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When too much visual stimuli is present, the phenomenon of clutter is known to degrade an individual's perception across a variety of domains, ranging from completing search tasks incorrectly, to decreasing reading speed when letters are too close together. However, research is lacking as to whether the negative effects of clutter impact learning when too many words are visible at any one given time. Furthermore, colour has been implicated in affecting clutter. Thus, the present study created a recognition experiment whereby 42 participants had to learn target words that were presented in black or red font and positioned amongst no clutter, clutter words (distractor words surrounded the target), and clutter non-words (sequence of random letters surrounded the target). Results found that words learned in isolation were identified faster and significantly more accurately than words learned in both forms of clutter. Although red target words did not eliminate the negative effects of clutter, red words did show a trend towards higher accuracy of recognition compared to black words. These results would appear to be explained by existing clutter theories that state the limits of attentional resources and short-term memory cannot process excess visual stimuli. These findings have real-world implications for establishing optimal reading formats to improve learning.

This paper introduces a new captioning tool, Partial and Synchronized Caption with Hints (PSCH), as a means to facilitate second language (L2) listening by providing cues for ambiguous and difficult words/phrases in the caption while filtering out the easy words. Each word in the caption is synchronized to the corresponding audio to enable text-to-speech mapping. The words to be shown in the caption are carefully selected by defining the features that lead to listening difficulty. The hints are generated in the form of short explanations/definitions of the words to allow for meaning construction and resolving difficulties on-the-fly. With the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools and word sense disambiguation, we tried to generate appropriate hints for the selected words to provide instantaneous and minimally intrusive assistance. Experimental results revealed that learners' scores significantly increased when they used PSCH compared to having no hints. Furthermore, PSCH received positive learner feedback in providing appropriate and useful hints for improving listening comprehension. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED590612.]

To efficiently create books and other instructional content from videos and further improve accessibility of our course content we needed to solve the scene detection (SD) problem for engineering educational content. We present the pedagogical applications of extracting video images for the purposes of digital book generation and other shareable resources, within the themes of accessibility, inclusive education, universal design for learning and how we solved this problem for engineering education lecture videos. Scene detection refers to the process of merging visually similar frames into a single video segment, and subsequent extraction of semantic features from the video segment (e.g., title, words, transcription segment and representative image). In our approach, local features were extracted from inter-frame similarity comparisons using multiple metrics. These include numerical measures based on optical character recognition (OCR) and pixel similarity with and without face and body position masking. We analyze and discuss the trade-offs in accuracy, performance and computational resources required. By applying these features to a corpus of labeled videos, a support vector machine determined an optimal parametric decision surface to model if adjacent frames were semantically and visually similar or not. The algorithm design, data flow, and system accuracy and performance are presented. We evaluated our system using videos from multiple engineering disciplines where the content was comprised of different presentation styles including traditional paper handouts, Microsoft PowerPoint slides, and digital ink annotations. For each educational video, a comprehensive digital-book composed of lecture clips, slideshow text, and audio transcription content can be generated based on our new scene detection algorithm. Our new scene detection approach was adopted by ClassTranscribe, an inclusive video platform that follows Universal Design for Learning principles. We report on the subsequent experiences and feedback from students who reviewed the generated digital-books as a learning component. We highlight remaining challenges and describe how instructors can use this technology in their own courses. The main contributions of this work are: Identifying why automated scene detection of engineering lecture videos is challenging; Creation of a scene-labeled corpus of videos representative of multiple undergraduate engineering disciplines and lecture styles suitable for training and testing; Description of a set of image metrics and support vector machine-based classification approach; Evaluation of the accuracy, recall and precision of our algorithm; Use of an algorithmic optimization to obviate GPU resources; Student commentary on the digital book interface created from videos using our SD algorithm; Publishing of a labeled corpus of video content to encourage additional research in this area; and an independent open-source scene extraction tool that can be used pedagogically by the ASEE community e.g., to remix and create fun shareable instructional content memes, and to create accessible audio and text descriptions for students who are blind or have low vision. Text extracted from each scene can also used to improve the accuracy of captions and transcripts, improving accessibility for students who are hard of hearing or deaf.

This study proposes a method to detect problematic speech segments automatically for second language (L2) listeners, considering both lexical and acoustic aspects. It introduces a tool, Partial and Synchronized Caption (PSC), which provides assistance for language learners and fosters L2 listening skills. PSC presents purposively selected words along with a video in the form of synchronized text-to-speech captions. It uses corpus-based information and conducts speech-data analysis to detect difficulties in speech, thus achieving effective word selection. To this end, PSC uses an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system as a model for L2 listeners to elucidate speech difficulties for these learners. In this method, misrecognized words by the ASR system are analyzed to find useful patterns that could signal problematic speech segments for L2 listeners. The identified patterns were evaluated by experiments to ensure that they cause difficulties for L2 listeners in the same way that they impede ASR performance. Experimental findings confirm that adding these instances to PSC significantly improves learners' recognition of the respective segments. [For the complete volume, see ED578177.]

