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How graphic novels support reading comprehension strategy development in children
Abstract
This qualitative case study explored the relationship between comprehension strategies and graphic novels in one Grade 4 classroom, utilising children as informants. The primary research questions related to children's applications of metacognitive reading comprehension strategies as well as the potential for graphic novels to support the students’ development as readers. Findings demonstrated that the children were able to apply two types of strategies to their reading of graphic novels: ‘keys’ that supported form-specific comprehension strategies and ‘master keys’ that supported more general comprehension strategies that could be applied to other types of texts. Student preferences for graphic novels aligned with their preferences for reading narrative novels and non-fiction, and did not align with preferences regarding comics or cartoons. Student preferences for reading graphic novels increased throughout the study. Fluent student responses to graphic novels through process drama were identified. Implications of the study involve the employment of graphic novels to support metacognitive strategies for reading and writing as well as to facilitate process drama.
... Graphic novels and comic literature are no strangers to teaching settings. As a medium and an art form, both bring unique contributions to the student's reading experience and development of visual literacy skills (Brenna, 2013). The nature of the reading transaction in a visual context develops a more complex understanding of the story because it occurs on numerous learning and meaning-making levels. ...
... Effective teachers recognize that students can become heavily invested in learning new topics, and that interfacing with new material can engage diverse perspective and spark meaningful connections. Harnessing this engagement and interest from students neces-sarily involves the use of effective criteria in making these curriculum planning decisions (Boerman, 2015;Brenna, 2013). Understanding this relationship between learners, content, and pedagogy within the parameters of the curriculum and resources that one has to operate with often necessitates doing the best one can with the resources one has. ...
... Graphic novel adaptations of classic literary works have existed for decades, and sometimes have been used in classrooms as either supple-ments or substitutes for the reading of novels (Boerman-Cornell, 2013;Brenna, 2013). This practice has often been employed by students with dyslexia or other reading challenges, as a way to compensate for difficulties in reading fluency or reading comprehension (Smetana & Grisham, 2012;Smith et al., 2019). ...
The presence of graphic literature and novels in schools is commonplace. An area of instruction that is currently lacking across much of schooling is the concerted and focused use of graphic literature and novels in teaching a variety of subjects and content. Teaching with this kind of literature as a vehicle for inquiry and meaning-making can be highly effective when utilized in the right fashion. Incorporating a dimension of aesthetics and critical inquiry within graphic novels will yield a much more immersive learning experience. Borrowing from an art teacher's pedagogy, any subject can be invigorated or simply re-presented in a visual means. Graphic literature has the ability to connect the important concepts and ideas that students learn in school, but in a way that blends in the kinds of imagery that are commensurate with what students see outside of school. Combining critical inquiry with graphic literature will be argued to present a more appropriate level of intellectual and aesthetic engagement for teachers and students in the process of teaching and learning.
... Without support and unaware of their significance, many students may overlook these conventions. Brenna (2013), in her study of a group of fourth graders, observed the students discovering some of these conventions related to perspective and time on their own, once the teacher had alerted them to look for them. A recent study with a group of elementary teachers found that when the teachers were exposed to professional development related to these factors, their attitudes toward graphic novels improved and they were able to share what they learned with their students. ...
... Another important process in successful reading is inferencing, the ability to grasp meaning not overtly stated (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). Since graphic novels often lack the straight-forward recounting of events and characteristics of the topics being addressed, readers must use the visual aspects of the text and their understanding of graphic novel conventions to draw inferences within and across panels (Brenna, 2013;Smetana, 2010;Smetana, Odelson, Burns, & Grisham, 2009;Thompson, 2008). For example, in the initial pages of Takei's autobiographical They Called Us Enemy (2019, pp. ...
... This dramatic activity demonstrates not only the importance of synthesizing across images and words but also how it happens. Again, while the resources of synthesis are different with graphic novels, the basic mental process is essentially the same (Brenna, 2013). Using graphic novels to teach the process may transfer readily to print texts. ...
This chapter provides a brief introduction to the history of graphic novels in American schools, followed by a review of the literature regarding past graphic novel use. The authors then turn their attention to the real possibilities for use in schools in several major categories as described by current researchers, specifically in English language arts, math, social studies, science, and internet research. The chapter closes with suggestions as to what must take place in order for teachers to integrate graphic novels more effectively in their classrooms and highlights research areas that need to be addressed to support them.
... Scholars concerned with readers' development of visual literacy skills have discovered that comics' visual nature leads readers to attend to certain design features such as typography, interpersonal distance, color, facial expressions, depth-of-field, and layout (Brenna, 2013;Connors, 2013). However, scholars have also found that readers often need training in visual literacy and visual design to aid them in reading or creating comics (Gillenwater, 2014;Pantaleo, 2011Pantaleo, , 2012 Scholarship has also considered how the comics medium can foster critical literacy and social awareness. ...
... Additionally, researchers have examined how comics can be used to support the development of traditional literacy, content area literacy, visual literacy, and critical literacy. Brenna (2013) and Chase et al. (2014) found that comics were useful in supporting traditional reading comprehension strategies such as predicting, summarizing, synthesizing, and sequencing. Others have found that students of all ages are able to learn material about a variety of subjects (e.g., science, social studies, health, and business) through reading comics (Albright & Gavigan, 2014;Bosma et al., 2013;Brozo & Mayville, 2012;Ching & Fook, 2013;Lin & Lin, 2016;Short et al., 2013). ...
This research project examines the literacy practices that developed and were implemented around the comics medium when two secondary teachers (one AP Science and one AP English) used graphic novels for the first time in their classroom instruction. Drawing from the view of literacy as a social practice, the researchers used ethnographic methods to examine the two case study classrooms. Using constant comparative analysis and interpretive analysis, the researchers identified six literacy practices the teachers used to teach with and about the graphic novels including Q&A, lecture, answering multiple choice questions, reading out loud, writing about comics, and drawing comics.
... Carter (2007) reported that graphic novels transform the classroom by allowing students to navigate complex social issues. Graphic novels motivate and engage reluctant readers (Brenna, 2013;Crawford, 2004;Schwarz, 2007). For emerging bilingual students, graphic novels connect to their experiences and background (Danzak, 2011;Norton, 2003) and help them visualize text (Lyga, 2006). ...
... In early grades, graphic novels have been used to teach the literary concept of sequencing (Chase et al., 2014). In Brenna (2013), though fourth-grade students picked up graphic novel form-specific comprehension strategies (e.g. interpreting lettering style), the teaching of these strategies did not play a central role in literacy instruction. ...
This article examines students’ identities in teacher–student interactions during an eight-week comic unit within a fourth-grade literacy classroom. Though researchers have increasingly studied how teachers incorporated graphic novels and comics into the school literacy curriculum, few have documented the social interactions that students’ multimodal composing is embedded in. Using microethnographic discourse analysis, we traced the identity work of two case studies at different reading levels during whole-class discussions and writing conferences and how their teacher supported their positive identity development through discourse moves. In this article, we show that the teacher’s dialogic approach to teaching provided both students with opportunities to position themselves and be positioned as expert and comic author. We encourage educators to use multimodal literacy to create a supportive learning environment that transforms verbocentric school literacy and students’ identities.
... This suggests that those participants were able to implicitly pick up and process the narrative structure implicitly. In addition, Brenna (2013) suggests that graphic novels offer richness in terms of context for teaching reading comprehension and found that students identified learning clues when interpreting the graphic format and mentioned utilizing the style of speech bubbles, text format, panels when generating meaning. ...
... The problem is, if the students don't have the digital literacy in navigating through the technology, whether it is software, an iPad, or any other device, then how are they to benefit from them? Comics are a genre with its own literacy, and thus guided experience with this genre is well worth careful exploration and experimentation (Brenna, 2013;Nakazawa, 2005;Panteleo, 2013). ...
Notions of accessibility bring to question the perceived deficits in narrative comprehension for autistic people. This deficit has been positioned as having a cognitive processing disposition towards local coherence, rather than global coherence. Rather than a unitary deficit in the individual, reduced performance on inferential narrative comprehension tasks may be an issue of modality. This dissertation adds to research that challenges this unitary deficit assumption, by situating cognitive processing dispositions in different narrative modalities. Furthermore, this project unifies several prominent inferential frameworks, conceptualizing inferential thinking as a continuum of integration, rather than a set of discrete skills. Repositioning Kintsch’s (1988) construction-integration theory as an ordinal continuum provides a basis for integrating other inferential-thinking frameworks, and thus theorizing a new cognitive processing disposition. The Integrated Inferential Reasoning (IIR) continuum is anchored by Pearson and Johnson’s (1978) text-implicit questions-answer relations (QARs; local), and script-implicit QARs (global). Building off of the idea of degrees of integration, a new level of QAR is introduced, in which the
local and global clauses are integrated into one cohesive inferential response. In this study, the impact of narrative modality (comic plus text versus text-only) on inferential reasoning is compared between and among autistic (n=18) and neurotypical adolescents (n=112). Although the autistic respondents presented deficits in IIR when answering inferential reasoning items following narratives in a traditional text-only format, the situation with the comic plus text format was more nuanced. Considering format alone, the comic plus text did not promote IIR. However, autistic respondents with the highest level of self-rated comic experience performed comparably to their neurotypical peers on both formats. This is consistent with viewing comics not just as a format, but as a literacy. I present evidence that cognitive processing disposition varies as a function of context. Autistic respondents had a different experience when engaging with narratives in either the comic plus text and text-only format. This line of research provides alternate frameworks for thinking about autism and narrative meaning making. The work suggests that deficit explanations may not be as powerful as a neurodiversity lens in characterizing the experiences of neurotypical and autistic adolescents when they grapple with narrative accounts of social experiences.
