Abstract

Science is intrinsically multimodal due to the limitations of verbal language and the need for different ways of explaining scientific processes. Images, mathematical formulas, and academic discourse work interdependently in science explanatory texts making them more challenging to understand than narrative texts for elementary students. Previous research has shown that readers’ prior knowledge and language proficiency mediate reading comprehension, but it is unclear how to include facilitating mechanisms for comprehending science text that involve students’ prior knowledge and academic language skills. This chapter explores how animated multimodal science texts with different types of mediations can scaffold scientific understanding for Chilean fifth graders. Eighty-four students with low comprehension skills were selected from an initial sample of 326 attending medium-low SES Chilean schools. They were divided into three groups, and each group was assigned to a different version of the science text: one without animation, a second with animations that scaffolded scientific concepts, and a third with animations that scaffolded academic language. Academic vocabulary, reading comprehension and science learning were assessed. The group assigned to the non-animated version underperformed significantly compared to both animated versions, but there was no statistically significant difference between the groups with animated versions. Evidence of how the different types of scaffolding helped the student and suggestions on how improve them is presented. Finally, the pedagogical implications of this work for text designers and teachers are discussed, and new lines of research are suggested.