2005, Nr. 3(14) 5 HOW DO STUDENTS OF CHEMISTRY TEACHING PROGNOSE THE IMPACT OF GRAPHICAL PART OF DIDACTICAL TESTS? SELECTED ASPECTS OF VISUALIZATION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION Martin Bílek, Antonín Slabý University of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic Abstract For the first pilot research in the scope of the project Learning from graphical presentation in science education (GAČR 406/02/1165) there has been chosen investigation of the role of non-verbal elements of didactic tests. For solving of this task there was used comparison of the results of pupils of basic school performing two variants of the test with the same content and different form of formulation and arrangement of items (verbal form and form comprising visual information (pictures and graphs). In the contribution there are described starting points of the project, the interpretation obtained, experimental data from the point of view of typology of picture material as a part of didactic tests and mainly the point of view and the attitude of the students of chemistry teaching to the influence of graphical elements to the fruitfulness of students in didactic tests. Key words: learning from the picture material, primary chemistry education, didactical tests and effectiveness of non-verbal part of didactical tests, chemistry teacher education. Introduction Visual perception, elaboration of visual information and subsequent creation of adequate conception of pupils and students appears to be substantial part of education of science subjects. Graphical presentation represents in the era of coming information and communication technologies into process of education substantial part of educational materials in all stages of school system. Group of researchers at the University of Hradec Králové started to work at the research project which aims to analyse various ways of elaborating non verbal (graphical, picture) information during the education of science subjects (Bílek, 2002a). Partial aims of the project focus on description of the function of picture material in educational texts and devices with main concentration to their electronic form i.e. to educational possibility of computer graphics, animation and simulation of science phenomena and their principles and to the description and interpretation of the models and elaboration of visual information of learners. The results should tribute to optimization of the creation and increasing pedagogical effectiveness of educational texts based on multimedia, educational CD-DVD and Internet technology. On the other hand the results should tribute to improving of professional part of chemistry teachers education – improving of subject methodology in area of non-verbal part of educational texts. This is the rationale of the research part of the article. Theoretical Base I - Verbal and Non Verbal Aspects of Human Education Sumfleth et al. (2002) similarly as Pavlíková (1999) quote in their works Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, which comprises five starting-points for meaningful education supported by multimedia devices: o Selection of words, o Selection of images, o Organisation of words, o Organisation of images, o Ways of integration of words and images. At the same time there is necessary to distinguish three important aspects of effective elaborating of information by learning people: