Illuminating Perspectives through Critical Visual Literacy: 56th Annual IVLA Con

This study focuses on visual culture connected with visual and historical literacy. Our principle aim was to research the attitude of students (ages 16-20) towards the impact of visual culture in the history field. We particularly researched the historical concept immigration related to Ellis island  through visual culture products. Regarding the research question, we examined, whether 60 High-school and university students in Greece liked the method of connecting visual culture to history education where the images-photos-films, as sources, were read and compared with historians' texts. We used the action-research method  including pre-test and post-test (questionnaire, text-synthesis, documentation). Regarding the results and conclusions, students successfully distinguished the fictional elements from the historical elements in the films The immigrant, America America, The Godfather Part II, Ellis island by following four steps: selection, search, comparison, and  documentation. Nearly all students developed positive attitude towards the impact of visual culture in the history field.
Key-words: film, visual culture and literacy, historical literacy, Ellis-island immigration