The field of education is undergoing fundamental change with the growing use of data. Fine-scale data collection at the item-response level is now possible. Xerox has developed a system that bridges the paper-to-digital divide by providing the well-established and easy-to-use paper interface to students, but digitizes the responses for scoring, validating, reporting, and managing data using a range of digital technologies. The Ignite™ system supports written responses, shading, connecting lines, multiple choice selections, and other question types. For some users, monitoring is at a very fine-grain level in both time and skill, while for others the data is used for more summative evaluations and strategic planning; one users' details may be another user's overview. All the reports presented in this document use the same basic atomic data elements and associated meta-data. The hierarchical nature of the organization of users requires that these atomic elements be combined in different ways for specialized visual representations, dependent upon the needs of the user. [For complete proceedings, see ED560503.]

For the thirty-third year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the national AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two volumes. The papers contained in this volume deal primarily with research and development topics, and represent some of the most current thinking in educational communications and technology. Papers dealing with the practice of instructional technology, including instruction and training issues, are contained in the companion volume (Volume 2). (Individual papers contain references, figures, and tables.) [For Volume 2, see ED514647.]

A study examined the ability of 204 students in nine Illinois high schools to process and recall information contained in four newspaper elements: story texts, graphics, index boxes and pullout quotes. Students were randomly assigned to read the front page of one of 20 newspapers and answer questions based on information in the stories. Students generally recalled information in pullout quotes most efficiently and information in graphics least efficiently. Overall, subjects did well when information was repeated in stories and other elements (such as pullout quotes). Graphics, on the other hand, may have been too complex for subjects to process efficiently. (Contains 22 references and three tables of data. Examples of three newspapers are attached.) (Author/RS)

A study investigated whether informational graphics help attract the reader to a newspaper story, prolong reader interaction, and increase reader knowledge. Five versions of a small informational graphic and a related 10-inch non-lead story published on the bottom of a newspaper page were tested on 300 participants (a non-probability sample of members of the Rotary Club, the League of Women Voters, a student sports group, a senior-citizen craft club, a Christian Bible-study group, and a Jewish synagogue board all from the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania area. Results indicated that: (1) color did not make any demonstrable difference in attracting readers to the non-lead story at a higher rate than the non-color versions; (2) all of the versions with informational graphics were better at attracting readers than the text-only versions; (3) readers interacted longest with versions that combined an informational graphic with text; and (4) the student subjects tended to "study" rather than read the story, while the adults in non-school environments were shocked that they had to answer questions about the story. Findings suggest that even an informational graphic alone has the capacity to help readers comprehend more knowledge than the traditional verbal stories, and that researchers should choose samples more representative of the public as a whole. (Contains 8 tables of data and 64 notes. The informational graphic, a sample newspaper page, and three charts of data are attached.) (RS)

This study investigated the effects of "signals" in text (headings, previews, and logical connectives) on the reading comprehension of learners of English as a Second Language. Subjects were 232 female Hong Kong secondary school students, all less-skilled readers of English. The subjects read a relatively difficult passage in English on an unfamiliar topic, then were administered a factual test on five main ideas in the text, including five inference questions. Results suggest that headings and previews improved factual comprehension at the level of superordinate ideas, but logical connectives showed insignificant effects for both factual and inferential comprehension. No significant effects were found for inferencing for any of the signal types. Further study of this lack of effect is recommended. Four appendixes contain the original passage, the passage with signals, comprehension questions, and five tables. Contains 37 references. (MSE)

Eye movements of 32 newspaper readers (ranging in age from 22 to 50 years) were measured as they viewed four pages of varying use of color and black-and-white photographs. The eye-fixation data recorded by a computerized apparatus showed precisely where subjects looked, in what order they processed information on the page, and how long and how many times they directed attention to photographs. Results indicated that color affects how readers look at a page and, if used in certain ways, can influence the scan path order. Results also indicated no significant differences in the number of fixations and the average length of total fixation on color versus black-and-white photographs. In addition, subjects completed recall and recognition tests about the photographs they saw. Results indicated no significant differences between the number of color photographs and black-and-white photographs that were recalled. However, the use of color significantly impacted recognition of the photographs. (Four tables and one figure of data are included. Contains 14 references.) (RS)

A study investigated whether the presence or size of a photograph accompanying a story affects readers' attention, recall, and comprehension of newspaper articles. The three hypotheses postulated are: (1) readers are more likely to pay attention to stories on a page which includes a large photo than to stories on a page containing a small photo or a page containing no photo; (2) readers are more likely to recall a story accompanied by a large photo than a story accompanied by a small photo or by no photo; and (3) readers will better comprehend a story accompanied by a large photo than a story accompanied by a small photo or no photo. At Syracuse University, 123 undergraduate students reported their attention, recall, and comprehension of a story presented in three versions of a front page of the daily student newspaper--one with a big picture, one with a small picture, and one with no picture accompanying the story. Results supported all three hypotheses. Findings suggest that not only did the use of a picture make people read, recall, and comprehend news stories, but that the use of a larger picture appears to be related to greater recall and comprehension of the story. The presence of a larger picture caused readers to read more of the accompanying story resulting in a greater recall and better comprehension of the story, than when the effects of each were examined individually. (Eight tables of data and 31 notes are included, and the three versions of the front page are attached. Contains 31 references.) (Author/RS)