... We define graphic novels as book-length narratives told in the comic medium. Many have written about the appeal of graphic novels and their power to engage young adolescents (e.g., Brenna, 2013;Gavigan, 2011). However, the benefits extend beyond motivation as graphic novels provide rich, multimodal text with the potential to engage students with complex ideas (Brozo, Moorman, & Meyer, 2013). ...
... However, it was important to us to go beyond engagement. Research to date has already illuminated the engaging potential of graphic novels (e.g., Brenna, 2013;Gavigan, 2011). What we were most interested in was whether that engagement converted to learning of the content: both the design elements and typical features of graphic novels and historic information about the American Revolution. ...
In this study, we examine evidence of transfer from reading instruction to students’ learning of language arts and historical content as demonstrated by their independent writing and growth in background knowledge. We taught a unit in a sixth-grade language arts classroom in which students learned about design elements of graphic novels (e.g., line, color) and typical features (e.g., gutter, panel) to bolster reading comprehension, using a historically accurate graphic novel about the American Revolution as an anchor text. We asked, (a) When students are taught about elements of graphic novels during content-area reading instruction, in what ways are they able to demonstrate understanding of those elements in independent compositions? (b) Does this type of instruction also build historical content knowledge? Results indicate that students were able to simultaneously learn about the graphic novel form and the content of the focal text.
... The study focus of approximately half of the studies either included or focused on, reader preference as one factor (n=25). 6 The question of preference comes in many shapes: it may use a gender perspective (whether boys and girls prefer different comics [Allen and Ingulsrud 2005;Davies and Brember 1993;Witty 1941b]); how students choose between different types of comics (Witty 1941a(Witty , 1941b; the aspects that students find appealing about a certain type of comic (Norton 2003;Pantaleo and Bombphray 2011); whether students prefer a comic or a 'traditional' version of a text (Bosma et al. 2013;Brenna 2013;Jennings et al. 2014); whether students enjoy a comic introduced, or created, by the researcher or teacher (Sharpe and Izadkhah 2014;Spiegel et al. 2013;Weitkamp and Burnet 2007); or whether students find a certain comic 'funny' (Weitkamp and Burnet 2007;Lazzarich 2013;Kuhlman and Danielson 2010;Rule and Auge 2005;Özdemir 2017). ...
... (Note that 'school subject' is not an exclusive category, and a study may include more than one subject.) Language arts include such topics as studies on grammar (Akkaya 2013), vocabulary uptake (Brugar et al. 2018;Edwards 2008), reading comprehension (Brenna 2013;Jennings et al. 2014) and literacy didactics (Kerneza and Kosir 2016;Wallner 2017bWallner , 2019), but do not include studies on English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL), or second-language acquisition (SLA, non-English). These were specifically categorized in the texts (Chiera-Macchia and Rossetto 2011;Chun 2009;Cimermanová 2015;Huh and Suh 2018;Ranker 2007). ...
The aim of this article is to increase knowledge on the use of comics as materials in K-9 education (ages 6–15). This is achieved through an integrative research review. Reference lists and websites have been searched, both by database searches and manually, and the results analysed and cross referenced to identify common areas of research and possible gaps in knowledge. Fifty-five texts (research articles and doctoral theses) were found, with 40 first authors from fourteen countries. The results revealed several gaps in knowledge. Most of the analysed studies had been carried out in North America, which suggests that more studies in other educational contexts, published in English, are needed, and that cross-national studies of comics in education will be productive. Furthermore, only three of the analysed texts describe studies that have high ecological validity, while all of the remaining 52 studies were ‘staged’ studies, in which the researcher had introduced material and observed the results. This suggests that further studies that utilize non-experimental research methods are needed. Finally, most studies focus on students’ reading preferences in regard to comics, rather than, for example, on how students compose comics or what they learn through comics. Thus, further studies that explore student work with comics, and examine the kinds of knowledge that reading comics enables, are desirable.
... Because 22 participants spent different amounts of time on reading the whole visitor guide, they were categorized into three groups based on distinctive characteristics of each group. Previous literature named readers who spend fewer, medium and longer time on reading as skimmers, scanners and intensive readers, respectively (Brenna, 2012;Lawrence, 2015). As 15 and 20 minutes are thresholds for concentration while reading (Nowak, 2013), the participants in this research were categorized as follows: skimmers (SKs) looked at the whole visitor guide less than 15 minutes; scanners (SCs) spent between 15 and 20 minutes reading; intensive readers (IRs) read the visitor guide more thoroughly and spent more than 20 minutes (Table II). ...
... Third, it contributes to the literature by understanding the pattern of selective attention of different types of readers. The three categories of readersskimmers, scanners and intensive readersidentified in previous research (Brenna, 2012 andLawrence, 2015) were validated through this study. Although they spent varying amounts of time on reading the visitor guide, they all had the reference-point reading behavior. ...
[Purpose]
Destination management organizations deliver travel-related information through visitor guides to build destination awareness and attract potential tourists. Therefore, this research aims to investigate how people read such a guide, understand their attitudes and to provide recommendations on enhancing its design.
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[Design/methodology/approach]
This research used eye-tracking technology in tandem with surveys and in-depth interviews. Eye-tracking technology uncovered the elements of a visitor guide that attracted particular attention, whereas surveys and interviews provided deeper insights into people’s attitudes toward them.
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[Findings]
People do not spend attention equally on each page of a visitor guide. Instead, they look at the reference points (i.e. photo credits, photos, headings and bolded words) and then read the adjacent areas if the information triggers their interest. The characteristics of the attractive components of a visitor guide were discussed and suggestions on designing a more appealing guide were provided.
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[Research limitations/implications]
The triangulated approach not only generated objective and insightful results but also enhanced research validity. This exploratory sequential mixed method can usefully be applied to test other stimuli and assess attention.
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[Practical implications]
To be deemed appealing, a visitor guide should avoid ads unrelated to the destination, include more photos, use the list format and bolded words, add stories or selected comments from social media and provide well-designed maps.
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[Originality/value]
This research fills a gap in the literature by using a triangulated approach including eye-tracking, survey and interviews to examine a 68-page visitor guide. The concept of reference-point reading behavior is proposed. Practical implications are discussed to improve the design of a visitor guide.
... It is the combination of these visual images and the traditional text that we normally read that emphasizes the uniqueness of graphic novels. Consequently, graphic novels can also be used to meet traditional literacy goals of text comprehension as well as multiple literacies (Brenna 2013, Lapp et. al 2012, Risko et al. 2011, Schwarz 2006. ...
... Likewise, Mouly (2011) describes graphic novels under the guise of comics that aim to tell stories in pictures. Like many other researchers who support graphic novels (Brenna 2013, Lapp et al. 2012, Mouly 2011, Risko et al. 2011) 74% of the teacher trainees also felt the same. It was the power of pictures that drew the teacher trainees to choose graphic novels over traditional texts. ...
Students in the ²¹st century are exposed to multimodal texts, which are texts with the combinations of the modes of prints, images, gestures and movements. Graphic novel is one of the examples of a multimodal text and this genre is introduced in the Language Arts module as part of the English language subject in the new Curriculum for Primary Schools in Malaysia. Hence, it is important that teachers should first be aware of how to make the most of multimodal texts before introducing their pupils to the strategies necessary for comprehending the text. However, without proper training on how to approach the genre, the teaching of graphic novels may pose difficulties for teachers in general and especially so for teacher trainees. This paper reports the findings of a survey conducted on teacher trainees to explore the challenges they faced in teaching graphic novels to primary schoolers. Results show that although the graphics succeeded to entice the pupils into reading the text, the teacher trainee felt that the graphics did not help their pupils in understanding the storyline. The pupils' eagerness to go through the graphics has caused them to ignore the words in the speech balloons. Consequently this has led to incomprehensible input and misinterpretation of the content. Results from these preliminary findings can be used to further investigate the strategies good readers use to read and comprehend graphic novels, so that teacher trainee would be better prepared to utilise graphic novels in their English classes. © 2017 Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.
... Unlike textbooks, the model of text punctuated with the occasional explanatory figure is flipped. This is valuable to educators who work with English-language learners or students with a wide range of reading comprehension abilities (Chun 2009, Smetana et al. 2009, Brenna 2013. ...
In both large bookstore chains and local comic book stores, it is relatively easy to find comics that focus on politics, history, and autobiographies. These comics are often incorporated into the curriculum in social studies classes at the primary, secondary, and college level, but there are far fewer science comics and even less research about their implementation. In this article, a brief rationale for the use of science comics is given based on five qualities—that they are motivating, visual, permanent, intermediary, and popular. Research projects that have studied the effectiveness of comics are summarized, but in many cases these studies have a small sample size or lack control groups. Following an introduction to science comics and their implementation, guidelines and resources are provided to help science communicators produce their own comics and to encourage educational studies into their use. As case studies, comics that I have worked on are described along with the results of how they were used, including page views and research projects.
