Examining the effect of a picturebook reading intervention on younger school age children with different reading skills and vividness of visual imagery

This study examines the effectiveness of an intervention program designed to enhance the comprehension and interpretation of verbal-visual narratives, commonly known as picturebooks, among younger school-age pupils. The qualitative research explores how picturebooks influence comprehension in pupils with varying levels of visual imagery vividness, reading imagination, and reading comprehension skills. The study was conducted with a sample of 3rd-grade pupils (n = 25) using content analysis, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and the intervention program. The intervention program aimed to assess the effectiveness of picturebooks for pupils with diverse reading abilities and visual imagery strengths while proposing strategies for their educational application. The findings indicate that picturebooks not only increased interest in reading but also improved text comprehension in less experienced readers and those with lower vividness of visual imagery. Additionally, they facilitated the construction of more complex mental models in more proficient readers.