Analysis of Light-Related Visual Images Presented in Elementary School Science Textbooks in Korea, the United States, and Japan

Visual images are widely used in science textbooks to facilitate the understanding of abstract concept of light. This study aims to compare and analyze elementary school textbooks from Korea, the United States, and Japan, focusing on how visual images are utilized to effectively convey light-related content. The findings reveal that all three countries’ textbooks predominantly employ photographs as visual representations, primarily serving the purpose of providing data. Through a social semiotic perspective analysis, it was observed that science textbooks commonly utilize realistic images with metaphorical functions, presented at eye level angles, with intermediate distances, and frontal angles. Furthermore, the visual images employed various colors and background expressions to create a sense of familiarity for students. These findings suggest that the composition of visual images in science textbooks was designed to facilitate an easy understanding of light-related concepts.