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Pictures Hinder Word-Learning, Says Educationist ^(^LfO^ AO THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES No.215 (No. 15of 1985) Published fortnightly by the Public Affairs Unit Registered by Australia Post-Publication No. NBF 4388 27 September 1985 ^ V I ^ Yes, we have Pictures hinder word-learning, some says educationist A Senior Lecturer in UNSW's School of Education, Dr Robert Solman, has released research findings that seem to give the final death knell to teachers' use of picture cards to help young bananas readers learn words. Most infant teachers adopt this procedure as a matter of course, on the assumption that recognition of the picture will help the child to learn the word. Dr Solman and two research students, Mr Ross Lang and Ms Robyn Saunders, in 1977 set about trying to discover whether pictures could really aid word learning. 'Initial studies in 1937, and again in 1967, had sought to assess the value of using pictures to teach words. Their results indicated that when recognition of the words was tested, those children who were taught words without pictures fared best', says Dr Solman. Creating Australia's biggest These studies did not percolate through to the In the second study series, in 1982 Dr Solman banana split (it's official!) schools, however, where teachers have continued to and Ms Saunders again tested different methods was hard work for Mr Duncan use pictures with words. of presenting words with pictures but concentrated MurreM, University Union head on teaching batches of five words at a time. This According to Dr Solman the earlier researchers chef, and colleagues — time, they even experimented using words which sought to explain their results by proposing that an especially since the crush of were similar in length, had the same first and last attractive and obviously more familiar image of hungry gourmets started to letters and had a similar shape. build up an hour before something was actually serving to attract the child's serving began. But a good time attention away from the word. 'Both studies produced quite unreliable differ- ences in the measure of the more effective use of was had by all. Requests for Not satisfied with this research Dr Solman pictures but our overwhelming finding was that lime syrup and cries of 'hold began investigating picture/word learning from children who were deprived of pictures as aids the nuts on mine' got scant V977—78 — and again in 1982. Together with the learnt considerably more words.' attention during the feeding of research students, he tested 320 children with an Dr Solman as yet cannot answer why the use the multitude (2,000 all told). average age of five-and-a-half years, using various of pictures does not help the word-learning process combinations of picture/word learning. Ms Jane Westbrook, Director but he suspects that a five-and-a-half year old child of the University Union's In the first series of tests, the researchers simply does not have the mental capacity to relate Program Department and chief tested the picture and word combination, and the two. organizer, says the feat will compared its effectiveness with presenting the 'What teachers have to do', he says, 'is to first word to the children a second before the picture. appear in the Australian sup- show the pictures of the objects (for example a They also tried clearly presenting word and picture plement of the next edition of tree, house, dog and car) until the children can together while emphasizing to the children the tha Guinness Book of Records. identify them, then put the pictures away and fact that both represented the same thing, in case concentrate on teaching the corresponding words the association was not made. on their own'. New Council members Dr Robert Solman with examples of the two differ- ent methods for teaching children to read words. Using the word on its own enables children to learn considerably more words, according to Dr Solman. Mr John Scullion Dr Marc Gumbert Mr Les Murray All three of the new Ministerial appointments to the University Council have now been announced. They are: Dr Marc Gumbert, a Crown Prosecutor, is a In 1981 he was Scottish-Australian Exchange legal anthropologist with a Doctorate of Law from author in Edinburgh and Stirling, and he has been the University of Paris-Sorbonne and an LLB and Australian delegate to poetry festivals in Holland a BA from the University of Sydney. and Yugoslavia. His first six books of verse have ; Dr Gumbert, who was born in Paris in 1942, been published together as The Vernacular Republic: Broad range of ethnic groups speaks four languages and has travelled widely, Poems 1961-1981, published by Angus and Robert- particularly in the third world. He has worked son, and his verse novel. The Boys Who Stole My as a lawyer in Paris and Montreal and spent some Funeral, was published in Australia and the UK. A represented in Medicine time as Acting Cultural Attaché at the