Affordances of External Representations in Instructional Design: The Effect of Narrative and Imagery in Learning. Page: 5

                                
1.2   Statement of the Problem and Research Questions
System design, which has the very purpose of facilitating cognition through
building contextual concepts, requires speculation on the effect of its representation
related to perception, memory, emotion, self-identification, and motivation of the
individual. Many scholars suggest that the narrative approach is unique and has
advantages in supporting these cognitive utility (Blatt, Auerbach, & Levy, 1997; Britton
& Pellegrini, 1990; Bruner, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2004; Chatman, 1990b; McCabe &
Peterson, 1991; Minsky, 1982; Shank & Ableson, 1977, 1995; Singer & Singer, 1990;
Wertsch, 1991), but few investigated the different primary functions that the narrative
approach has (Dunbar, 2005; Herman, 2000), let alone in a formal educational context
(Thomas & Young, 2007). With the narrative approach increasingly being applied into
instructional design, such as in the virtual world, the individual functions of narrative and
its relationship with mental imagery merit detailed investigation.
The interpretation of narrative approach also leads to other important
representational issues. These issues include in what manner visual representations
benefit the mental activities of the individual, and what differences exist between
narrative and other representational methods (Chatman, 1990b; Fludernik, 1996;
Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, & Zilber, 1998; Jahn, 1997). The investigation of these
questions, therefore, falls into the theoretical interpretation of semiotic resources (Eco,
1976; Halliday, 1985; Hodge & Kress, 1988; ledema, 2003; Kress, 2000, 2005; Kress &