Chapter 5

EVALUATING MESSAGES AND IMAGES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS

TEXTS – provide the means for communicating and form an important part of study in any given
course.

It is important to understand how the features of texts affect reading comprehension,

particularly in examining similarities and differences of the traditional print-based and multimodal
texts.

Pardo (2004) explains that these types of texts share characteristics that may include an
understanding of the author’s intent, the social purpose of the text, how it is structured, how well
it is written, the subject matter, vocabulary, language choices, the reading level, and other surface
features. Hence, evaluating text types is given emphasis on these characteristic modes that offer
significant information that could help enrich an available schema.

Evaluating messages and images of different types of texts requires the evaluator to
comprehend the initial textual data that lie on text features. It involves the active construction of
meaning through the interaction of the evaluator who is engaged on critically reading print-based
or multimodal texts. Print-based refers to those texts that are prepared in prints, but any printed
text is a multimodal text since it involves various communication modalities. Hence, multimodal
texts refer to those types of texts that use a combination of two or more communication modes,
for instance, print, image, and spoken text as in film or computer presentations. In the 21st
century, however, readers tend to devote much of their time reading and comprehending
multimodal texts.

Using multimodal texts requires learners to reconsider its nature, the cultural diversity of
readers, and the complex technological environments. The texts should, therefore, be selected
with care for the purpose of exploring one key understanding of how texts have different meanings
for readers with different cultural orientations.

MULTIMODAL TEXTS

When a text combines two or more semiotic systems (linguistic, visual, audio, gestural,
spatial), it is considered multimodal. Semiotic is the study of meaning-making. It explores signs
and symbols as important components of communication.

The syllabus of the Australian Curriculum mentions that language modes such as,
listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing are often integrated and
interdependent activities used in evaluating texts in order to shape meaning and that any
combination of the modes may be involved in responding to or composing print, sound, visual or
multimedia text. Hence, multimodal texts can be print, digital, or live.

Forms of multimodal texts:

1. Paper. This form is print based, such as, books, comics, posters, magazines.

2. Digital. It is computer-based like slide presentations, emails, ebooks, blogs, e-posters,

web pages, social media, animations, films, movies, video games.
 3. Live. It is a form of actual performance or an event

Two or more of the following semiotic systems are included in a multimodal text.

1. Linguistic system. It refers to the linguistic components like vocabulary, structure, and
grammar of a text.

2. Visual system. It pertains to the color, vectors, and viewpoint in still and moving images.

3. Audio system. This mode refers to the volume, pitch, and rhythm of music and sound
effects of a presentation.

1. Gestural system. It denotes the movement, facial expression, and body language of the
characters.

2. Spatial system. It indicates proximity, direction, position of layout, and organization of

objects in space.

CRITICAL READING AND LISTENING

Multimodal texts require readers and listeners to become critical readers and listeners.
Since comprehension is the central goal of both reading and listening, the ability to comprehend
multimodal texts develops students to become critical readers and listeners as well as active
evaluators of multimodal texts.
The key elements of the communication situation (sender, message, medium, receiver
[audience], and context) provide an understanding of multimodal texts; hence, this knowledge
should be expanded in order to accommodate and include in your understanding the messages
multimodal texts provide.

Critical Reading of Multimodal Texts

Critical reading is the process of reading that goes beyond comprehension of a text. It
means to say that one to be a critical reader must be actively involved in responding to the reading
text. It is very useful at all stages of academic study but is particularly important when evaluating
messages of multimodal texts.

Critical Reading involves:

1. Carefully considering and evaluating a reading text;
2. Identifying the strengths and implications of the text;
3. Identifying the weaknesses of the text; and
4. Looking at the image and deciding how the reading fits into the greater academic
context.

One who is a critical reader is inquisitive, always asks questions about the texts. Hence, the
reader closely examines the key elements of the text. These elements may affect how strong the
message is, that is, how convincing it is. However, before you consider the message, you should
build up a background information about the text or an image. Consider the following questions
(Thoughtful Learning, 2014):

Source
1. Who created the message? Is the source reliable? Was it by a news organization, a
 public citizen, an editorial team of a scientific journal, or an advertiser?

Message
2. What does the message say (subject, main point, support)?
3. Is the information fair and logical?
4. What points of view are shared in the message? Which ones are left out?
5. What images or sounds catch your attention?

Medium
6. What type of text is used to deliver the message?
7. What are the advantages and limitations of the text format?

Audience
8. Who is the target audience of the message?
9. How might other people interpret the message of the text?

Context
10. What is the purpose of the message?
11. Who controls the transmission of this message?

