Levels of meaning and children: An exploratory study of picture books' illustrations

This study applied Erwin Panofsky's concept of levels of meaning of works of art and Corinne Jorgensen's framework of image attributes to an exploration of the distinct levels of meaning perceived by children in illustrations of picture books. Observations, interviews, and surveys were used for data collection and content analysis and case study for data analysis. Thirty-one three- to five-year old children recruited from preschool, pubic library, and home school settings participated. Findings showed that children relied on their previous experience and familiarity with the literary source to achieve levels of meaning. The concept of levels of meaning could provide a better understanding of representing meaning for children and children's interpretation of meaning of visual information.