A study examined the effects of column rules, justification, and the interactive effect of column rule and justification on memory. Subjects, 40 undergraduate students enrolled in journalism courses, read 12 text samples (taken from standardized reading tests) randomly assigned to one of six format conditions and presented on separate, simulated magazine pages in a four-column format in four randomly selected orders. Subjects responded to recall and recognition questions and a personal information data sheet. Three column rule conditions--column rule, no column rule, and "middle rule" (a vertical line running down the middle of the column of text)--were combined with two justification conditions (left and right justification or flush left/jagged right) to yield the six format conditions. Results indicated that the best score for recall was recorded in the flush left/jagged right and middle rule condition, the most "disruptive" graphic presentation. Findings suggest that graphic elements, especially justification and column rules, affect memory for magazine text. (Five figures and a table of data are included, and 40 references are attached.) (RS)

The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) is an international, non-profit educational organization. The Association's purpose is to advance the knowledge, theory, and quality of teaching and learning at all levels with information technology. "E-Learn 2017: World Conference on E-Learning" took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, October 17-20, 2017. The proceedings are comprised of 153 papers, including seven award papers. The award papers cover topics such as effective peer assessment models for improving online learning; distance learning instructional design; factors influencing response rates in online student evaluation systems; physical computing for STEAM education; how post-secondary students with disabilities use their mobile devices; how mobile tablets (e.g., iPads) were being used to support supervising doctors and medical students; and spaced repetition in mobile learning games. [Note: (1) The title of the proceedings on the cover page differs from the title shown via the URL; and (2) The cover page of the proceedings shows Theo Bastiaens as the editor and Jon Dron and Sanjaya Mishra as conference program co-chairs. For the E-Learn 2016 proceedings, see ED604107.]

Published and unpublished studies of factors related to reading comprehension in business communication are briefly summarized. Factors considered include organization of copy, format and appearance, graphics, distractions, reading time, listening versus reading, reader attributes, and readability. (AA)

Advertisers and other mass media communicators are interested in the potential cognitive and affective effects of various graphic designs, specifically relating to the recall of information and the attitude toward information presented. This study deals with the respondent's recall of information contained within an advertisement as well as the subject's attitude toward the ad itslef and the product contained in the ad when the basic graphic design is manipulated--being either a circular, square, or triangular shaped advertisement. A mock-up of a new general readership magazine was developed with the manipulated advertisements for a new product inserted into three separate versions of the magazine. Ninety housewives and ninety college students were each shown one of the three mock-up magazine versions in a personal interview, in-field situation and responded to the questionnaire immediately after being exposed to the stimuli. It was hypothesized that the circular graphic design would be most effective and that housewives and students would not differ in their reactions to the advertisement. The first hypothesis was given general support, while the second was not. Conclusions are drawn which relate to the study's findings and to future research in the graphic design area. (Author/TO)

With the increasing competition from television in recent years, the newspaper industry has finally realized that it doesn't have the news field as its sole domain. The competition, especially from colored television, and the fast pace of contemporary society have influenced the layout and printing format of the national newspapers in several ways: nonessential print is being removed from the masthead; stress is placed on readable type that lessens eye strain; more white space is left around pictures, making them stand out; emphasis is placed on a horizontal progression in contrast to the vertical columns that characterized the layout of earlier newspapers; and greater attention is given to research concerning the tastes and habits of readers. (The original presentation of this paper included a slide show visually demonstrating examples of layout and format changes in newspapers.) (RB)

This study examines the design and editing procedures of business publications--publications for employees, stockholders, and combinations of these audiences. Following a review of the literature which turned up little information on business publications, it was decided that a mail questionnaire sent to a sample of business publication editors would be the best technique for obtaining information. Seventy-two percent of 439 randomly selected editors returned the questionnaires. The typical business publication today is an 8 1/2 by 11 inch magazine, 4 to 8 pages in length. The body within the typical publication is set in 10-point transitional type with one point of leading. Captions and headings are most frequently set in sans serif type and are 18 to 24 points in size. One-third of the printed matter in the typical publication is art; 80 to 90 percent is photography, and the remainder is predominantly line art. The numerous business publications appear in magazine, newspaper, and newsletter formats. (Additional information on the results of the study is presented in both a narrative and a table format.) (RB)

The background and the current status of Chinese newspapers in the United States are examined in this paper. The first section considers early immigration patterns of Chinese people, their immigration to the West Coast of the United States beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, laws passed to exclude Chinese from legally entering the U.S., and the recent liberalization of U.S. immigration quotas for Chinese. Among the topics discussed in the second section are the early history of Chinese newspapers in the U.S., the way in which the Chinese press in the U.S. has been linked with events in China, current readership for Chinese newspapers, problems involved in setting type for Chinese characters, and the trend toward use of a colloquial newspaper style. The third section describes ten currently published Chinese newspapers and presents tables of data about them that show the amount of newspaper space devoted to news, nonfiction, fiction and literature, and advertising; the space devoted to specified geographic areas in China and the U.S.; and the space devoted to the inauguration of Chiang Ching-kuo as President of the Republic of China and to Zbigniew Brzezinski's visit to Peking. A brief concluding section notes problems peculiar to the Chinese press in the United States. (GT)

