phaidra.ustp.at o:7303 Enhancing Data Visualization Literacy: A Comparative Study of Learning Materials in Schools Interpreting data visualizations is an essential skill in today’s education, yet students often struggle with understanding unfamiliar formats. This study investigates how four learning materials – textbook, comic, video, and game – affect middle- and high school students’ ability to interpret line charts, area charts, stacked area charts, and stream graphs. We conducted a comparative classroom study with 68 students, using pre- and post-tests, worksheet activities, and group discussions to assess learning outcomes and understanding. Our results show statistically significant improvement in students’ understanding of stacked area charts and streamgraphs, while no significant differences between the learning materials were found. This suggests that more factors than initially anticipated – such as engagement, motivation and active learning strategies – influence the learning outcome. The analysis of the worksheets revealed that while students could infer surface-level insights from charts, over 70% struggled to identify underlying patterns or relationships. Additionally, a common challenge across all learning materials was reading fatigue, which often led students to skim content, disengage, or misinterpret key information. These findings highlight the need for educational tools and approaches that foster deeper understanding of unfamiliar visualizations, reduce cognitive load, and encourage active engagement. eng visualization education schools learning materials visualization literacy 2025-07-30T08:41:17.010Z LOMv1.0 Author BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Boucher;Magdalena; FN:Magdalena Boucher X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3406-8743 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kejstová;Magdaléna; FN:Magdaléna Kejstová X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7424-9047 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Stoiber;Christina; FN:Christina Stoiber X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1764-1467 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kandlhofer;Martin; FN:Martin Kandlhofer X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6410-2071 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Boucher;Alena; FN:Alena Boucher X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1782-3467 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kriglstein;Simone; FN:Simone Kriglstein X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7817-5589 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Buchinger;Shelley; FN:Shelley Buchinger X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5288-257X END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Aigner;Wolfgang; FN:Wolfgang Aigner X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5762-1869 END:VCARD https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/scheme https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/text Textdokument Text LOMv1.0 yes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 application/pdf 4693364 https://phaidra.ustp.at/o:7303 https://phaidra.ustp.at/api/object/o:7303/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline https://w3id.org/oerbase/vocabs/oefos2012 https://w3id.org/oerbase/vocabs/oefos2012/1 NATURAL SCIENCES NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN https://w3id.org/oerbase/vocabs/oefos2012/102 Computer Sciences Informatik https://w3id.org/oerbase/vocabs/oefos2012/1020 Computer Sciences Informatik https://w3id.org/oerbase/vocabs/oefos2012/102037 Visualisation Visualisierung