An emergent data analysis technique was employed to test the veracity of a conceptual framework constructed around visual data use and instruction in science classrooms. The framework incorporated all five key components Vosniadou (2007a, 2007b) described as existing in a learner's schema: framework theory, presuppositions, conceptual domains, concepts, and specific theories. The framework was designed to guide science educators in making more effective use of visual data in instructional contexts. We identified emergent data in the form of critical salients in 15 chapters of a book written by 39 authors addressing visual data in PreK-16+ science. These were then compared to the framework to determine the degree to which the framework accommodated for multiple visual applications as a test of the veracity and applicability of the conceptual framework to visual data utilization in science instructional settings.