The influence of the German picture magazines and their editors and photographers on publisher Henry Luce and his staff during the early years of "Life" magazine has been overlooked. However, there is strong evidence in the Time, Incorporated, archive files indicating that the year Kurt Korff spent as a consultant to the company's newly reorganized experimental department (1935-36) was extremely beneficial in the development of America's first picture magazine. Korff, a German Jewish immigrant, was just one of the Europeans whose photography training and experience on the German picture magazines provided Time, Incorporated, with a model proposed picture magazine, which encouraged Luce to hire him as a consultant to the prepublication staff, and whose contents were prophetic of the content found in later issues of "Life." Many of the suggestions Korff made concerning which photographers should be hired for "Life," how the photographs should be obtained and laid out, and for what audience the magazine should target its material were followed by the publisher. Korff was a likeable man, according to all reports, but he was unable to give up the style of the German magazines, which "Life" planners had no desire to duplicate. Apparently upset that there were no plans to make him a permanent editor on the new magazine's staff, Korff resigned in July, 1936, to work for the Hearst publishing organization. (HTH)

A series of studies was conducted to: (1) examine the effects of headings on both recall (a memory task) and retrieval (a search task) from the same text; and (2) distinguish between retrieval from unfamiliar text and retrieval from familiar text. Pupils aged between 14 and 15 years of mixed reading ability took part in six separate studies, each of which partially replicated and partially expanded the previous studies. Preliminary results suggest that headings aid both the recall and retrieval of information from the text. The position of the headings (marginal or embedded) had no effect on the results, but the headings (questions or statements) might have differential effects with learners of different ability (headings enhanced the recall of low-ability subjects). It also appears that headings in the form of questions might be more effective than headings in the form of statements for less able readers. Further experiments in this area are planned. (Author/CM)

As part of an introductory course in magazine journalism at the University of Kansas, each student designs a prototype magazine and prepares a sample magazine issue. This paper explains the educational benefits of the dummy-magazine project and describes the project assignments, which require students to submit detailed magazine prospectuses, to prepare Standard Rate and Data Service listings for their magazines, to design magazine formats, and to clip and paste materials from other magazines to create the dummy magazines. The paper then discusses the highly positive reaction of students who have participated in the project. Copies of materials given to students--including a course prospectus, a description of the dummy-magazine project, an information sheet to aid in writing the magazine prospectus, and a grade evaluation form--are included. (GW)

A study was conducted to examine newspaper readers' responses to front page design and to explore the perceived differences among traditional, modern, and modular formats of newspaper design. Slides of the front pages of 10 pairs of competing daily newspapers were shown to 91 journalism students. After viewing three slides for each paper, subjects completed a semantic differential instrument for each one. Students also indicated how attractive they found nine appearance devices for the newspapers and completed a profile questionnaire. Respondents generally gave moderate to good ratings to most newspapers on most dimensions. Only one of the pairs of papers showed a significant difference on any of the 15 quality ratings. The "Evening Sun," Baltimore's circulation leader, was perceived as much bolder than the competing "News American." Modular papers, although perceived as bolder, more modern, and more readable, were also viewed as less professional and as containing softer news. Traditional papers were seen as more valuable, more accurate, and running harder news, but also as old fashioned and more dull. Newspapers using the modern format scored higher across the 15-item quality dimension, with the "Detroit News" scoring highest in overall quality. Subjects who read newspapers regularly were more likely to find the use of graphs and charts attractive than were nonregular readers. (HTH)

Focusing on the various problems involved in designing and producing a picturebook, this document consists of opening remarks by Kenneth Morantz; a discussion of design in the context of publishing, by editor Stephen Roxburgh; a discussion of what separates children's book publishing from the rest of the trade as well as what contributes to the success or failure of some of the books, by publisher and editor David Godine; an exploration of the art work and graphics of picture books, by art director Ava Weiss and author-illustrator Vera Williams; a description of some steps in the making of a picturebook, by author-illustrator Leonard Everett Fisher; a personal account of writing and illustrating children's books, by author-illustrator Irene Haas; and a discussion (including questions and answers) of the illustrations from "The Amazing Garden," a book for the general reader about the brain, by author-illustrator David Macaulay. The document concludes with questions from the floor and answers by the presenters. (EL)

A study was done to describe the typical new consumer magazine that was published in the United States between 1979 and 1983 and to determine the relationships between those magazines still being published (as of 1984) and those that ceased publication. A content analysis of 234 new magazines utilized circulation figures, commonalities of first issue, cover price, subscription price, publication date, magazine location, and frequency of publication, among other variables to discover the construction of a typical magazine for the period under study. It was found that the typical product could be considered as a fact sheet on the status of the new American magazines of the 1980s: a cover price of $2.00 and a subscription price of $14.00 per year, initially published bimonthly and later shifting to a monthly frequency, and carrying 21 pages of advertising and 69 pages of editorial material. In studying the 26 most common variables that existed among the new magazines and their relationships to survival or death of the magazines, it was found that only two have a significant effect on the survival of the new magazine: the cover price and the frequency of publication. (Author/CRH)