... All these graphic novel elements have helped reluctant readers, especially teenagers to reengage themselves with reading. In Brenna's (2012) findings show that the Grade 4 students preferred graphic novels that aligned with their preferences for reading narrative novels and non-fiction, and did not align with preferences regarding comics or cartoons. Wong et. ...
Graphic novel is popular in young adult literature due to their illustrations and less usage of words. In the Malaysian secondary classroom, the selection of literary texts is prescribed by the Ministry of Education. The students learn the genres of poems, short stories, novels and graphic novels. However, the students only learn graphic novels for a year during their five-year secondary school. The aim of this study was to find out the students' reasons for and interest in learning graphic novels during secondary school. The methodology of this study was a survey design that involved a purposive sampling of 80 students from an institute of teacher education in Malaysia. This study collected quantitative data through a survey questionnaire which was analysed descriptively. The findings show that the students preferred graphic novels that were interesting and enjoyable. They also showed that they would like to learn more than one graphic novel in the classroom. The implications are on text selection and more choices of graphic novels by curriculum planners to sustain students' interest in learning literature.
... Other qualitative studies have charted how activists, students, and others have used comics to engage in gender-based discussions (Chattopadhyay, 2017;Dallacqua & Low, 2019a). Additionally, scholarship on comics in the educational sphere has found that graphic novels both motivated students and led to greater complexity and creativity in students' analysis (Brenna, 2013). Thus, researchers have noted that graphic novels provide rich opportunities to have serious conversations with students about gender (Dallacqua & Low, 2019b). ...
This study considers whether and in what ways graphic novel adaptations of traditional Jewish Hebrew texts can encourage adolescent Modern Orthodox girls to adopt autonomous critical responses when encountering narratives that present women in unequal roles vis a vis men. According to scholars, Jewish literacy should teach students to read traditional Hebrew texts reverently while forming autonomous interpretations and opinions. Instead, Jewish educators teach normative readings posed by approved rabbinic authorities. This is particularly the case when teaching issues relating to gender among Modern Orthodox Jews, a conservative Jewish denomination, strives to synthesize tradition with the values of modern, secular society. I therefore explore through think-alouds and semi-structured interviews to explore graphic novel adaptations of Jewish texts’ potential to give adolescents opportunities to voice autonomous, critical interpretations. Findings show that adolescents, through graphic novel adaptations of traditional Jewish texts are able to engage in critical readings of the source material. Participants admitted that while they inherently imagined scenes to unfold in a certain way, they never spent time deeply considering the assumptions such imagined details led them to make. Thus, reading graphic novel adaptations did not lead participants to uniformly challenge their understood rabbinic metanarratives, but instead generally made them question their own personal imaged narratives.
... When I ordered comics for the inmate population, I was questioned by other staff as to why that form of literature was necessary within the prison. My explanation detailed that not only do comics provide a fun form of reading, vocabulary and comprehension development, it provides an outlet the inmates can use to communicate and stay connected with their children and tie the stories into movies they both may have seen (Beverly, 2013;Genisio, 1996, Jones, 2014. Additionally, I added the point that most comics deal with a hero, or good verses evil. ...
In this autoethnographic research project the researcher details his planned happenstance story that led to a career in correctional education. Using an arts-based inquiry methodology, the researcher documented and studied specific events that through planned happenstance and self-determination, molded his literary, academic, and professional self. By reflecting on and studying the decisions and actions taken from planned happenstance events, the researcher feels that others may benefit and learn from his experiences. Correctional workers have a responsibility to model positive behaviors for the inmates in their charge. The more positive roles all correctional workers take in the education, rehabilitation, and re-entry efforts of the inmate population, the safer our prisons will be for staff and inmates, with the added benefit of lowering recidivism rates. The researcher discovered that using reflective writing is a beneficial strategy for learning and personal growth and is a valuable tool that can help establish a positive culture within the prison walls for staff and inmates alike. Through this project, the researcher feels everyone has elements of their own personal story that has the ability to shape and change the lives of those around them. Additional autoethnographic research can be the medium to add to the body of knowledge related to the fields of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, in both corrections and public education.
... Research at the intersection of comics and education has covered a wide spectrum of topics. Researchers have explored educators' perceptions of comics as educational tools (e.g., Clark, 2013;Mathews, 2011;Nesmith et al., 2011), expert readers' approaches to reading and constructing meaning with comics (e.g., Cohn, 2013;Jimenez & Meyer, 2016;Nakazawa, 2002), the role comics can play in motivating both reading and learning across content areas (e.g., Gavigan, 2011;Jennings et al., 2014;Millard & Marsh, 2001;Norton, 2003), and the ways in which comics can support traditional, disciplinary, visual, and critical literacies (e.g., Brenna, 2013;Dallacqua & Sutton, 2014;Gillenwater, 2014;Hosler & Boomer, 2011). Of particular relevance for this chapter is the research examining the use of comics in content area or disciplinary classrooms. ...
In this chapter, the authors demonstrate how teachers can use graphic novels in classroom spaces to support student learning and literacy outcomes while simultaneously valuing unique meaning making potential of graphic novels. Specifically, the authors address ways in which graphic novels can be used to promote history and social studies learning while capitalizing on graphic novels' complex, sophisticated, and multimodal nature. They suggest that rather than using graphic novels to trick kids into liking reading and learning content, graphic novels can be leveraged to promote deep, critical thinking about history and social studies. To accomplish this, the authors propose combining the opportunities for practice framework with a social semiotic view of multimodality as a means of supporting students' reading of historical fiction and non-fiction graphic novels.
... The researchers discovered that illustrations were found to facilitate inferential comprehension among 7 to 11-year-old children without any learning disabilities. In similar vein, another study demonstrated that grade 4 students used a variety of meta-cognitive reading comprehension strategies when reading graphic novels (Brenna, 2013). Some of these strategies include a) locating narration, b) examining narrative distance and time changes provided by visual information and c) interpreting lettering style, format and color. ...
Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have consistently showed poor performances in reading comprehension. Extending from previous studies that presented pure-text, this study aims to test the performances of graphic novel reading. We tested 24 Chinese children who have been diagnosed as DLD and 24 typical readers matched with age and nonverbal IQ. These children were asked to complete a battery of tests assessing graphic novel reading comprehension and related visual-cognitive skills. The results of group comparison indicated that children with DLD performed similarly to the typical readers in graphic novel comprehension. Moreover, significant links between comic convention understanding and both passage and graphic novel reading were found in both groups. Our results imply the benefits of using graphic novel to facilitate reading to learn in children with DLD. (129 words).
... Several researchers encouraged teachers to use graphic novels to teach inferential skills (Brenna, 2013;Chase et al, 2014;Irwin, 2007;Sloboda et al, 2014;Wallner, 2019). Graphic novels are an excellent means for practicing these skills since much of the information must be inferred through visual details along with textual information. ...
Given the notion that graphic novels have the potential for instruction, this study examines the questions: In what ways do local media specialists and English Language Arts (ELA) instructors use them in their classrooms or other educational settings? If instructors use graphic novels, how do their students respond to them? Have they experienced criticisms concerning the use of graphic novels as texts worthy of analysis and exploration in the classroom? Finally, what is the connection between research and the use of graphic novels in the classroom? In this qualitative study, the authors examined 14 responses from media specialists and ELA instructors working in schools in southeastern Tennessee. Additionally, they reviewed literature related to each of these questions.
... Scholars and educators have shared how they use graphic novels in their own classrooms to demonstrate the benefits and to encourage other educators to use them in their classrooms (e.g. Brenna 2013;Chun 2009;Griffith 2010;Schwarz 2002). Studies have also shown how teachers use graphic novels in the classroom to help students develop multimodal literacy skills for reading and writing (Hammond 2012;Hughes et al. 2011;Pantaleo 2011). ...
This paper considers the transnational multimodal literacy practices of non-Korean college students in America who use the webtoon app, which showcases Korean webcomics (also called webtoons). The findings suggest that these practices promoted agency in reading, learning the Korean language, and developing critical cultural awareness. Along with the burgeoning outgrowth of Korean pop culture in the United States, Korean webtoons have become popular among adolescents and young adults. Yet, there is no literacy research on webtoon readers in a Western country. This qualitative study is drawn from three cases of non-Korean avid webtoon readers to examine their experiences. The findings showed that these young adults do not read webtoons just for pleasure. They had an explicit learning goal related to improving their Korean language skills and learning about Korean culture, which they had little opportunity to learn about during primary and secondary school. The purpose of this paper is to reiterate the importance of out-of-school literacy and transnational multimodal literacies by introducing how webtoons promoted reading and learning for its readers.
... Providing an alternative perspective, other research has demonstrated that studying graphic novels and comics in the elementary classroom (Brenna, 2013;Ranker, 2007) can be a valuable enterprise. Comics support the teaching and learning of many of the reading strategies taught through use of more traditional logocentric texts (Dallacqua, 2013). ...