Listening as a Critical Thinking Activity

Listening is a voluntary active process, it is psychological. According to Lynch (2013),

adults listen 50 percent or less, while teenagers listen 25 percent or less. Studies show that those
who practice listening skills get better grades, higher pay and achieve their goals more often than
those who do not. For you to be able to access the message of an argument, you must be a
critical listener.

Critical listening requires active thinking because it goes far beyond just hearing a speaker’s
message. It involves analyzing the information of a speech and making important decisions about
truth, authenticity, and relevance. Kadjan-Baumeyer (2018) claims that listening is a critical
thinking activity; hence, Lynch qualifies that critical thinking:

1. Involves being able to access the strengths and weaknesses of an argument;

2. Involves being able to distinguish between the fact, theory and opinions of an argument;
3. Allows for thinking outside of the box;
4. Allows for compromise and growth;
5. Involves being able to judge the credibility of sources;
6. Requires accessing the quality of evidence;
7. Involves discerning relationships between ideas;
8. Involves priorities on what to remember and in what context;
9. Allows for fewer mistakes and reduces trial and error in everyday life;
10. Does not mean negative thinking;
11. Is a normal process that requires practice and reinforcement;
12. Requires an open mind and the ability to consider and understand all sides of an issue,
and;
13. Means replacing name calling and images with reason compromise and the ability to
persuade instead of attack
 Multimodal texts demand one to possess critical thinking because listening and reading are
two language skills that require this active mental processing. To analyze multimodal texts,
Kadjan-Baumeyer suggests to readers and listeners to perform the following:

1. Identify support for the claims.

This means performing research to determine the process the speaker used to actually
gather facts and information. Look for things like dates and sources.

2. Evaluate the argument of the speaker or the text.

Try to figure out whether the speaker is using emotional appeals, a logical argument or
actual evidence to state the case. Sometimes, a speaker uses overstatements to stress
a point and to make it more appealing. It is perfectly legal, but it can be misleading. This
is especially true if you have not done your homework. When it comes to evaluating an
argument, there are a few things you can do to get the most information.

EVALUATING MULTIMODAL TEXTS

Putting communication at the front of your mind and becoming more aware of how you
communicate in a given situation can be informative and have many positive effects. Whenever
you evaluate multimodal texts, you are able to apply what you have learned about critical reading
and listening to improve your performance and overall experience.

You also consider the key elements of communication in order to evaluate messages
within various relationships. Whenever you evaluate multimodal texts, communication allows you
to see more of what is going on around you, which allows you to participate actively and
competently in various communication in a multicultural setting.

Multimodal texts are constructed means such that they can also be deconstructed or
separated into its various parts—source, message, medium, audience, and context. Using the
evaluation checklist provided by Thoughtful Learning (2014) in evaluating messages, we will
create a sample evaluation of texts in this section.

1. SOURCE

Readers or listeners of a text should ask first about its authorship. There is a need to
identify if the source is an individual or a team although the number of writers does not
warrant credibility of the text. Examine if the source is reliable. You always have the hunch
in determining if the source is reliable or not. This can be determined through the
background information about the source. Evaluate the choices about content did the
source make.

a) Who created the message?

b) Is the source reliable?
c) What choices did the source make?

2. MESSAGE
After evaluating the source, the content of the text should be examined in order to get its
message. There are various questions that one may ask in getting the message of the text
(Thoughtful Learning, 2014).
a) What does the message say?
You may ask questions such as:
 What is the subject?
 What is the main point?
 How is the main point supported?
b) Is the information fair and logical?
c) What points of view are shared in the message? Which ones are left out?
d) What images or sounds catch your attention?

Identifying the Subject, Main Point, and Support

The subject of the message may be a person, product, service, place, program,
among others. It concerns on what is talked about in the text. It is the reason that makes
a claim or a main point.

The main point is no less the main idea or the claim of the source. It can be
explicitly or implicitly expressed in the text.

An explicit main point is well expressed in the text. Certain features of the text
would lead to an overt statement of the main point, for instance, orthographic features
like sentences, phrases, clauses that provide an immediate extract of the main point is
an explicit expression of the main point.

Whereas the implicit main point is covertly expressed in the text and can only be
extracted based on suggestive features such as, graphics, images, or sound effects.

How a message supports its main point depends on the format and purpose of the
message. An online research article, for example, may use citations, experiments,
observations, interviews, statistical data, or graphics to support its main point, while an
online advertisement may use demonstrations and testimonials to promote a product.

Moreover, readers should also check the accuracy of the message. Double-
checking facts and details should be done to recognize flaws in logic. Therefore, it is
important to understand the difference between and among fact, opinion, and claim.

