AN INTERPRETATIVE STUDY OF VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS IN NCERT TEXTBOOKS FOR ECOLITERACY

Abinaya Renganathan; M. Angkayarkan  Vinayakaselvi

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i3s.2026.6827

Authors

Abinaya Renganathan Project Assistant-CMRG, Department of English, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
Dr. M. Angkayarkan Vinayakaselvi Professor, Department of English Studies, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i3s.2026.6827

Keywords:

Ecoliteracy, Visual Scholarship, NCERT, Environmental Sustainability, Middle School Curriculum

Abstract [English]

The paper examines the role of visual representations in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Social and Political Life textbooks for middle school students, to foster ecoliteracy. Employing visual analysis, the study analysed selected images to interpret their aesthetic, intellectual propositions and cognitive and affective abilities in understanding the fundamental knowledge of ecology and their sociocultural relations and empathy towards environmental sustainability among young learners. The interpretive framework draws on the theoretical arguments of Darren Newbury (2011) for visual analysis, while the conceptualisation of ecoliteracy is informed by the theoretical insights of Richard Kahn (2008), McBride (2013) and Daniel Goleman (2012). The findings reveal that NCERT textbooks’ visual representations function as powerful mediating tools that situate environmental issues within broader sociocultural contexts, fostering ecological interdependence, ethical responsibility and sustainable practices. The study highlights the potential of visual narratives as educational and critical literacy resources for environmental education. The paper recommends a more deliberate and systematic integration into curricular design and classroom pedagogy.

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