This study explores how an alternative writing unit with a focus on comics, choice, and publishing supported positive identity development in a fourth-grade classroom. Many traditional literacy practices with an emphasis on skills marginalize students from under-represented populations. This study reports literacy practices that countered the production of previously established unequal relationships and instead supported bilingual students’ negotiation of positive identities. We conducted an analysis of two bilingual case studies to examine the ways in which the shift from traditional literacy skills/practices to multimodal formats provided opportunities for students who were traditionally marginalized to renegotiate identities as experts and authors.
... Secara luas dikutip bahwa novel grafis sekarang umum digunakan dalam berbagai pelajaran membaca di seluruh dunia (Brenna, 2013;Cimermanová, 2014;Maureen, Beverley, & Cheryl, 2014;Thusha, 2015;Öz & Efecioğlu, 2015;Basal, Aytan & Demir, 2016). ...
Tujuan utama dari studi kasus ini adalah untuk menganalisis persepsi dari 27 peserta didik SMA Bina Mulia dalam membaca novel grafis menggunakan pedagogi multiliterasi yang mencakup desain pembelajaran yang seimbang dari ‘mengalami’, ‘mengonsep’, ‘menganalisis’, dan ‘menerapkan’. Studi kasus ini melibatkan pengumpulan data kualitatif yang berasal dari observasi dan wawancara kelompok fokus. Temuan penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa peserta didik secara positif menilai penerapan kegiatan membaca novel grafis sebagai strategi implementasi multiliterasi karena kegiatan ini tidak hanya dapat meningkatkan minat baca mereka tetapi juga memotivasi mereka untuk belajar dengan rekan-rekan mereka secara kolaboratif.
... Comic books have been used by many educators to increase students' comprehension of academic areas (Brenna, 2013;Frey and Fisher, 2004;Hosler and Boomer, 2010;Mallia, 2007). Interestingly, findings from this study reveal that comic books with either a scientific or historical focus demonstrated a moderately significant independent relationship with students' incentive to participate in 'Independent Self-Study' and 'Library Programmes' (see Table 8). ...
Comic books and their characters are an integral part of popular culture. However, comic books, as educational material, still remain controversial in certain education systems, as this medium is regarded by some as sheer entertainment – thereby hindering students’ motivation to seek out other more formal, text-based literature to read. For this study, a region-wide questionnaire survey was sent out to explore school librarians’ perceptions and attitudes towards the educational value of comic books in Taiwan. A total of 789 responses were collected for this questionnaire survey study. The regression model was used to identify the causal relationship between different genres of comic books and students’ voluntary reading and learning incentives in the context of the school library. Findings from this study suggest that comic books (1) carry the potential to attract more students to visit the school library after class, (2) facilitate students’ reading comprehension skills and (3) foster students’ interest in voluntary reading. Because of this medium’s visual-based and serialised narrative approach to storytelling, findings of this study also suggest that comic books could function as a reading motivational tool, particularly useful in helping their students learn about the subjects of History and Science.
... Otherwise the integrative work of cognitive functions is included in the processing of sign information (Brenna, 2012;Martín-Arnala et al., 2019;Schnotz, 2014). Despite the complexity of the interaction of the codes, they retain the main signs of the semantic integrity of the text as a language unit -an optional title; the division into paragraphs, which is provided, for example, by modularity and digital marking; logical completeness; the ability to formulate the concept of the text by linguistic means (Shulekina, 2018). ...
... Este proceso, además puede promover el desarrollo de habilidades de comunicación multimodal si se anima al alumno a hacer uso de herramientas tecnológicas y digitales para buscar información de manera crítica, crear contenidos utilizando distintos modos (imagen, sonido, texto) y compartirlos. Por lo general, los estudios que se han realizado sobre el cómic en la enseñanza se basan en la lectura de éstos como estrategia de aprendizaje de una segunda lengua (Berger, 1971;Brenna, 2013;Carano y Clabough, 2016;Chute, 2008;Cook, 2017;Hill, 2017;Meskin, 2009;Rodríguez Diéguez, 1988;Smith, 2011;Tilley, 2008;Yunus, Salehi y Embi, 2012) o el análisis de los cómics como medio (Ball y Kuhlman, 2010;Hill, 2017;Tilley, 2008;Wartenberg, 2012) o como transmisores de cultura (Berger, 1971;D'Angelo y Cantoni, 2006;Yıldırım, 2013), pero también como medio para el desarrollo de competencias de alfabetización visual (Frey y Fisher, 2008;Gillenwater, 2009;Herbst, Chazan, Chen, Chieu y Weiss, 2011). En este estudio hemos querido ir más allá y además de la lectura de cómics relacionados, muchos de ellos, con la temática de las asignaturas, fueron los estudiantes quienes los han elaborado. ...
La formación inicial de maestros deberá contemplar en sus programas el desarrollo de las competencias multimodales de los futuros docentes ya que serán ellos los que a su vez promoverán las de sus alumnos. Esta investigación ha favorecido la creación de conocimiento sobre el uso del cómic como herramienta para potenciar el desarrollo de habilidades de comunicación multimodal en la educación superior. El estudio se ha llevado a cabo a través de un proceso de investigación-acción durante dos cursos lectivos con la participación de 71 alumnos en el primer curso y 130 en el segundo. La creación de cómics por parte de los alumnos refleja el potencial que tienen para desarrollar tanto competencias de pensamiento crítico como de alfabetización multimodal. No obstante, hay que aclarar y tomar en cuenta que la creación de cómics requiere entender y conocer la semiótica visual, la gramática y las herramientas lingüísticas de este medio. Al ser un proceso complejo y nuevo para la mayor parte de los alumnos, es aconsejable planificar actividades a modo de andamiaje en las que se conciba la retroalimentación como factor fundamental para el logro de los objetivos de aprendizaje.
... Este proceso, además puede promover el desarrollo de habilidades de comunicación multimodal si se anima al alumno a hacer uso de herramientas tecnológicas y digitales para buscar información de manera crítica, crear contenidos utilizando distintos modos (imagen, sonido, texto) y compartirlos. Por lo general, los estudios que se han realizado sobre el cómic en la enseñanza se basan en la lectura de éstos como estrategia de aprendizaje de una segunda lengua (Berger, 1971;Brenna, 2013;Carano y Clabough, 2016;Chute, 2008;Cook, 2017;Hill, 2017;Meskin, 2009;Rodríguez Diéguez, 1988;Smith, 2011;Tilley, 2008;Yunus, Salehi y Embi, 2012) o el análisis de los cómics como medio (Ball y Kuhlman, 2010;Hill, 2017;Tilley, 2008;Wartenberg, 2012) o como transmisores de cultura (Berger, 1971;D'Angelo y Cantoni, 2006;Yıldırım, 2013), pero también como medio para el desarrollo de competencias de alfabetización visual (Frey y Fisher, 2008;Gillenwater, 2009; Herbst, Chazan, Chen, Chieu y Weiss, 2011). En este estudio hemos querido ir más allá y además de la lectura de cómics relacionados, muchos de ellos, con la temática de las asignaturas, fueron los estudiantes quienes los han elaborado. ...
The Latin American Comics Archive (LACA)1 is an ongoing project combining capabilities for Spanish language and culture teaching, research in the Humanities, and digital technologies as a tool for expanding the access and analysis of Latin American comics for both scholars and students. Thanks to a Digital Humanities Mellon Seed Grant, LACA started out with a small representative sample of Latin American comics that were digitized and encoded in CBML over the 2016-2017 academic year. In the Fall of 2017, a pilot course allowed students and researchers to access and explore these source materials as pedagogical tools for learning and researching about Spanish language and Latin American culture. The use of digital tagging and annotation tools on the archive enabled for the analysis of the visual and verbal language of comics, as well as cultural and linguistic items or themes, and a variety of formal categories. Students and researchers were able to collaborate in the definition of key terms to be annotated and used for the research of topics in the digitized comics, with the object of ultimately creating or collaborating in critical editions of comics for use by others, and the expansion of the archive, which will eventually be open to general scholarly use by students and researchers. Integrated applications could also allow for the production of short critical interventions in comic format.
... invokes feelings of success and enjoyment (Applegate & Applegate, 2004;Brenna, 2013). ...
Strong oral reading fluency skills are an important indication of good reading. In addition, reading engagement is often correlated with reading success. Unfortunately, students with learning disabilities (LD) often struggle to read fluently and engage with text. Incorporating graphic novels as part of a comprehensive reading program may help support student engagement with text during reading fluency instruction. This article outlines how teachers can use graphic novels as part of a comprehensive reading program to help engage students with LD in reading during fluency instruction. A brief summary of the literature surrounding comprehensive fluency instruction and the use of graphic novels is provided. In addition, a scenario is provided to illustrate guidelines for fluency planning and instruction using graphic novels. Finally, conclusions are summarized.
... From the point the student engages these materials, or prompts, the student may take an expanding leading role and become increasingly responsible for their own work and progress. Teaching from a graphic novel involves more than the standard compliment of discussion questions (Brenna, 2013;Labio, 2011). Graphic novels and comic literature present their narratives in a closed space, so the value is carried even further by some of the smaller elements or representations of the story. ...
