Considering the growth in popularity of visual culture and also in connection with the iconic turn, visuals play an increasingly important role in the present day (Heinze, 2010, p. 9). With the proliferation of visuals in everyday life and in instructional materials, it becomes increasingly important to examine their effects on pupils’ learning (Anglin, Vaez, & Cunningham, 2004, p. 865). Under specific circumstances, visuals can serve as a key didactic means for visualising and mediating ideas to young children and also for supporting their exploration of scientific concepts. But they can fulfil other “irreplaceable“ didactic functions too (Levin, Anglin, & Carney, 1987, pp. 53–62). Investigation of visuals as a didactic means and analysis of their effects on learning represents a current issue which is continuously investigated within an established research area – Research on Pictures (e.g. Levie, 1987).

Visuals are depictive representations (Schnotz, 2002, pp. 103–105). They are not of obligatory structure and thus they are potent to positively influence the elaboration of pupils’ mental models. In comparison to a written text, visuals contain almost an infinite amount of messages that are comprehensible in a given cultural and social context and age (Pettersson, 1997, p. 9). Pupils have always greater freedom in interpreting visual messages in comparison to the verbal messages. Visuals thus may evoke different denotations, connotations and private associations. But there can be major differences between intended and perceived image content. Extraneous messages may compete with messages the recipient regards as significant and important. Due to this, “reading“ of visuals is not trivial or easy for pupils and they „have to work“ to understand their meaning (Stylianidou, 2002, p. 279). Research studies indicate that pupils usually rely on specific characteristics during the „reading“ and interpreting of the visuals (e.g. Lieber, 2012, pp. 67–68). Beneficial effect of visuals on learning thus can be expected only if pupils manage to extract relevant information from them.

In our poster we make effort to answer research questions which are closely related to the analysed issue. They are as follows: 1) Which are the characteristics that facilitate reading and interpreting of what is displayed in visuals (according to pupils` opinions)? 2) Of which nature are the processes that pupils usually employ during the cognitive processing of visuals? 3) How can be results of our inquiry interpreted in the context of the findings of relevant international studies?

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