rikard Kuller demonstrated how color and visual patterning affects not only the cortex but also the entire central nervous system1. Color has been shown to alter the level of alpha brain wave activity, which is used in the medical field to measure human alertness. In addition, it has been found that when color is transmitted through the human eye, the brain releases the hormone, hypothalamus, which affects our moods, mental clarity and energy level.

In Torrice’s study, he proposes that the following systems are influenced by these particular hues: Motor Skill Activity – Red, Circulatory System – Orange, Cardiopulmonary – Yellow, Speech Skill Activity – Green, Eyes, Ears and Nose – Blue, and Nonverbal Activity – Violet. As demonstrated by an environmental color coordination study conducted by the US Navy, in the three years following the introduction of color into the environment a drop of accident frequency from 6.4 to 4.6 or 28% was noted. This corroborates an independent study demonstrating white and off-white business environments resulted in a 25% or more drop in human efficiency. Color’s demonstrated effectiveness on improving student’s attention span as well as both student and teacher’s sense of time, is a further reason as to how color can increase the productivity in a classroom. The mental stimulation passively received by the color in a room, helps the student and teacher stay focused on the task at hand. This idea is further supported by Harry Wohlfarth’s 1983 study of four elementary schools that notes that schools that received improved lighting and color showed the largest improvements in academic performance and IQ scores.

In 1983, Psychologist Howard Gardner identified seven intelligences. Among these was spatial (visual) intelligence, the tendency to learn through images. Individuals who are generally spatial learners have a propensity to think in pictures or with art-related vocabulary such as color, space and texture.

B. Synthesis

The research has some similarities with other existing research paper of other researcher like Kleinman, Dawyer (1999) in their book Action, and Roth (1992). They find evidences in support of visual aid and verifying the findings of previous studies conducted on visual learning. According to them existence of visual component now a days in learning and teaching is increasing combination of images, instructional manuals, and visual presentation, with text in text books, class room presentations and computer interfaces broadens.

And also to Pruisner (1993) conducted a study to estimate the impact of color on learning and understanding capacity of the student. Wilson (1967) also finds the evidences in support of visual aid and verifying the findings of previous studies conducted on visual aid learning. And found that the visual aids have significant perception for the teachers, as a teacher they have to deal with a lot of problems in their respective fields. Moreover they reported that a child might be a good reader if they were taught by using visual aids and they can learn more than they learn through the traditional learning methods.

It also has its own uniqueness on the other research that was published by different researchers that tends to find the use of the colored visuals in teaching. Like what Morrison and Vogel (1998) did but the respondents they used in study are in significance of business. They suggested that there are many other factors on which business presentations rely, and they considered these factors beyond the substance and structure of the presentation.

And also what Bennett (1988) reported that in number relationship and algebraic statement visual aids are very helpful in enhancing understanding and learning capacity. We have discussed earlier that impact of visual aids on student perception consists of diversified findings but the most of the literature of empirical studies comes up with positive impacts of visual aid.

The research does not only focused on the first phase of effectiveness the colored visual do in teaching students but also how it will works after. The disadvantage of not using colored visual and the development within the students.

C. Definition of terms This will help to unlocked the difficulties the may encounter in the whole research paper. 1. Visual Aids - Visual aids are an important tool because different people respond to different learning modalities. Visual aids also add interest to a discussion. In order to effectively use visual aids, one must learn from experience what will and won't work for an audience or group of students. Visual aids can take many forms and be presented in many formats. They may be used in different settings, from classrooms to board rooms, and anywhere that information is relayed to audiences on a regular basis. 2. Retention Level - The term "retention rate" is used in a variety of fields, including marketing, investing, and education, in the workplace and in clinical trials. Maintaining retention in each of these fields often results in a positive outcome for the overall organization or school, or pharmacological study. In marketing, retention rate is used to count customers and track customer activity irrespective of the number of transactions (or dollar value of those transactions) made by each customer. 3. Emotional Response - a reaction to a particular intrapsychic feeling or feelings, accompanied by physiologic changes that may or may not be outwardly manifested but that motivate or precipitate some action or behavioral response (. 4. Spatial Intelligence - it is an area in the theory of multiple intelligences that deals with spatial judgment and the ability to visualize with the mind's eye. It is defined by Howard Gardner as a human computational capacity that provides the ability or mental skill to solve spatial problems of navigation, visualization of objects from different angles and space, faces or scenes recognition or to notice fine details. Gardner further explains that Spatial Intelligence could be more effective to solve problems in areas related to realistic, thing-oriented, artistic and investigative occupations. This capability is a brain skill that is also found in people with visual impairment. As researched by Gardner, a blind person can recognize shapes by a non-visual way. The spatial reasoning of the blind person allows them to translate tactile sensations into mental calculation of length and visualisation of form. 5. Asthenopia (aesthenopia) or eye strain - it is an ophthalmological condition that manifests itself through nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headache and occasional double vision. Symptoms often occur after reading, computer work, or other close activities that involve tedious visual tasks (http://www.wikihow.com/Alleviate-Eye-Fatigue-Quickly).