The goal of literacy development at schools is a standing feature of the curriculum. In spite of this, the means to develop critical thinking in students often comes up short. The development of literacy and critical thinking can be presented in engaging and memorable ways, but schools often defer to what they have done in the past; namely through textbooks and worksheets. This article will argue that the greater and structured incorporation of graphic novels and comic literature, but from a critical literacy perspective, will have the effect of increasing engagement of the subject matter. A closer engagement through visual means, coupled with a teaching pedagogy that directly supports critical literacy skill development builds the best experience and engagement of student learning.
... The use of illustrations in children's storybooks is not merely aesthetic but also educational. Studies on the impact of pictures on children's reading comprehension, discussion about the text, and critical thinking skills show that illustrations have a unique function in addition to their artistic value (Brenna, 2013;Brookshire et al., 2002;Feathers & Arya, 2015;Greenhoot, et al., 2014;Orrantia et al., 2014). Indeed, the role of illustrations in children's storybooks is to provide a support for the text, especially for young children who cannot yet read conventionally. ...
... School teachers have reported the use of graphic novels as an instructional technique which is effective for illustrating narratives events, contrasts, scientific explanation, and social dilemmas (Martin 2009). Graphic novels can be considered as classroom resources that address a wide range of domains of teaching English Language-listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and representing -in addition to developing critical liter-acy skills (Brenna 2013;Pirnay-Dummer and Ifenthaler 2011), as well as positive academic performance and attitudes towards other courses in the curriculum (Brante et al. 2013;Clark 2014;Ercan 2014). Besides providing a source of motivation and an alternative mode for children to engage in traditional learning activities, the role of graphic novel in facilitating narrative production is uncertain. ...
Past studies have shown that multimodal presentation of story can improve story-retelling performance in the first language. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether similar multimedia effects can be observed in second language learning and graphic novel reading. A total of 51 Chinese elementary school children, aged 7–8, who were learning English as a second language were recruited. They were randomly assigned to one of the three experimental conditions that differed in the format of story presentation: English text, English text with pictorial illustrations or graphic novel. After reading the same story, the children retold the story in English. The narratives produced were then rated by two independent raters. The results of group comparison showed that children from the three experimental groups had similar performance, indicating that multimedia presentation may not always facilitate narrative production in English as a second language. Within-subject comparison further showed that the children were relatively strong in language skills and capturing the main ideas of the story, while showing weakness in story structure awareness, elaboration, as well as local and global cohesion. Suggestions for the application of multimodal presentation of narrative texts are discussed.
... The last two decades have seen a surge in researches concerning incorporation of graphic novels into the English classroom (for example, see Versaci, 2001;Chute, 2008;Chun, 2009;Corners, 2012;Bakis, 2013;Brenna, 2013;Brown, 2013;Moris, 2015;Cornell, 2016;Cook & Kirchoff, 2017;Brown & Begoray, 2017) The scope of how graphic novels are discussed is impressive. For instance, some pedagogues believe that combining print-based literacy and digital communication has the potential to increase student engagement as well as understanding of complex texts (Weiner, 2010;Brown, 2013). ...
This article reports an empirical study which compared the effects of different writing tasks on the writing products of EFL students. This study recruited 50 students from two natural classes in a Chinese university. In the pre-test, they were given the same writing task with only textual instruction and no difference was found in their writing quality. In the test, one class was given graphic novel with textual information, while the other class was given the same graphic novel without textual information. It finds that the group given graphic novel performed better than the other group in terms of content richness, plot development, organization, and language accuracy. It concludes that graphic novel is a better way to scaffold EFL student’s narrative writing and visual information should be included in EFL literacy curricula.
... Unlike textbooks, the model of text punctuated with the occasional explanatory figure is flipped. This is valuable to educators who work with English-language learners or students with a wide range of reading comprehension abilities (Chun 2009, Smetana et al. 2009, Brenna 2013. ...
In both large bookstore chains and local comic book stores, it is relatively easy to find comics that focus on politics , history, and autobiographies. These comics are often incorporated into the curriculum in social studies classes at the primary, secondary, and college level, but there are far fewer science comics and even less research about their implementation. In this article, a brief rationale for the use of science comics is given based on five qualities—that they are motivating, visual, permanent, intermediary, and popular. Research projects that have studied the effectiveness of comics are summarized, but in many cases these studies have a small sample size or lack control groups. Following an introduction to science comics and their implementation, guidelines and resources are provided to help science communicators produce their own comics and to encourage educational studies into their use. As case studies, comics that I have worked on are described along with the results of how they were used, including page views and research projects.
... Relatedly, Brenna (2013) identified two types of comprehension strategies that help students improve comprehension of text generally, and graphic novels specifically: "master keys" comprehension strategies and "keys" comprehension strategies (Brenna, 2013, p. 91). ...
Recently, education and literacy researchers have acknowledged educational merit in guided reading that incorporates interactive and authentic reading texts, such as graphic novels, which meet the needs of today’s predominantly multimodal learners (Jennings, Rule, & Zanden, 2014; Kist & Pytash, 2015). This qualitative study explores through interviews and a questionnaire the perceptions of pre-service teachers about the effectiveness of the comic book series known as TOON comics in guided reading with struggling readers and writers, from kindergarten through fifth grade. Pre-service teachers have expressed positive views concerning the use of these comic books in guided reading instruction with their struggling readers and writers. They plan to use this comic book series in the classroom in the future and they offer suggestions for addressing the challenges this genre may bring to their students.
... It is this need to analyze comics that drives our work with students and the instruction we share through this paper. In our classrooms, we use these suggestions to guide the critical inquiry with which our students engage, and as such, we use comics to foster visual learning (Eisner, 1998;Fisher & Frey, 2004;McCloud, 1993;Serafini, 2011;Smetana, 2010) and critical thinking (Brenna, 2013;Chun, 2009;Krusemark, 2015;Serafini, 2014) and task students with explicitly examining comic book superheroes through these relevant social lenses. The review of the literature that follows is meant to frame the analytical experiences our students undertake. ...
The purpose of this article is to provide teachers and students useful methods for utilizing the power of comic books as literacy sponsors in ELA classrooms. Given the continued boom in the popularity of comics in popular culture, this provides a relevant way to introduce students to visual and critical analysis. Engaging in meaningful analysis of comic superheroes can help students develop the skills required to critically analyze the stereotypes and social issues both within comics and within the world that surrounds them. Through the study of traditional and contemporary comic book heroes, students can critique society and begin to develop voices for social change. In this article, we discuss one way we have implemented comic books into literacy instruction in high school English language arts classrooms to help students practice and develop visual literacy skills and to scaffold students’ entrance into the weighty conversations that accompany relevant social issues. Using four comics, Gotham Central, The Shadow Hero, The Authority, and Ms. Marvel, we offer teachers examples and guidance for incorporating this approach into their own classrooms.
... For instance, Smetana, Odelson, Burns, and Grisham (2009) showed that graphic novels promoted inferential reading skills in high school students experiencing reading difficulties. In addition, graphic novels may also elicit additional metacognitive strategies for reading comprehension, as shown in Brenna's (2013) qualitative case study of 21 fourth graders. ...
Learners with poor reading skills are less able to acquire knowledge through text. Graphic novels may enhance reading comprehension skills owing to fewer words, more pictures, and an engaging storyline. This study considered the reading skills of 188 Chinese–English bilingual undergraduates, comparing their reading comprehension performance after reading pure texts and graphic novels. Results showed that students exhibited greater reading comprehension performance after reading graphic novels regardless of their varying cognitive styles and prior English reading abilities. In addition, students who read the graphic novels expressed a greater interest in exploring the topic further, as indicated by the number of further references they selected. Taking all of the findings together, the present study demonstrates that presentation mode plays an important role in 2nd language reading comprehension development. Therefore, educators need a more systematic way of educating preschool through Grade 12 students for visual literacy training.
... The use of graphic novels has been gaining popularity in educational circles for their ability to help visual learners (Brozo, Moorman, & Meyer, 2013;Murakami & Bryce, 2009), to motivate reluctant and struggling readers (Schwarz, 2002), to develop higher order thinking skills (Miller (2005), to address students having different learning styles (Seelow, 2010) and to provide rich context for increasing comprehension of the reading texts (Brenna, 2013). In addition to the above-listed benefits, graphic novels can be used creatively for other purposes, including vocabulary instruction. ...
Mastery of idiomatic expressions by foreign language learners is often equated with the fluency of native speakers of that language. However, learning these idiomatic expressions is one of the significant problems experienced by learners. The present quasi-experimental study conducted over four weeks in the ELT department of a Turkish university aims to investigate the effectiveness of teaching idioms via graphic novels compared to teaching them via traditional activities. The most frequent and useful forty figurative idioms from the Michigan Academic English Spoken Corpus (MICASE) were used in a script and the script was converted to a graphic novel with the use of a computer software. The results revealed that participants in the experimental group who had learned idioms through the graphic novel performed significantly better on the post-test, indicating the efficiency of the graphic novel in vocabulary teaching. The study also offers recommendations for the use of graphic novels in the teaching of vocabulary.
... The use of graphic novels has been gaining popularity in educational circles for their ability to help visual learners (Brozo, Moorman, & Meyer, 2013;Murakami & Bryce, 2009), to motivate reluctant and struggling readers (Schwarz, 2002), to develop higher order thinking skills (Miller (2005), to address students having different learning styles (Seelow, 2010) and to provide rich context for increasing comprehension of the reading texts (Brenna, 2013). In addition to the above-listed benefits, graphic novels can be used creatively for other purposes, including vocabulary instruction. ...
