In the history of teaching, different kinds of visual literacies could be shown beneficial for students; it need not be a whole novel rendered in pictures, it can start with simple letter recognition. The present study will deal with a struggling writer's experiences with graphic novels.
My single case study participant is a 6th-grade, male struggling writer of African descent, born in the U.S. He is not professionally diagnosed, but has an IEP at his middle school for "executive function disorder," which officially does not exist as a "disease." His teachers have noticed that he has trouble executing written tasks, although he is perfectly able to dictate content of high quality. It seems to be not only a graphomotor dysfunction, for he can type a little better than handwrite; the main problem for him is to start a writing task, and also to finish it. As preliminary data from a year-long tutoring experience in a local Reading Clinic revealed, during which time I worked with him first in a classroom environment for half a year, and then in my office with just two tutees present, the boy reads at 9th grade level; however, when asked to do a quickwrite in 10 minutes, he can only come up with sentences like, "Can I have a drink please?", whereas the other tutees managed to write half a page or a page of a story. His handwriting is huge, uneven, bears mechanical errors (although not enough to call him dyslexic for his age category), and so slow-paced that he cannot manage to finish a task in a given time. In clear opposition to this stands the observation that Remy has an astonishingly advanced vocabulary; when talking to him, one thinks he is much older and more mature, and very polite and well-behaved. This impression fades when one tutors him, and he exhibits unsuppressed, child-like behavior like farting and belching without embarrassment.
The other participants are 28 teachers / professors who use graphic novels and took an online survey; 2 high school English teachers who do not use graphic novels and were interviewed personally; 20 authors and illustrators, as well as scholarly reviewers of graphic novels who took their respective online surveys.
Table of Contents
New and Hidden Literacies: Why Teach With Pictures?
Illustration 1: Taxonomy for this research paper
The Supermen and Superwomen: My Participants
The Super Weapons: My Methods
The Super Story: My Results
Teachers’ Perceptions:
Summary
Authors’/Illustrators’ Perceptions
Field Observations: “There’s nothing to be written in this text field—here, we would have sound!”
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
This study investigates the efficacy of using graphic novels as a pedagogical tool to support struggling writers, particularly those who demonstrate strong spatial intelligence but face challenges with traditional text-only literacy tasks.
- The potential of "hidden literacies" in classrooms to motivate students.
- The role of visual narrative in supporting analytical and critical thinking.
- Teacher and educator perceptions regarding the academic value of graphic novels.
- The impact of graphic novels on engagement and self-esteem for students with learning difficulties.
- Methodological approaches for assessing writing progress within visual-textual formats.
Excerpt from the Book
Field Observations: “There’s nothing to be written in this text field—here, we would have sound!”
Pierre is undergoing an experiment consisting of three stages: in the first stage, he is writing text-only narratives of previously read material; in stage two (where he is right now), he is receiving my “graphic novels treatment” and fills in speech bubbles and blank text fields next to cartoons or his own photos of Lego Star Wars figures; and in stage three (where we will arrive in 2011), he will receive the short speech bubbles he created in stage two, pasted under each other in a Word document, in order to use them as scaffold to write a complete text-only essay around them. My preliminary data analysis has shown that if he writes a text-only essay (such as about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by Fitzgerald), he hardly has any plot or setting; instead, he has a long tedious introduction and strange philosophical statements that do not belong in the story (such as: “Imagine a friend gives you a long wanted present,” Or, “Now you are probably wondering what I mean. Well i'll tell you then.” Tutoring log from 09/21/2009) He also never manages to finish an essay, and it takes very long to write (Benjamin Button took half a year; spread out to weekly tutoring sessions, 2 hours in a row). My present data analysis shows that he IS able to create dialogue, because I see him using it in his speech bubbles and text fields! He still does not use plot; when working with graphic novels, he focuses entirely on dialogue (what the format brings with it). The data from stage three shall show whether he can integrate the dialogue he has created into an essay, so he has some structure, cohesion, active language, and development.
