The purpose of this study was to analyze the transcription patterns of visual materials in braille social study textbooks. The 10th-grade social study textbook being used at schools for the blind in South Korea was selected for this study. A frame for the analysis was formulated based on a review of relevant studies, an expert meeting, and a pilot analysis of the first unit of the textbook. Visual materials were categorized into photos, drawings, tables or charts, maps, graphs, and others. The braille transcription patterns were categorized into verbatim transcription (correct vs. incorrect), modifications (appropriate vs. inappropriate), and omissions (indicated vs. not indicated).
A total of 465 visual materials were presented in the 10th-grade social study textbook. The patterns of braille transcription were as follows: omissions (278 cases, 59.8%), modifications (110 cases, 23.7%), and verbatim transcriptions (77 cases, 16.6%). Transcription patterns of visual materials in the braille version of the 10th-grade social study textbook were revealed somewhat differently, depending on the topic for each of 10 units.