VISUAL-TEXT ALIGNMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON READING COMPREHENSION: A STUDY OF CONGRUENT AND INCONGRUENT IMAGERY

Printed and electronic texts are becoming increasingly multimodal, drawing greater attention to visual literacy. Relying on dual coding theory, which addresses the separate use of verbal and visual information systems, as well as the increasing importance of visual compactness, this study examines the relationship between images and written language. To investigate this, we designed a test for 120 randomly selected third graders. Divided into an experimental group and a control group with varied demographic characteristics, students responded to two types of tests. The control group was assessed with visually aligned tests, while the experimental group was assessed with tests where text and images did not match. The referential link between verbal and visual codes provided a platform for gathering data on how learners process and respond to visual and verbal stimuli. The test results of the two groups were analyzed using t-tests, which showed significant differences, highlighting higher achievements among students in the Control Group, who were assessed with tests where text and images were coherent. It is recommended that educators prioritize congruent visual-text materials to enhance reading comprehension outcomes.