As the amount of information acquired though visual mediums multiplies, visual literacy, or
the ability to understand, evaluate, and produce visual messages, has become increasingly
important in education (Ferk et al., 2003). Considerable attention has been devoted to the
effect of visual learning on the construction of knowledge and the understanding of
relationships and processes in science courses (Ametller & Pinto, 2002; Girwidz et al., 2006;
Mayer et al., 1996). The typical visual displays used in the science classroom are
photographs, diagrams, charts, graphs, maps, and drawings. Currently, most of the attention
has been focused on understanding the impact visual representations in textbooks and
multimedia materials have on students and their learning, but very few studies have focused
on teachers‘ use of these graphics in the classroom. The purpose of this study is to investigate
how high school science teachers use visual representations in their teaching. Specifically,
through a layered case study, this research will explore how course content, student
characteristics, and resource availability affect how teachers select and use graphics in their
science classes