Australian selection of his prose, titled The Peasant Mandarin, Embassy in Paris. He is presently also a consultant was published by Queensland University Press on legal anthropology to the NSW Government. in 1977. A survey on the backgrounds of medical students entering first year at UNSW in 1985, The author of numerous journal articles, Dr He has just finished editing the Oxford Book Gumbert wrote a major legal and anthropological of Australian Verse. In 1984 he was awarded the conducted by the Faculty of Medicine, dispels, in part, the notion that medical students aré analysis of Aboriginal land rights which was pub- Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for out- predominantly middle class Anglo-Celts. lished under the title Neither justice nor reason standing literary work and in the same year won Aside from the Faculty's annual quota of ists and half were in other occupations including by Queensland University Press. the NSW Premier's Award for Poetry. approximately 10 per cent for entry of unskilled', he says. Dr Gumbert is particularly interested in univer- overseas students, the survey found that 66 sity matters and aspects of cross cultural disciplines Mr John Scullion, Deputy Director of Industrial Students from state high schools made up per cent of students entering first year had and hopes, as a new member of Council, that he can Relations, Sydney City Council, has 'had a long-term 56 per cent of the intake, 17 per cent of students make a contribution to UNSW. 'I have always found interest in tertiary education and the entitlements of one parent born overseas, 59 per cent had came from Catholic schools, 13 per cent from inde- this to be a very progressive university', he says. both those using the education system and those both parents born overseas and 44 per cent pendent schools, and 12 per cent from technical colleges, the survey found. employed in the area'. were born overseas themselves. Poet, Les Murray, at present in Canada accept- Born in County Antrim, Ireland, Mr Scullion, The survey also found that, for 28 per cent of Conducted at a time of Federal and State ing the Australia-Canada Prize for Poetry, was 44, was Senior Industrial Officer for the Public first year students, English was not the language concern that universities provide better oppor- Writer-in-Residence at UNSW in 1983. Mr Murray, Service Association 'for many years' prior to taking most often spoken at home. The other main lan- tunities for applicants from less favoured schools 47, grew up on the lower North Coast of NSW up his position with the Sydney City Council. In guages spoken at home were Chinese (17), Viet- and home backgrounds, the survey shows that and attended the University of Sydney. this capacity he 'looked after the interests of general namese (11) and Greek (8). selection on the basis of academic merit (mainly He has published poetry and articles in journals staff in tertiary education institutions and 'was 'While students whose fathers fell into the Higher School Certificate results) does draw students in Australia, the United States, and the United involved in many industrial hearings on issues professional/managerial category made up two- from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, says Professor Kingdom and has held several Senior Fellowships to do with improvement of staff conditions within thirds of the intake, the fact that one-third of Glover. from the Literature Board of the Australia Council. universities'. students had fathers who were "workers" or unem- He has conducted innumerable readings and tours Mr Scullion is an alderman on Randwick ployed is significant', says Professor Darty Glover, The Faculty of Medicine already offers special in Australia, as well as major ones abroad. In 1980, council. Dean of the Faculty. 'It is also interesting to note entry arrangements for people of Aboriginal descent with Mr David Malouf and Mr Vincent Buckley, He says that he will approach his duties as a that only 46 per cent of students' mothers were and refugees. 'So far we have admitted six people he read at the Library of Congress and The Guggen- member of the University Council with 'an open engaged in "home duties". Of working mothers under this scheme for Aborigines, one of whom heim Centre in the US. mind'. half were professionals such as teachers or journal- graduated last year', says Professor Glover. In brief... SANWA BANK FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP Contemporary art exhibition STUDENTS - ADVISE CHANGE OF The Sanwa Bank Foundation is offering a ADDRESS fellowship to an Australian citizen for postgraduate at UNSW study at UNSW. The fellowship is intended for a postgraduate student who will be carrying out The University is finding that increasing num- bers of letters nnailed to students are returned research in Japanese studies within the fields of 'address unknown' because students do not always business or commerce.
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