Mastery of idiomatic expressions by foreign language learners is often equated with the fluency of native speakers of that language. However, learning these idiomatic expressions is one of the significant problems experienced by learners. The present quasi-experimental study conducted over four weeks in the ELT department of a Turkish university aims to investigate the effectiveness of teaching idioms via graphic novels compared to teaching them via traditional activities. The most frequent and useful forty figurative idioms from the Michigan Academic English Spoken Corpus (MICASE) were used in a script and the script was converted to a graphic novel with the use of a computer software. The results revealed that participants in the experimental group who had learned idioms through the graphic novel performed significantly better on the post-test, indicating the efficiency of the graphic novel in vocabulary teaching. The study also offers recommendations for the use of graphic novels in the teaching of vocabulary.
... Studies were conducted to investigate the use of pictures to foster comprehension and answering of comprehension questions of expository texts as explained by Baggett and Graesser (1995) and Larkin and Simon (1987) as cited in Otero et al.(2002). Studies also supported the notion that the use of multimedia such as the graphic novels which are also comics, in secondary classrooms improved readers' comprehension skills such as making inference (Brenna, 2013). ...
Instilling the knowledge and value of nationhood has been conducted most of the time using
linear form of writing in the National Language. The National Language is utilized because
it is a language to be mastered by all the citizens of Malaysia. However there should be a
diversity in the types of materials in dispersing nationhood and patriotism among the young
generation. Nationhood and patriotism values should also be imparted through materials
such as the comics. Materials regarding nationhood of Malaysia are also present in
abundance in English. Hence the second language should also be used to inculcate
nationhood and patriotism. It would contribute greater to the knowledge in history of
Malaysia. The incapability in comprehending the materials read on nationhood and
patriotism would hinder the students from obtaining knowledge and values of nationhood.
The study focused on enhancing reading comprehension among the secondary school
students in the notion of enabling them to read and understand nationhood reading materials
regardless of types of text and language used.
There is an absence of cross-cultural qualitative research exploring sociocultural factors affecting reading motivation. To address the gap, the present study adopted the Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of human development to investigate factors impacting reading motivation across American and Japanese fourth grade students. Additionally, we aimed to identify ways to motivate both students to read. Semi-structured interviews for 12 students in each country were conducted. Our study identified a consistent pattern in which the reading motivation of both American and Japanese students was directly influenced by the microsystem. Our findings also suggest distinct patterns between American and Japanese students. While American students exhibited a direct impact from the microsystem, Japanese students' reading motivation was influenced by several systems, including the microsystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. We explained that the observed unique patterns between American and Japanese students could be due to cultural differences. We identified several effective ways to motivate students to read.
The intention of this chapter is to present a phenomenological study using a design-based research (DBR) approach to examine the development and evolution of a professional learning network (PLN). The purpose of the Graphic Novel and Teachers (GNAT) Facebook group is to make the use of graphic novels (GN) in the classroom as accessible and widespread as possible, not to supplant traditional literature but to diversify what is considered legitimate and teachable literature. Analysis of one year's worth of Facebook group member interactions indicates that Nielsen's 90-9-1 rule regarding online community engagement is not applicable.
As classrooms worldwide become diverse, the ways teachers engage children in literacy learning must be inclusive to accommodate the multitude of languages spoken. Multimodal literacy practices using digital tools provide innovative opportunities for emergent bilinguals to express their meaning-making processes. This paper details a year-long investigation into the multimodal literacy practices of eight young children who spoke different languages within an English-only classroom setting. The children showcased their reading comprehension through digital ensembles produced in responses to picturebooks. Transcribed small group interactions were analyzed to capture how one mode influenced another, and content analysis was applied to the student work samples. The findings reveal specific ways the emergent bilinguals transformed available resources to make sense of texts.
Booklists created by library and education professionals can be valuable tools for librarians as they develop collections. Based upon the perceived discomfort felt by many school librarians in selecting graphic novels, this research analyzes the extent to which a population of elementary and middle school libraries’ collections in the Southeastern United States reflects the lists of recommended graphic novels annually produced by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).
The percentage of English Language Learners (ELLs) has grown in public schools across the United States in recent decades. Curriculum materials libraries associated with teacher education programs must modify their collections to better prepare teachers for work in these increasingly diverse preschool to twelfth grade (P-12) schools. This article describes how librarians at a research institution in one of the country’s largest school districts approached a collection development project in support of young ELLs and the educators who work with them. Prior to purchasing any new materials, the librarians assessed the current collection, surveyed the literature and current practices regarding ELL collections, and researched characteristics of the local school district. Age-appropriate non-English language materials can help to support the continued development of home languages and culture, while nontraditional youth formats, including graphic novels and hi-lo books, provide ELLs with the opportunity to read developmentally appropriate materials with less text intimidation.
Purpose
This paper aims to illustrate how graphic novel adaptations can engage adolescents in conversations about gender and society, particularly when adaptations are weighed against messaging found in a student’s everyday life such as religiously motivated gender normativity.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on quantitative and qualitative analyzes of the interview, think-aloud and survey data collected from 15 adolescents who self-identified as Modern Orthodox Jewish women. Texts used for think-aloud were three graphic novel adaptations that critically adapted potentially misogynistic readings and interpretations of religious Jewish texts such as the Bible.
Findings
Epistemic network analysis and constructivist grounded theory show that visual elements found in each adaptation can spark deeply personal reflections on topics that are often explicitly or implicitly suppressed by social norms such as gender normativity in Jewish texts and practices.
Originality/value
This paper is timely and contributes to understanding the apparent cultural clash between religious conservativism and movements for social change, using the graphic novel to mediate between them.
It is a challenge for practicing language teachers to search for or to create a contextualized reading intervention material that can motivate students to read as they develop their English reading comprehension skill. Thus, conception, development and application of the contextualized graphic novel, “The Orphans, the Dog and the Enchanted Pot” were proposed. Within the framework of this quasi- experimental research, effectiveness of novel was examined and established. Thirty (30) respondents from grade 7 Anthurium students of Lamao Nation High School in S.Y. 2016-2017 formed the experimental and comparison groups. Sample size was carefully matched and paired in terms of sex, age and General Weighted Average (GWA).
Pretest was conducted to measure the respondents’ initial reading comprehension level, then, the novel was distributed to experimental group. They were instructed to read it for four (4) weeks or twenty- eight (28) days on their own free time whether in school during weekdays or at the comfort of their homes. On the other hand, the comparison group was not exposed to contextualized graphic novel but on other materials of their choice. After the experimental period expired, posttest was directed.
Outcomes provided statistical evidences that contextualized graphic novel supported development of English reading comprehension: First, it was marked that the experimental group marked with higher posttest result than comparison group after the experimental period. Second, experimental group’s posttest reading comprehension result confirmed that there was a gradual increase on the basis of their pretest result while comparison group’s posttest result decreased in reference to their pretest result. Lastly, it was determined through the comparison of pretest and posttest results, gradual development was manifested through experimental group’s initial comprehension level as frustrated readers to instructional readers after the exposure. The study concluded that the effectiveness of contextualized graphic novel as a reading intervention was partially upheld.
This chapter presents snapshots of what researchers are finding about the effects of using graphic novels in lower and middle school classrooms. Graphic novels and other multimodal classroom content make abstract concepts more concrete, aid in teaching language usage and sequencing, and more clearly address twenty‐first century communication in our communities and workplaces. The chapter introduces many outstanding graphic novels that can and should be used in elementary and middle school classrooms. Graphic novels' burgeoning popularity is also in part due to growing changes in education. It is being increasingly noted by teachers that graphic novels' vibrant images, playful fonts, and inviting dialogues make reading the complex texts more fun and accessible for all kinds of readers and learners. Graphic novels motivate all kinds of readers and learners and have been found to engage students ‐ increasing the number of books they read, words they encounter, and worlds they explore.
This study explores the possibilities for learning content that might accompany the use of an historically accurate graphic novel as part of a language arts instructional unit. During a 6-day unit, 16 sixth grade students engaged in graphic novels in ways that support comprehension, both in the context of a graphic novel text set and a specific novel, One Dead Spy. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, we evaluated student learning of content related to the topic of the American Revolution. Results indicate that engaging students in instruction around the novel built the background knowledge on the topic, as well as increasing their understanding of the topic as measured by a free-recall assessment. In addition, the unit posttest indicated significant learning around conceptual ideas.
Although the popularity and use of graphic novels in literacy instruction has increased in the last decade, few sustained analyses have examined adolescents’ reading processes with informational texts in social studies classrooms. Recent research that has foregrounded visual, emotional, and embodied textual responses situates this qualitative study, in which three eighth-grade students learned about the graphic novel format, responded in writing to interpretive prompts, and thought aloud during their reading of Gettysburg: A Graphic Novel by C.M. Butzer. Analyses of students’ responses to the multimodal text revealed how constructing inferences between visual and linguistic sign systems mediated their emotive empathy—a central, if limited, component of historical empathy.