During my tutoring experience with Pierre, which extends over a year now, I was able to observe his recurrent behavior: The rather stout sixth-grader is not sitting on his revolving chair, he is kneeling or hanging on it. Here is an incident from my tutoring log from 08/17/2009: “He complained, "Why can't I type?" I promised him that for the next session, we would do a typing task. He put his left arm around me and scribbled with his right hand, the paper always sliding away. I told him, "You cannot write like this," but he said, ‘I'll show you I can write like this.’”
Summary of Chapters
New and Hidden Literacies: Why Teach With Pictures?: This chapter explores the scholarly background of visual literacy and how graphic novels can serve as an effective bridge to help struggling writers engage with academic content.
Illustration 1: Taxonomy for this research paper: This section presents a structured categorization of variables relating to the definition, creation, and classroom application of graphic novels.
The Supermen and Superwomen: My Participants: An introduction to the case study participant, Pierre, a struggling writer, as well as the 28 teachers and 20 authors/illustrators who provided data via surveys and interviews.
The Super Weapons: My Methods: This chapter details the author's role as a participant observer and the longitudinal, naturalistic methodology used in the tutoring of Pierre and the collection of teacher data.
The Super Story: My Results: A comprehensive presentation of findings from interviews with educators regarding their experiences, challenges, and support systems when using graphic novels in the classroom.
Field Observations: “There’s nothing to be written in this text field—here, we would have sound!”: This chapter analyzes the specific writing behaviors and progress of the case study participant throughout his structured, multi-stage engagement with graphic novels.
Conclusion: A final reflection on the study's findings, highlighting the lack of consensus on definitions, the barriers to adoption in schools, and the need for refined assessment tools for visual-textual student work.
Keywords
Graphic novels, visual literacy, struggling writers, case study, narrative development, pedagogy, educator perceptions, student engagement, comics, classroom management, reading comprehension, writing instruction, multiple literacies, Star Wars, scaffolded learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this research?
The research aims to investigate whether teaching strategies incorporating graphic novels can help struggling writers overcome their writing difficulties by leveraging their existing visual and "hidden" literacies.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
Key themes include the definition and format of graphic novels, the role of graphic novels in education, the perceptions of teachers and school administrators, and the specific case study of a struggling young writer.
What scientific methodology is utilized?
The study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining longitudinal ethnographic observations of a case study participant, qualitative interviews, and online surveys to triangulate perspectives from teachers, creators, and scholars.
How does the author define a "graphic novel" vs. a "comic book"?
The research highlights a lack of consensus, with some defining it by length and quality, while others view the graphic novel strictly as a format—not a genre—that utilizes specific stylistic and literary conventions.
What is the significance of the "hidden literacies" concept?
It refers to the reading and comprehension skills students possess outside of school, which educators often overlook, but which can be utilized as a motivational factor for developing traditional literacy skills.
Which individuals participated in the study?
The participants include a sixth-grade struggling writer (Pierre), 28 K-12 teachers and professors, and 20 authors, illustrators, and scholarly reviewers of graphic novels.
How did the student, Pierre, react to the graphic novel treatment?
Pierre demonstrated a preference for dialogue and visual elements, finding it easier to contribute to speech bubbles than to traditional plot-driven writing tasks, though he still required significant scaffolding to bridge these skills into essay writing.
What did teachers report regarding school administration support?
Feedback was mixed; many teachers noted that administrators were initially ignorant about the educational value of graphic novels but became more supportive once they understood the potential or when teachers provided "justification statements."
What challenges does the author face regarding student assessment?
The author found that existing qualitative and quantitative assessment rubrics were insufficient and not valid for measuring the unique blend of visual and textual work produced by the student, leading to a need for a new "mixed" assessment tool.
- Quote paper
- Dr. Christina Voss (married Lyons) (Author), 2010, "It’s One Less Plate That They’re Spinning". Graphic Novels to Help Struggling Writers?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1132999
