Running Head: USING GRAPHIC NOVELS WITH STRUGGLING READERS

Using Graphic Novels with Struggling Readers

Tracy Farrow

Department of Media and Technology, University of West Georgia

MEDT 7490: Visual Media Literacy Technology

Dr. Bertha D’Alba

Spring 2023
Graphic Novels with Struggling Readers 2

Introduction

How graphic novels support reading comprehension strategy development in children by

Beverley Brenna seeks to answer a question that has plagued many a reading teacher. How do we

engage readers in learning and applying reading comprehension strategies? Does using graphic

novels hold the key to unlocking this mystery for the elementary classroom? Beverly Brenna

attempts to discover the answer to this question in her qualitative research study on the

correlation between reading comprehension strategies and graphic novels in the Grade 4

classroom. Qualitative research through the use of survey questions and observations is

employed to determine if graphic novels help students develop as readers.

Summary of Literature

Brenna used detailed research from other studies that did similar research to support how

graphic novels should be considered as a classroom resource that can be used to address a wide

range of what it means to teach English Language Arts - listening, speaking, reading, writing,

viewing, and representing - as well as using graphic novels to develop critical literacy skills that

are related to visual literacy. The research Brenna referenced also alluded to the use of graphic

novels in high schools to help extend struggling readers’ comprehension skills, with particular

emphases on inferencing.

Analysis of Methodology

This qualitative case study was conducted during ten 1-hour sessions over 5 weeks in a

Grade 4 classroom. Twenty-one students, one teacher, and a student teacher were all included in

the study. Each teacher, including the researcher, ran three concurrent ability groups related to

strategy teaching. Each ability group chose a different text, which was selected based on themes
Graphic Novels with Struggling Readers 3

and difficulty level. Three of the 21 students had just moved from Germany and were ELL

students, and one other spoke both Chinese and Mandarin. Students were from diverse

backgrounds.

During the study, the teacher would use direct instruction to introduce a comprehension

strategy to the whole class, and students practiced the strategy in small groups using their graphic

novels. The researcher used classroom observation, informal discussion with students,

participatory small group activities, and written questionnaires to explore the students’

application of comprehension strategies to graphic novels. The study sought to answer two

questions:

1. What comprehension strategies can students in a Grade 4 classroom learn to apply to a

study of age-appropriate graphic novels?

2. In what ways might graphic novels support students’ development as readers?

Summary of Results

The study concluded that students used two types of comprehension strategies that are

specific and non-specific to graphic novels. It was noted that many comprehension strategies

were modeled and utilized with graphic novels and are appropriate for other textual forms.

Students also learned and practiced various graphic novel form-specific strategies, such as

responding to meaning embedded in types of speech bubbles and interpreting lettering style,

format, and color. The study noted that students had learned and were excited about learning

various form-specific comprehension strategies utilizing graphic novels.

Opinion

The study does show that students are just as capable of learning key comprehension

strategies through the use of graphic novels just as they can through traditional novel studies.
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The limited presence of text in the book shows that students have to rely more on visual literacy

skills to make sense of the entire book, which leads to a deeper discussion on using visual

images. I think it would be nice to see more statistical data that aligns with the study's findings

to support the results that she presents.

What did I learn?

This study helped solidify my opinion that graphic novels must be utilized in the

classroom when teaching comprehension strategies. Too often, teachers dismiss graphic novels

as not literature, and they miss out on the opportunity to help students, particularly reluctant

readers, engage in rich discussions about what they are learning from the book and how the

images lead to their understanding of the book.

References

Brenna, B. (2013), How graphic novels support reading comprehension strategy development in
children. Literacy, 47: 88-94. Google Scholar. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-4369.2011.00655.x
Graphic Novels with Struggling Readers 5

Introduction

“Graphic Novels are Real Books”: Comparing Graphic Novels to Traditional Text

Novels by E.M. Richardson introduces us to how graphic novels can motivate our reluctant

readers to engage in reading. As reading teachers, we all know that our job is to get students

reading, especially if we want them to improve their reading skills. However, our reluctant

readers do not always find books they want to read or would enjoy reading. Graphic novels can

help motivate struggling readers to read and should be a viable option employed by reading

teachers in the classroom.

Summary of Literature

Richardson provides a variety of detailed research to support the use of graphic novels to

motivate students to read to help overcome their reluctance to read and improve their reading

skills. She also provides examples of detailed research to support graphic novels help provide

new opportunities for readers because reading graphic novels requires different skills than

reading traditional texts.