Dada was a collective movement among avant-garde artists who rejected the existing culture of post-World War I Europe on the grounds that it belonged to the same society that had produced the war. This paper discusses Dada typography in relation to typography's role and function in the history of printing, the changes resulting from the industrialization of the printing industry, and the accelerated volume of commercial activity in the nineteenth century. Dada typographic experimentation is contrasted with traditional typography conventions and is compared with the typographic works of the adjacent movements of Futurism and Constructivism. The paper describes and analyzes Dada typography and its application in various publications and art media in the context of the traditional conventions it sought to break and how it broke them. Dada's typographic innovations are discussed in terms of their initial rejection and eventual incorporation by other movements to create the new typography. Twenty-six notes and 11 figures are included, and 15 references are appended. (Author/MS)

Noting that the impressions left by the large, bold type of newspaper headlines have frequently resulted in libel suits, a study explored the individual and interactive roles played by defamatory headlines and news articles in a reader's perception of the contents. Four separate versions of a news article and its headline were prepared by the researcher. Subjects, 40 students from an undergraduate biology course at New Mexico State University, were randomly divided into four groups. Each group was then given one of four versions of a news article and headline prepared by the researcher. Each member of the group read the article and completed a questionnaire. The results indicated that a headline that identifies someone and falsely defames that person could cause more damage than a libelous article. These results suggest that courts should be aware of the fact that a medium-sized headline can significantly damage a reputation, regardless of what the article states. Therefore, the current trend of examining the accompanying article to such a headline in order to determine libel must be reevaluated. (DF)

Desktop publishing (DTP) could potentially become a powerful, relatively inexpensive tool for use in university extension activities. This paper describes and explains the characteristics of DTP and examines its effects on university extension. In addition, it outlines the kind of hardware, software, and skills needed and costs; describes new activities and products related to DTP; and examines extension functions likely to be impinged upon by DTP. Because DTP does not require users to embed complicated commands in text to produce certain printing effects, it can be used by individuals who do not have extensive training in word processing or computing. Not all of the effects of DTP are positive, however. DTP brings with it the potential for good-looking, but poor-quality or unnecessary publications. Although visually attractive, justified text can actually impair the legibility of many instructional materials and thereby reduce their effectiveness. On the other hand, the capability of mixing graphics and text easily is likely to be a boon to educators. Word processing, advertising, the publication of bulletins and newsletters, the development and production of distance education print materials, and the printing of signs are among the many university extension functions that will likely be made easier by DTP. Besides empowering university extension, DTP will also challenge administrators and graphic artists to develop and maintain a consistent organizational visual image for their university extension programs. (Appendixes include sample DTP materials and lists and descriptions of additional readings on DTP, DTP software, and typical hardware required for DTP.) (MN)

Prepared by representatives of government, business, industry, and education, the papers in this compilation deal with a variety of aspects of technical communication. The approximately 150 papers are arranged according to the following categories: advanced technology applications, graphics and production, management and professional development, research education and training, and writing and editing. Specific topics covered in the papers include the following: (1) taking the mystery out of computers; (2) how to write a great user's manual; (3) computerized reading analysis; (4) automating the writing process; (5) tailor made retrieval systems; (6) the importance of the designer in the process of developing technical documentation; (7) the information film; (8) photography and the publication process; (9) recruiting and hiring technical writers and editors; (10) design, development, and implementation of a total quality control system; (11) stress management for technical communication; (12) the relationship between academia and industry; (13) developing academic technical communication programs; (14) teaching technical students to communicate; (15) developing student job hunting skills; (16) technical writing as a career; and (17) interpersonal relationships for writers and editors. (FL)

After a 1977 survey reflected the importance of graphics education for news students, a study was developed to investigate the state of graphics education in the whole field of journalism. A questionnaire was sent to professors and administrators in four print-oriented professional fields of education: magazine, advertising, public relations, and photojournalism. Respondents were asked to rate a list of 16 items taught in graphics courses on two dimensions: the importance of the items to students in a particular professional area and the preparation on that item provided for students by the respondent's program. The survey separated the educational experience into two basic types of knowledge (cognitive and skills) and two different graphics areas (design and production). (A survey analysis and tables indicating a mean rating, skill importance, and the preparation offered in educational programs are included for news and the four professional fields in the study; a separate figure conveys the combined responses of administrators and graphics instructors for all of the areas and dimensions of the study.) (MAI)

State natural resource magazines' tremendous potential as information sources and their unique economic situation led to this study of space utilization in individual issues. Three issues from each of 40 state magazines published in the summer of 1977 were divided into five subscription-rate and four staff-size categories. Category averages for each layout element were compared based on per issue percentages of space devoted to each element. Percentage computations were based on the total space potentially available for text. Three questions were posed: Do magazines with higher subscription rates have a lower percentage of text per issue than lower-rate magazines? Do subscription rates relate to the proportional amount of space taken by photography and artwork? and How does staff size relate to the use of photography and artwork? The results show: (1) the magazines with the highest subscription rates use less text space per issue than those with lower rates; (2) as subscription rates increase, there is a larger percentage of photography and artwork space used per issue; (3) a significant difference in the percentage of white space occurs among the subscription categories; and (4) magazines with large staffs allocate significantly more space per issue to artwork than magazines with smaller staffs. (FL)

