Journal of Visual Literacy, 2013 Volume 32 Number 2, 67-84 Interplay of Internal and External Representations: Students’ Drawings and Textual Explanations about Shadow Phenomena Nicos Valanides Frederick University Nicosia, Cyprus Irene Efthymiou Frederick University Nicosia, Cyprus Charoula Angeli University of Cyprus Nicosia, Cyprus Abstract Fifty-six third-year kindergarten student teachers (KTS) were presented with an experimental setting for investigating shadow phenomena. Prior to per- forming any speciic experiment, KTS were asked to externalize their ideas about shadow phenomena corresponding to different conigurations of the experimental setting through the use of drawings accompanied by textual explanations. Then, they were asked to perform each of the corresponding experiments and compare the experimental outcomes with their own initial conceptions. The indings clearly demonstrated that the use of drawings and textual explanations triggered students’ thinking as they progressively re- structured their internal representations. Implications for using visuals in science education are also discussed. Keywords: External representations, internal representations, drawings, con- ceptual understanding, shadows