Revisiting the differences, a fact is a statement about the real world that can be
shown to be true and can be checked for accuracy through gathering of evidence. An
opinion, however, is a self-report or attitudinal statement of feelings or personal
judgement. A claim is a debatable statement that can be supported with evidence and
reason.

Evaluating Logic and Balance

When evaluating a message, it is important to examine the chain of reasoning used

by the source, as any gaps or problems can undermine the validity of the conclusion.
You may ask: Is the information fair and logical? Check out if key terms were defined, if
the logic flow, and if there are flaws in the reasoning. Likewise, examine if the information
is fair. You have to consider whether the argument is appropriately balanced, looking at
the issue or problem from relevant perspectives. Evaluate if there are questions that are
not answered in the text, if the text is biased, if there are other perspectives on the issue,
and if the text presents a counter argument.

Every point of the message should follow on from the last point. If there is a gap
between two ideas, this undermines the overall conclusion. Likewise, some readings are
more biased than others. A biased statement is characterized by prejudice, partiality, or
preference for or against a person, an object, or an idea. Biased information has the
following indicators:
a. The language is offensive; expressions might be biased in terms of gender, race,
ethnicity, age, and disability.
b. The message appeals more to the emotion rather than to reason or logic.
c. Ideas are worded with the intent to oversimplify or overgeneralize.
d. The message is one-sided, or it only presents a limited viewpoint.

Analyzing Points of View

All multimodal text messages reflect the culture of their creators—their values,
lifestyles, points of view, preferences, among other things. A rigorous analysis can tell
you about the source’s values and perspectives as well as those that are missing in the
text. The question on points of view should be given importance: What points of view are
shared in the message? Which ones are left out?

Creating Meaning Through Images and Sounds

Multimodal texts like presentations, advertisements, newscasts, videos,

broadcasts, animation, infographics are created beyond words. Visual elements and
sound techniques can affect your interpretation of a message. You may ask: What
images or sounds catch my attention?

Visual elements include lighting, camera angle, composition, and body language.

Visual Elements:

1. Lighting. Low lighting suggests sadness or fear, while bright lighting

conveys happiness or joy. Soft lighting expresses beauty and romance. Use
color and tone to reflect the mood you are trying to create in your image.

2. Camera Angle. This visual element is used to position the viewers so that
they can understand the relationship between the characters. It is very
important in shaping meaning in film as well as in other visual texts. A low-
angle view makes people or things appear larger than they actually are, often
indicating importance. Conversely, a high angle view makes people or things
appear smaller and less significant.

3. Composition. Visual elements should be arranged in a manner that they do

not affect the viewer’s perception. Arrangements such as, close ups of a face
 convey tension or intimacy, wider views showing people or things and their
surroundings usually express significance of the setting.

4. Body Language. Non-linguistic elements like the body language are more
revealing than words. They seem to be catchier than the words provided in
the text.

Sound Techniques:

1. Sound Effects. This sound technique that is added after the filming
enhances a scene making it realistic although the effects themselves are
often artificially produced.

2. Music. This is another sound technique that affects the mood and intensity
of a scene. Fast-paced music use rhythm and volume to heighten drama and
often accompany car chases, fight scenes, and other action-packed scenes.
Slower, softer, intentionally expressive compositions can create tension and
foreboding, as in gothic films.

3. Voice-over or Narration. Some videos or films and television shows use a

narrator other than the characters in the story to speak to the audience. For
example, a narrator may be assigned to describe the series of events
portrayed in a video clip that has no subtitle and dialogue between and
among characters.

3. MEDIUM

The medium in transmitting the message may be conventional or digital although they
are often mixed up in a communication situation. Sometimes, print-based communication
needs to be backed up by a digital form in order to achieve a better and faster communication.

Conventional media are no less than the broadcast and print-based communication,
while digital media include hypertext formats. According to Kitson (2011), hypertext refers to
the structuring of information in blocks of text which are connected by electronic links. It is
structured in a hierarchical manner where the content is organized from more general
concepts to more specific concepts. The reader is allowed to access additional information
to content on the current screen since it has its selection, use, and placement to hypertext,
hyperlinks, frames, windows, and images which may affect readers’ or listeners’ evaluation
of the message. Below are the types of media:
Each form of media has its inherent strengths and limitations. Smart phones, for instance,
are faster forms than print-based texts but messages are very informal and cannot be kept as an
accessible public document. Social media messages are speedy and timesaving but prone to
imprecisions. Generally, technical books are accurate and informative, but they lack visual
appeal, interactive component, and rapid and up-to-date delivery of message. Some types of
media seem to be boring (e.g. letters, books, reports), but are most appropriate for a particular
situation. Conversely, blogs, televisions, radios, music, text messaging, social networks, among
other appealing communication media seem to be inviting and interesting, but sometimes lack
appropriateness for a particular context. Hence, conventional and digital media compensate in
terms of use and are undoubtedly context dependent.
4. AUDIENCE

The audience in the communication situation refers to the receiver of the message. It may be
a person or a group for whom a message is created. Some texts like a personal email, an
invitation to deliver a talk, or a thank-you note target just one person, but other texts are meant
for larger audiences like research reports, advertisements, signages, books, brochures, among
other communication forms. Two important questions guide audience adaptation in multimodal
communication: (1) Who is the target audience of the text? and (2) How might other people
interpret its message?