Few empirical studies have been conducted to investigate the educational uses of graphic novels. Because of this, misconceptions and stereotypes exist. This article presents findings from a study examining the effects of graphic novels on high school students’ (N = 217) reading comprehension. A graphic adaptation of a traditionally taught text (Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”) was explored as (a) a replacement text and (b) a supplemental text. The study design utilized a factorial analysis of variance with three independent variables: text type, grade level, and gender. A reading comprehension test was developed to serve as the dependent variable. Findings indicated significant effects for all factors. At the conclusion of the study, post interviews were conducted to elicit students’ and teachers’ perceptions of interacting with the graphic text.
This study analyzes how second, third, and fourth graders in a racially integrated suburban school engaged in multimodal meaning making in the context of a book club discussing Ben Hatke's graphic novel Zita the Spacegirl. Qualitative analysis of field notes and assessments indicated three overall findings: First, students responded to multimodal graphic novel texts with comments and observations that were themselves multimodal. Second, students were capable of engaging in literary analysis and discussion related to the graphic novel they read. And third, students connected multimodally to other texts, graphic novels, and life experiences.
Graphic novels can be used in the secondary school classroom as part of a multiliteracies approach to help develop critical literacies of English‐language learner (ELL) students. One particular graphic novel, Maus, is discussed as a possible teaching resource. Intellectually substantive graphic novels that foreground racism and immigrant otherness often resonate with ELL students. These texts' multimodalities along with their engaging content reflecting the diverse identities present in many classrooms work in tandem to help deepen the students' reading engagement. For ELL students, their increased engagement via graphic novels can facilitate their entry and apprenticeship into important social networks that amplify opportunities for academic success in mainstream classes. Reporting from a collaborated pilot study of teaching Maus in an ELL high school class, I conclude by examining how it can be used to develop and draw on students' multiliteracies practices.
بإمكان أن تُستخدَم الروايات المصورة في الصفوف الإعدادية كجزء من منهاج تعددية تعليم القراءة والكتابة سعياً في مساعدة تنمية المعارف النقدية لدى دارسي اللغة الإنجليزية. ويتم النقاش حول رواية مصورة معينة مَوْس كمصدر تعليمي محتمل. وتؤثر الروايات المصورة ذات الأهمية الذهنية التي تضع التمييز العنصري وفكرة الآخر من حيث المهاجرين على دارسي اللغة الإنجليزية حق التأثير. إن تعددية شكليات النصوص هذه بالإضافة إلى محتوياتها الشيقة التي تعكس الهويات المتنوعة المتواجدة في كثير من الصفوف تعمل في تضافر للمساعدة في تعميق انغماس الطلاب في القراءة. وقد يسهل ازدياد انشغال دارسي الإنجليزية بواسطة الروايات المصورة دخولهم وتمهنهم في شبكات اجتماعية مهمة تكثر الفرص من خلالها لنجاح دراسي في الصفوف الرئيسية. وأنا في الختام أنتهي بالفحص الطريقة التي قد تُستخدَم من أجل تطوير واستغلال ممارسات تعددية تعليم المعارف لدى الطلاب مقدماً الخبر من اختبار تمهيدي تعاوني حيث تم تدريس رواية مَوس المصورة في صف دارسي اللغة الإنجليزية الثانوي
图画小说可以在中学课堂上作为多种读写文化教学方法的一部分，帮助英语学习者学生培养批判式读写文化。本文讨论一本特别的图画小说《鼠族》用作教学资源的可能性。有实质知识内容而凸显出种族主义及非我族类移民差异的图画小说，经常都能引起英语学习学生的共鸣。这些文本的多模态性质及其具吸引力的内容，能反映出在很多教室里存在着的多种多样身份认同，促进加深学生阅读这些小说的投入。就英语学习者学生而言，透过图画小说增强阅读的投入，有助于促进他们进入重要的社交网络及从中得到学徒式的训练，增大他们在主流班级中得到学术成功的机会。本研究报告是关于高中英语学习者教室教授《鼠族》图画小说的协作式初步研究，在其结论中，作者考查如何使用该教学来培养及借鉴学生的多种读写文化实践。
On peut utiliser des romans en images dans les classes du second degré en tant que partie d'une approche des multilittératies pour aider à développer la littératie critique des élèves d'anglais langue deux (EEL). Il est question ici d'un roman en images particulier, Maus, en tant qu'éventuel support pédagogique. Les romans en images qui sont solides intellectuellement qui mettent en avant le racisme et la différence ont souvent un écho chez les élèves EEL. Ces textes multimodaux avec leur contenu incitatif reflétant les diverses identités représentées dans les classes, agissent en tandem pour aider les élèves à approfondir leur engagement dans la lecture. Dans le cas des EEL, cet engagement accru grâce aux romans en images peut faciliter l'entrée et l'apprentissage dans d'importants réseaux sociaux qui améliorent les possibilités de succès scolaire par rapport aux classes ordinaires. En reportant une étude pilote d'enseignement de Maus, dans une classe de collège pour EEL, Je conclus en examinant comment on peut l'utiliser à développer et à tirer parti des pratiques de littératie multiple des élèves.
Графические романы можно использовать на уроках как материал для развития полиграмотности – в частности, для становления критической грамотности учащихся, для которых английский язык не является родным (ELLs). Роман Mausпредложен в качестве привлекательного учебного ресурса для таких учащихся, поскольку им обычно интересны интеллектуально насыщенные графические романы, посвященные вопросам расовой дискриминации и жизни иммигрантов. Наряду с содержанием, отражающим этническое разнообразие, характерное ныне для состава учащихся во многих школах, сама полимодальность этих текстов вызывает интерес учащихся к чтению. Знакомство с графическими романами и обретенные с их помощью навыки грамотности облегчают для ELLs вхождение в важные для подростков социальные сети, что способствует академическому успеху и выравниванию их академических возможностей по сравнению со сверстниками. B статье описан эксперимент по изучению романа Maus в ELL‐классе средней школы и конкретные методы и рекомендации для развития полиграмотности таких учеников с опорой на уже имеющиеся у них языковые навыки.
Novelas dibujadas pueden servir en la escuela secundaria como parte de un acercamiento de múltiples competencias para ayudar el desarrollo de competencias críticas de los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés (ELL por sus siglas en inglés). Se discute una novela dibujada en particular, Maus, como un recurso posible para la enseñanza. Estudiantes de ELL a menudo encuentran interesantes las novelas dibujadas de contenido intelectualmente sólidos que tienen como fondo el racismo y la otredad de los inmigrantes. Las múltiples modalidades de estos textos, junto con su contenido atractivo que refleja la diversidad de identidades en muchas aulas, funcionan en conjunto para aumentar el interés del estudiante en la lectura. Para los estudiantes de ELL, este interés puede facilitar su entrada a—y su conocimiento de—las redes importantes de contactos que aumentan las posibilidades de tener éxito en las clases corrientes. Reportando desde una clase de ELL a nivel secundario en la que se ha enseñado Maus, finalizo examinando cómo se puede usar para desarrollar y tomar ventaja de las múltiples competencias de los estudiantes.
Two high school teachers of Deaf students and two teacher educators present this article about the use of graphic novels as an important genre for teaching literacy and academic skills in the high school classroom. During a summer session for failing Deaf students at a state‐sponsored school, two English teachers taught and documented their students' experiences in reading and responding to selected graphic novels. They collaborated with two teacher educators in reviewing the literature on the usefulness of graphic novels in motivating and engaging struggling readers. The article provides a description of the project, a rationale for the use of graphic novels, and examples from students' work from the summer session. Resources are included for teachers interested using graphic novels with any group of students.
يقدم معلما طلاب طرش وأستاذا معلمين في مدرسة ثانوية هذه المقالة بشأن استخدام مجلات مصورة كجنس هام لتعليم معرفة القراءة والكتابة والمهارات الدراسية في صف المدرسة الثانوية. وفي أثناء فصل صيفي خاص بطلاب طرش فاشلين في مدرسة مدعومة من الحكومة قد علّم معلما اللغة الإنكليزية ودوّنا تجارب طلابهم في القراءة والمجاوبة على مجلات مصورة مختارة. وهما تعاونا مع أستاذي معلمين في مراجعة الأدب من حيث فائدة مجلات مصورة في دفع القراء المواجهين صعوبات في القراءة وإشغالهم فيها. إذ توفر المقالة وصفاً للمشروع وعرضاً لسبب استخدام المجلات المصورة وتقدم كذلك أمثلة من واجبات الطلاب من فصل الصيف الدراسي. وتضم المقالة موارد للمعلمين المهتمين باستخدام مجلات مصورة مع أي مجموعة من الطلاب.
