An analysis of activity section images in Greek secondary Physics textbooks

An increasing number of studies emphasize the crucial role of visual representations in science education. Science textbooks are rich in visual content, which significantly contributes to facilitating the learning process. Although considerable attention has been given to the role of visuals in enhancing conceptual understanding within the main text of science textbooks, the educational value of images in the activity sections has received limited focus. This study investigates the images included in the activity sections of the physics textbook for the 1st grade of Greek secondary education (Gymnasium) in terms of image type and task type. Analyzing 150 images, we classified them by image type (e.g., photographs, diagrams, graphs) and task type (e.g., observation, drawing, text completion). The results show that the majority of images are photographs (76/150) and mixed photographs (42/150), while diagrams, drawings, and graphs are less frequent. Most images (146/150) are used to guide student observation or actions, while only few (4/150) involve drawing tasks, and none require text completion. Relevant literature and ideas for further research are discussed.