Because Q-technique is as appropriate for use with visual and design items as for use with words, it is not stymied by the topics one is likely to encounter in graphics research. In particular Q-technique is suitable for studying the so-called "congeniality" of typography, for various copytesting usages, and for multivariate graphics research. The specific fields of graphics research in which Q-technique might be most helpful are typography, color, photographs, layouts, design principles, and attitudes to new technology. Although Q is a relatively complex methodology, its relevance to graphics research makes its presence in the arsenal of graphics researchers important. (Author/FL)

Step-by-step guidelines for teaching students the processes involved in conceiving, writing, editing, and binding books are presented in this paper. Following a discussion of the values and aims of such a project, possibilities are noted for making class, small group, or individual books. Guidelines are then provided for helping students become involved in the project, find subjects, plan how to treat their subjects, research their subjects, refine and organize their materials, work in workshop situations to obtain feedback and criticism, and complete the processes of writing a first draft, editing and proofreading, writing a second draft, and making a dummy of the book (for which detailed instructions are included). Suggestions for evaluation follow, after which a three-stage editing checklist is provided to help students edit their papers after reading them aloud to the class, reading them to partners, and checking each other's papers for mechanical errors. Illustrated instructions for binding a book are then presented, divided into preliminary comments, a list of materials needed, and step-by-step instructions for preparing book pages, preparing and sewing book spines, making book covers and covering the books, and putting books together. (GW)

To determine whether readers read and recall news stories better when they are accompanied by photographs and whether photograph size affects reading and recalling, three versions of the front page of a newspaper were produced. Each version of the front page contained a news story and a related photograph which had been altered to constitute one of three experimental conditions: a large photograph condition, a small photograph condition, and a no photograph condition. In intercept interviews, 150 people were shown one of the three versions and then asked a number of questions about their reading and recall of the story. The findings suggest that not only did the use of a photograph help set the reading agenda by making the reader more aware of the news story, but the use of a large photograph seemed to be associated with a greater recall of facts in the story, picture caption, and headline. This suggests that news photographs, particularly large ones, complement rather than compete with the stories they accompany. (FL)

Principles of aesthetic design for printed instructional materials are discussed in this paper, and a checklist is provided to aid in evaluating the aesthetics of such materials. The principles that are discussed relate to the following areas: format (spatial arrangement of a page and design principles involving simplicity, unity, emphasis, balance, and proportion), typography (legibility, type faces, and type size), illustrations, color, and graphs and tables. The checklist provides space for indicating the presence or absence of 45 features related to layout, type, color, graphs and tables, and illustrations. Also included are a selected bibliography of relevant works and illustrations of a few of the principles discussed. (GW)

University freshman journalism students from two different states were surveyed to study the influence of high school publication experience on journalism career aspirations, perceptions of media credibility, and use of media. About half the students surveyed had worked on high school publications. These former staffers were compared with the students who had not worked on scholastic publications. The findings indicated that former staffers most enjoyed writing on a high school publication, though layout was a close second, and that staffers were more likely to be interested in magazine and newspaper work, while nonstaffers were more interested in advertising careers. The findings also showed that staffers decided much earlier to go into the communications field, with most deciding during high school, while very few nonstaffers made the decision before reaching college. Staffers and nonstaffers perceived media credibility differently, but the results were only statistically significant for one of the states. The media use results indicated that former publications staffers used more media--read more newspapers and news magazines, and watched more television news--than did nonstaffers. (HTH)

Using data from a previous study, this study investigated the adoption of modern graphic design techniques by daily newspapers. A scale of modern design was constructed from available literature and tested for internal validity by determining what design practices were included in sample papers. The scale was then used to test assumptions about the kinds of newspapers that would be more likely to adopt modern newspaper design techniques. The findings suggest that modern newspaper graphics are being used by metropolitan newspapers to attract new or infrequent readers rather than to improve the readability of the paper for regular subscribers. Twelve tables of data are attached. (Author/RL)

This paper surveys the state of newspaper technology, with special reference to its impact on editorial quality. Examples of financial savings resulting from electronic editing and typesetting are cited, along with a complete budget for a paper of around 100,000 circulation before and after automation. Studies of newsroom salary and employment trends are used to provide guidelines for reinvesting some of the savings into better editorial coverage. (Author)

This paper proposes that three properties of graphic materials can be manipulated by instructional designers to model cognitive processes and thus help students learn. These properties are: the distance of elements in the graphic display from each other, the orientation of the elements to each other, and the sequence in which the elements are encountered. Research from the last 15 years regarding these properties is surveyed and discussed. Studies of imagery, the symbolic distance effect, eye movement, semantic distance, and diagrams are included. The survey presents evidence for parallels and analogies between the form of graphic material that is presented to or imaged by learners, and the way it is processed. This leads to the conclusion that the form graphic materials take influences the learning strategy that the learner uses more than the form of internal representation. (Author)