在本文中，两位高中聋生教师与两位教师教育工作者，报告他们在中学课堂里使用图画小说作为一种重要体裁来教导读写文化及学术技能的教学方法。在一所国家资助学校里为成绩不合格的聋生而设的暑期班中，两位英语教师教导学生阅读及对选读的图画小说作回应，并记录学生对该学习的体验。这两位教师与两位教师教育工作者共同协作，研究相关文献，探讨图画小说在激发及令有阅读困难的学生投入学习的用处。本文描述该项研究计划，说明使用图画小说的理论依据，并提供该暑期班学生习作的实例。本文亦提供一些教学资源，以供有兴趣利用图画小说于任何组别学生的教师参考。
Deux enseignants de sourds du secondaire et deux formateurs de maîtres présentent cet article qui traite de l'utilisation des bandes dessinées comme genre important pour enseigner la littératie et les savoir faire académiques qui sont nécessaires à un élève du second degré. Pendant une session d'été pour étudiants sourds en difficulté d'une école d'Etat, deux professeurs d'anglais ont enseigné et enrichi l'expérience de leurs élèves en leur lisant et en réagissant à certaines bandes dessinées. Ils ont travaillé en collaboration avec deux formateurs de maîtres en passant en revue la littérature relative à l'utilité des bandes dessinées pour motiver et inciter à s'investir les lecteurs en difficulté. L'article apporte une description du projet, un rationnel en vue de l'utilisation des bandes dessinées, et des exemples du travail des élèves au cours de la session d'été. On présente également des outils pédagogiques pour les enseignants intéressés par l'utilisation de bandes dessinées avec n'importe quels élèves.
Два учителя старших классов в школе для глухих и два преподавателя педагогического университета, пишут об использовании графических романов – важного для старшеклассников жанра – при обучении грамотности и становлении академических навыков. Во время летнего семестра, организованного для слабоуспевающих глухих учащихся при спонсорской помощи штата, учителя работали с графическими романами, фиксируя опыт подростков, связанный с чтением и обсуждением предложенных книг. В сотрудничестве с учеными они ознакомились с научными источниками, посвященными графическим романам как инструменту мотивации академически отстающих школьников. В статье описан сам проект, доводы в пользу применения графических романов и примеры ученических работ, сделанных летом в рамках проекта. Приводится список книг, пригодных для чтения с учениками различных возрастных групп.
Dos maestros de estudiantes sordos de escuela superior y dos educadores de maestros presentan este artículo sobre el uso de novelas gráficas como un género importante para la enseñanza de competencias y destrezas académicas en el salón de clase de escuela superior. Durante una sesión de verano para estudiantes sordos que estaban suspendiendo cursos en una escuela estatal, dos maestros de inglés les enseñaron a los estudiantes y documentaron las experiencias de los estudiantes al leer y al responder a unas novelas gráficas que habían escogido. Colaboraron con dos educadores de maestros en la reseña de literatura sobre la utilidad de novelas gráficas para motivar e interesar a los lectores con dificultades. El artículo describe el proyecto, la razón por el uso de las novelas gráficas, y ejemplos del trabajo de los estudiantes durante la sesión de verano. Se incluyen recursos para los maestros que estén interesados en usar novelas gráficas con cualquier grupo de estudiantes.
Studies suggest that young children are quite limited in their knowledge about cognitive phenomena—or in their metacognition—and do relatively little monitoring of their own memory, comprehension, and other cognitive enterprises. Metacognitive knowledge is one's stored knowledge or beliefs about oneself and others as cognitive agents, about tasks, about actions or strategies, and about how all these interact to affect the outcomes of any sort of intellectual enterprise. Metacognitive experiences are conscious cognitive or affective experiences that occur during the enterprise and concern any aspect of it—often, how well it is going. Research is needed to describe and explain spontaneous developmental acquisitions in this area and find effective ways of teaching metacognitive knowledge and cognitive monitoring skills. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study examines the impact of the Learning Strategies Curriculum (LSC), an adolescent reading intervention program, on 6th- and 9th-grade students' reading comprehension and strategy use. Using a randomized treatment–control group design, the study compared student outcomes for these constructs for 365 students who received daily instruction in 6 LSC strategies and 290 students who did not receive intervention instruction. After 1 school year, 6th-grade students who received intervention instruction significantly outperformed students in the control group on a standardized measure of reading comprehension and reported using problem-solving strategies in reading to a greater extent than students in the control group. There were no significant differences between 9th grade intervention and control groups in reading comprehension or strategy use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Rev.& expanded from Case study research in education,1988.Incl.bibliographical references,index
This qualitative case study illustrates and compares the metacognitive strategies that a grade-3 female student used while reading narrative and informational texts. Data were collected from interviews, observations, and videotaping of the participant's narrative and informational text oral reading sessions and examined using thematic analysis. Findings showed that she used markedly different metacognitive strategies for each genre, resulting in comprehension difficulties while reading the informational text. This article suggests that for students to meet the challenges of informational texts, they must be taught specific metacognitive strategies while working with explicit text patterns. /// Cette étude de cas qualitative illustre et compare les stratégies métacognitives utilisées par une élève de 3e année en lisant des textes narratifs et informatifs. Les données, provenant d'entrevues, d'observations et de vidéos des séances de lecture à haute voix de ces textes par la participante, ont fait l'objet d'une analyse thématique. Les résultats indiquent que l'écolière avait recours à des stratégies métacognitives nettement différentes pour chaque genre de textes, ce qui entraînait des difficultés de compréhension pour les textes informatifs. Il semble donc que, pour que les élèves soient en mesure de saisir les textes informatifs, il faut leur enseigner des stratégies métacognitives particulières tout en tenant compte de la structure explicite du texte.
The purpose of this study was to examine the metacognitive reading strategies of five children, four to six years of age, who were reading fluently prior to formal instruction in grade one. Fluency was judged on whether the children could conduct meaningful reading (Smith, 1988) with relative smoothness (Duffy and Roehler, 1989). Methods of this case study included semi‐structured interviews, role playing, observations and informal miscue analyses of oral reading. The children's personal characteristics and home environments provided a context for their reading strategies, and particular attention was given to the caregiver‐child interactions which may have facilitated the development of metacognitive reading strategies.
Findings suggest that each of the children utilized a variety of metacognitive reading strategies and showed individual preferences for certain strategies, as indicated by the number of times these strategies were used. The children also responded differently to particular research methods, a finding which supports the employment of a variety of methods when studying young children. Findings from this study also draw a relationship between caregiver‐child interactions and the development of particular metacognitive reading strategies.
Salt Water Taffy: The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny: The Legend of Old Salty
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LOUX, M. (2008a) Salt Water Taffy: The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny: The Legend of Old Salty. Portland, OR: Oni.
The reader's altered state of consciousness The Readers' Advisor's Companion
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STURM, B. (2001) 'The reader's altered state of consciousness', in K. D. Shearer and R. Burgin (Eds.), The Readers' Advisor's Companion. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, pp. 97–117.
Claire and the Bakery Thief. Toronto: Kids Can Press Spiral Bound The Invention of Hugo Cabret
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O'DONNELL, L. (2010) Food Fight: A Graphic Guide Adventure (M. Deas, Illustrator). Victoria, BC: Orca Books. POON, J. (2008) Claire and the Bakery Thief. Toronto: Kids Can Press. RENIER, A. (2005) Spiral Bound. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf. RUNTON, A. (2004) Owly. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf. SAVA, C. (2008) Pet Robots. SanDiego, CA: Worthwhile Books. SELZNICK, B. (2007) The Invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic. SLADE, C. (2007) Korgi. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf.
Media Meltdown: A Graphic Guide Adventure (M. Deas, Illustrator)
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O'DONNELL, L. (2009a) Media Meltdown: A Graphic Guide Adventure (M. Deas, Illustrator). Victoria, BC: Orca Books.
Comics and Sequential Art Metacognition and cognitive monitoring
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EISNER, W. (1985) Comics and Sequential Art. Tamarac, FL: Poorhouse Press. FLAVELL, J. H. (1979) Metacognition and cognitive monitoring. American Psychologist, 34.10, pp. 906–911.
Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read Fostering independent learn-ing. The Reading Teacher
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SMITH, F. (2004) Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. STRICKLAND, D. S., MORROW, L. M., GIRLING-BUTCHER, W., PHILLIPS, G. and CLAY, M. (1991) Fostering independent learn-ing. The Reading Teacher, 44.9, pp. 694–697.
Graphic novels in the modern English Language Arts classroom: acknowledging the complexity of literacy
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PARK, J. (2010) 'Graphic novels in the modern English Language Arts classroom: acknowledging the complexity of literacy', in M. C. Courtland and T. Gambell (Eds.), Literature, Media & Multilitera-cies in Adolescent Language Arts. Vancouver, BC: Pacific Educational Press, pp. 173–188.
Jellaby: Monster in the City Binky the Space Cat. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures (J. Bone, illus-trator) Alison Dare: The Heart of the Maiden (J. Bone, illus-trator). Toronto, ON: Tundra Books
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SMITH, M. (2008) The Tale of Despereaux. Somerville, MS: Candlewick Press. SOO, K. (2009) Jellaby: Monster in the City. New York: Hyperion. SPIRES, A. (2009) Binky the Space Cat. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press. TORRES, J. (2002a) Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures (J. Bone, illus-trator). Toronto, ON: Tundra Books. TORRES, J. (2002b) Alison Dare: The Heart of the Maiden (J. Bone, illus-trator). Toronto, ON: Tundra Books. CONTACT THE AUTHOR Beverley Brenna, Curriculum Studies, College of Education, University of Saskatchewan, 3350– 28 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N OX1. e-mail: bev.brenna@usask.ca
Metacognitive skills and read-ing Handbook of Reading Research
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Considering primary-aged English Language Learners’ peripherality and legitimacy in small group discussions about graphic novels.Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE)
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