Understanding the message of a multimodal text activates personal factors about the
audience such as, culture, values, and life experiences. These factors all play a role in perceiving
the transmitted message. Your evaluation of a message is a reflection of your upbringing,
education, economic status, interest, aspirations, beliefs, and culture.

In determining the target audience of a multimodal text, you may examine its content. For
instance, if it is an advertisement, advertisers most often craft messages based on the audience’s
characteristics, such as, age, gender, education, occupation, economic status, habits and
interest, region, and culture. That is why, advertisements in televisions have their particular time
slots in order to suit said advertisement to audiences at a particular time. You would notice that
you can see different advertisements aired during a boxing rematch, a beauty pageant, and a
noontime show like “Eat Bulaga.” This selectiveness in airing or posting advertisements is
intended to filter selective messages to highly targeted audiences

5. CONTEXT

Context in this section includes the purposes and authorship of the text. A text serves at least
one of three purposes: to inform, to entertain, or to persuade. Often, a text fulfills all three
purposes at once. Magazines, for example, may entertain its readers, but it may also inform and
persuade them. Consider and analyze the purpose before sending any messages. The following
are questions that may be used in evaluating context:

What is the purpose of the message?

1. To inform. The message provides the audience with a clear understanding of the concept
presented by the source. Most of these multimodal texts like books, ebooks, letters,
blogposts, emails, magazines, newspapers, video tutorials, television newscasts,
documentaries, presentations are created for information dissemination. These
multimodal texts were built on society’s interest in learning and keeping us abreast of what
is happening in the world. Messages that are meant to inform or educate are typically free
from biased messages. Those messages that aim to entertain or persuade readers are
more prone to biased language. Therefore, the audience should be sensitive to any
organizational bias that might accompany the message.

2. To entertain. The message or the text amuses the audience. Some of these multimodal
texts that aim to entertain are television sitcoms or primetime shows, movies, music,
sports and travel broadcasts, social networks, magazines, and comics. Popular
entertainment media are appealing and inviting to advertisers because they are read and
viewed by large audiences who can also be their potential subscribers or customers.

3. To persuade. The audience is provided with well-argued ideas that can influence their
own beliefs and decisions. Persuasive devices are easy to recognize in advertisements
and commercials, but they are subtle in other media forms. For instance, a product
endorsement may influence you to think one way because the endorser only talks about
the benefits of the product. Media-literate individuals are able to weigh the pros and cons,
the advantages and disadvantages, or the benefits and harmful effects of a certain
product; hence, they make up their minds on an issue before subscribing or trying it.

Who controls the transmission of the message?

One critical question in evaluating messages is on authorship. The creator of the message
was already identified in the earlier section of this topic, but the question on ownership is
another layer of analysis. The message is created by an author who controls the distribution
or dissemination of the message. The three main categories of ownership are identified as:

1. Government. Multimodal texts that were created by government offices are state-owned
and must be carefully evaluated for propaganda—publicity, advertising, marketing, and
information dissemination. Most of the texts are available for references and have their
predetermined retention periods. There are countries that do not allow freedom of the
press and have even censored the Internet. However, other nations restrict independent
voices and use the state-owned media as their mouthpiece.

2. Corporations. Most of the media messages are controlled by private companies. Different
forms of multimodal texts like videos, newspapers, magazines, movies, web sites are
controlled by giant corporations. These media forms are business motivated by
commercial interests, which are gained through advertising. Audiences, readers, and
viewers alike should evaluate the message if it serves their best interests or the
corporation’s interest.

3. Individuals. Personal creations are independent media forms. Texts and other media
forms that are free of government and corporate influences are controlled by individuals.
Digital-based technologies have greatly helped and promoted independent media voices.
Citizen journalism is a practice that has gained momentum and is now easy for the
journalist to report meaningful news to a large audience due to digital media. Likewise, a
widespread of audience has already advancing and enjoying spreading information
through social media. All of these means of technology have brought an individual source
to be capable producer and creator of meaningful, timely, and interesting messages.
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