The papers contained in this compilation were drawn from the proceedings of a 1978 conference on periodical publishing in Wisconsin. Papers in the first section of the collection deal with the basics of publishing and cover such topics as selecting articles, starting a new publication, mailing procedures, aesthetics and layout, and printing processes and costs. Papers in the second section deal with 22 individual Wisconsin publications in the areas of lifestyle, science, literature, agriculture, outdoor recreation and sports, politics, and hobbies. Individual publications discussed include (1) "Wisconsin Trails," (2) "Traveler," (3) "Forest Products Journal," (4) "Beloit Poetry Journal," (5) "Wolfsong," (6) "Wisconsin Agriculturist," (7) "Wisconsin Sportsman," (8) "The Progressive," (9) "The Wheeler Report," (10) "Urbanism Past and Present," (11) "Old Cars," (12) "Comic Reader," (13) "Model Railroader," and (14) "New German Critique." (FL)

Readability in distance learning, the cloze procedure as a means of assessing readability, and the preparation of distance learning materials are addressed in the following 14 conference papers: "Some Suggestions for Improving the Reading/Comprehension Skills of Students at a Distance" (Jean Anderson); "Student Response to the Presentation of Advanced Studies for Teachers' Unit Study Guide Material" (John McLellan); "Summarising the Literature on Readability" (Marianne Tremaine); "Readability Formulas and When to Use Them" (Graham Wagner); "Measuring the Readability of School Textbooks" (Lois Templer); "Applying the Cloze Procedure in Practice" (Diana McRae and Felicity O'Connor); "Ways of Varying the Blanks When Using the Cloze Procedure" (Graham Wagner); "Creating a Context for Understanding and Interpreting Cloze Results" (Marianne Tremaine); "Using the Results from Cloze Testing to Improve Technical Correspondence Institute Assignments" (Nola Holmes); "Correspondence School Courses: A Personal View" (Gilbert Hadfield); "Preparing Courses for the WEA Trade Union Postal Education Service" (Dorothy McGray and Heather Mulholland); "The Production Process for Study Guides at Massey University" (Terry Povey); "Course Development at the Technical Correspondence Institute" (Peter Wilkinson); and "Layout and Legibility of Printed Materials" (Terry Povey). A conference review by Donald Bewley is included. (LMM)

A study examined the interaction between reading ability and text format. Subjects were 120 sophomores and juniors enrolled in reading methods courses at Montclair State College (New Jersey) who were divided into two equal groups of skilled and unskilled readers by means of a diagnostic reading test. Experimental reading passages based upon college texts of approximately 130 words containing equal amounts of information but systematically varied numbers of arguments were presented in two different formats: standard format text (SFT) and list format text (LFT) in which the standard format text was typographically manipulated so that the information presented in meaningful components, based upon semantic propositions, was separated on successive lines of the page. Combining the variables produced four experimental conditions. Results indicated interactive effects between ability and format for skilled readers, from which it can be inferred that they identify and use cues in the text, but evidence of interactive effects between arguments and ability and arguments and format was not found. The number of arguments did affect comprehension. To improve instruction, teachers, text designers, and text writers should take into account the effects of format and the number of arguments. (JL)

The elements of design (line, shape, color, value, and texture) are the artist's lexicon rather than words, and the meaning of these elements is carried in their expressive properties in picture books as well as in paintings. Line can convey repose when horizontal, stability if vertical, and action when diagonal or curving. The element of shape has the same capacity as line to convey solidity or delicacy, movement or repose. Colors--which in their hue, intensity, and value have come to convey emotional qualities--can also by their combination set a mood or tone for the story. Typeface, the placement of type and its relationship to the pictorial design, can also enhance the unity of the design and underlying theme. Observations of 67 children ages 7 to 10 as they responded to picture books revealed that many children looked at the illustrations before they read to help them with written text. The children's verbal responses in particular showed their diligent attempts to understand the picture book--its medium and its message. They became increasingly aware of the artist as a person to be communicated with and became aware of the range of choices available to the artist. In addition, the children seemed to understand that these choices were made to express some fundamental meaning. (HOD)

Four papers and two reports from three sections concerned with library science periodicals and serials publications in libraries include discussions of the role of library and information science journals and their coverage by indexing services as well as a description of an online system for serials, a report from the working group on newspapers, and definitions of official publications from 11 countries and agencies. Presentations include "Role of Library and Information Science Journal in the Development of Effective Library Associations," by E. Bejide Bankole of Nigeria; "The Efficiency of Library Journals with Regard to Readers and Documentation," by Reimar Riese of East Germany; "Library/Information Science Periodicals from Developing Countries: Coverage by the Major Abstracting and Indexing Services," by Nicholas L. Moore of the United States; and "The National Serial Data System in the Federal Republic of Germany," by K. W. Neubauer from West Germany. (RBF)

The effects of (1) format and color, and (2) severity of issue (freeze damage to citrus industry) on response rate of mail questionnaires is presented. Questionnaires were formatted in two different ways: a one page, legal size printed on both sides, and one sheet 11- by 17-inch size center-folded with items on three pages. Two colors were used: white and buff. These combinations resulted in four different format/color combinations which were randomly mailed to 2,322 citrus producers and grove managers. The Chi-square test for homogeneity of proportions was used to treat the data concerning format and colors. Correlation was used to determine if response rate was influenced by severity of freeze damage. A response rate of 61 percent was obtained. There was no significant overall effect of format and color of mail questionnaires on response rate. There was a significant (.05) relationship between severity of freeze damage and rate of response--the more severe the freeze, the greater the response rate. These findings support the reviewed literature concerning the effects of format and indicating an association between rate of response and degree of interest in topic. (Author/PN)

The review of the literature related to newspaper reading presented in this paper provides a useful background to educators seeking to broaden their understanding of newspaper research and its implications for classroom practice. The research is divided into readability studies, readership studies, and cognition, comprehension, and text analysis studies. It covers such topics as (1) typography, (2) newspaper design, (3) trends in readership, (4) play theory of newspaper reading, (5) frame analysis of news, and (6) text analysis of newspaper reading. A section containing implications and conclusions of the review and an 11-page bibliography are included. (HOD)

Teaching desktop publishing (dtp) in college journalism classes is most effective when the instructor integrates into specific courses four types of software--a word processor, a draw program, a paint program and a layout program. In a course on design and layout, the instructor can demonstrate with the computer how good design can be created and imitated by using the first page of "Moby Dick," illustrated by Barry Moser. The Moser design works well because there are basically four elements: the chapter heading, the wave graphic, the initial letter and the text. The students are then assigned to recreate this page and later to create their own two-page layout or newsletter. Along with the new techniques and opportunities, instructors must also address the current concerns about computers regarding plagiarism, jobs after college in which computers are not used, and changes in the traditional chain of command in journalism. (Seventeen references and the Moser design are attached.) (KEH)

This paper presents a theory of instructional text design that takes into account the process of reading comprehension and the variables in both the reader and the text which can affect that process. Three areas of design concern--legibility and readability, visual illustration, and structure and organization--are discussed. Each area design concern is considered as contributing either to the "interactivity" of the process or to the structure and organization aspect of acquired knowledge in memory. A unifying theory incorporating all three areas of concern is then presented which is based on findings of prior research that: (1) reading is an interactive process between reader and text; (2) the process is contributed to by characteristics of both the text and the reader; and (3) knowledge in memory is highly structured and organized. It is argued that, given these factors, design elements of the text can be manipulated to ensure that existing knowledge in the reader can be activated so that new knowledge presented in the text in a structured and organized way and appropriately highlighted through verbal and typographic cuing supported, as required, by visual illustration and organization, can be assimilated in a manner facilitative of reading comprehension. One diagram is provided. (28 references) (EW)

Copyfitting is probably the least exciting portion of any course that deals with design and production of print advertising. Students find the transformation of manuscript copy into set type difficult to visualize. The math, though no more than multiplication and division, seems insurmountable to some--probably because the entities such as points, picas, units, and such are not familiar and what is happening to them not directly obvious. Even professionals forced to grapple with these manipulations find them less appealing than designing with markers and type. "Copyfitting Instructor" is a computer program written to alleviate some of the tedium. Its origins are in a program developed for professionals and designed to take over the calculator work. This instructional package also contains the original "Copyfitting Expert" as one of its modules so it can be retained for use after the instructional portions have fulfilled their function. That is, if a student never figures out how to do the math but succeeds in just learning the concepts, this program, which may be freely copied and retained, will solve whatever future copyfitting situation should arise. The program is written in four modular, self-sufficient packets, compiled from "Basic" with source code included for modification, improvement, or customization. The program has three levels of sophistication, permitting some flexibility in how the program is integrated into the usual drill on copyfitting. (Author/HTH)

To investigate whether "USA Today" emphasizes "good news" over "bad news," a study was conducted using 10 randomly selected adults in State College, Pennsylvania, over an 11-week period in 1985. Subjects were asked to rate 248 stories over 45 pages of main news columns in 10 issues on a scale ranging from 1 (very negative news) to 7 (very positive news). In a further attempt to establish intercoder reliability, the 7-point tabulation was condensed into a 3-point tabulation using only bad, neutral, and good news as a basis for comparison. Subjects were also asked to categorize stories according to length, position on the page, the page on which they appeared and whether they were accompanied by pictures or other illustrations. Results seem to offer strong support for one key tenet of the hypothesis that "USA Today" is a "happy news" newspaper that concentrates on positive news rather than on negative news by the way stories are positioned in the paper. Other findings were inconclusive. (Seven data tables, instructions to coders, a sample questionnaire, and a coder profile are included.) (NKA)

A study focused on the results of the gatekeeping process which determined the nature and quantity of images of the Vietnam War that the American public saw in "Life Magazine" before and after the Tet offensive of January 1968. The study examined the content of these photographs and looked for significant changes. In addition, the study examined the technological changes in photography which made color images practical for the first time in combat photography and the potential difference in impact of color versus black and white photographs. Content analysis looked at the nature of the photographic images in order to quantify them objectively and systematically on a number of variables. All issues of "Life" from January 7, 1966 to February 28, 1970 (200 issues in all) were examined. The almost total lack of any difference in the depiction of violence in pre-Tet and post-Tet photographs is striking. It was also discovered that "Life" ran the photographs slightly further back in the magazine after the Tet offensive. In looking at the nature of differences of photographs published, what is seen is the end result of a gatekeeping process. The interplay between the events in Vietnam, the reporting of those events by the media, the impact these reports had on the public and public opinion, the impact that public opinion had on public policy and the effects of shifts in public policy on the conduct of the Vietnam War needs to be studied further. (Twenty-six references are attached.) (MG)