Analysis of Methodology

This was a small-scale qualitative and quantitative study to determine if any difference

existed in comprehension depending on text format - graphic novel versus traditional text. The

study was guided based on one question: will students reading graphic novels comprehend the

story as well as those reading the traditional text? The researcher purchased forty copies of

Coraline (Gaiman, 2008, 2015); twenty were graphic novels and twenty were traditional text.

Forty students, 20 in grades 5, and 20 in grade 6, were randomly selected to participate in the

study based on their parents’ permission. Students were randomly assigned a text to read over a

2-week period. As they returned the book to the media center, students were given a 15-question
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review of Coraline. The questionnaire also included questions regarding the student’s personal

opinions of the book and whether they had read the type of book they wanted to read. Two of

the 40 questionnaires collected were not scored due to being incomplete. Each questionnaire was

scored individually, and results were compared between those students who read the graphic

novel and those who read the traditional text.

Summary of Results

The data showed that those students in Grade 5 on average, scored the same on the

comprehension portion, regardless of which version of Coraline they read. For students in

Grade 6, the group that read the graphic novel scored, on average, higher than those that read the

traditional text on the comprehension portion. The qualitative data collected during the study

answered two questions:

1. Did you like the book?

2. Did you read the type of book you originally wanted, a graphic novel or

traditional text?

Results showed that 14 out of 18 fifth graders and 14 out of 20 sixth graders had wanted to read

the graphic novel version of the text, and those that read the version of the text that they wanted

to read scored better on the comprehension questions than those that read the version of the text

they did not want to read. The study showed that choice is an important factor in choosing a

book version to read, so conducting this research and allowing students to choose the version of

text they want to read may lead to different results than seen here.
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Opinion

While this study was conducted on a small scale, it demonstrated that graphic novels are

important tools to utilize in the English Language Arts classroom. However, it did note that

results would have most likely differed if students were allowed to choose which version of

Coraline they wanted to read. Both versions allowed students to do as well or better on the

comprehension assessment as the traditional text. Overall, this study supported my belief that

graphic novels should be utilized more to help teach comprehension skills and strategies to

students.

What I Learned

This study helped to solidify my opinion that graphic novels are just as useful at helping

students to understand what they are reading as the traditional text version. Providing choices to

students and allowing them to read the graphic novel version of a traditional text, such as

Coraline, does not impede their ability to comprehend the key details of the text. It is time for

graphic novels to be viewed as just as worthy as the traditional text with the added benefit of

getting our reluctant readers to read.

References

Gaiman, N. (2008) Coraline [Graphic Novel]. New York City, NY: Harper Collins.

Gaiman, N. (2015) Coraline. New York City, NY: Harper Collins.

Richardson, E. M. (2017). "Graphic Novels Are Real Books": Comparing Graphic Novels to

Traditional Text Novels. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 83(5), 24-31. Proquest. Retrieved

March 29, 2023, from

www.proquest.com/scholary-journals/graphic-novels-are-real-books-comparing/docview/

1929675667/se-2?accountid=15017
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Introduction

More Powerful than a Locomotive: Using Graphic Novels to Motivate Struggling Male

Adolescent Readers by Karen Gavigan presents the case that graphic novels effectively engage

students, particularly young males, in positive literary experiences. Research shows that female

readers tend to outperform their male counterparts on standardized reading assessments, and the

gap continues to grow the higher they are in school. For males to be prepared for college,

technical school, or the workforce, they must be competent readers to succeed. Graphic novels

can be an effective literary medium for improving reading motivation in struggling young male

readers.

Summary of Literature

Gavigan presents detailed research that shows there are problems with how struggling

male readers lack confidence in their reading skills and withdraw from reading activities, making

them less likely to be labeled as poor readers. Her research also supports using graphic novels to

support and engage struggling male adolescents through the use of graphic novels.

Analysis of Methodology

For this study, the researcher worked with four adolescent male eight grade students in a

graphic novel book club in a middle school in central North Carolina. During the school day, the

students met with the researcher during the Sustained Silent Reading Program (SSR) block.

Each student was identified as a level one, or struggling reader, who needed proficient mastery of

reading knowledge and skills to succeed in the next grade level. Two were caucasian, and two

were African-American. The study took place over a period of four months, from September to

December 2009. Students read graphic novels of their choosing, participated in twenty minutes

of silent reading time, and then participated in a ten-minute discussion, with the discussion being
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focused on what the students read during the silent reading time. The researcher collected data

through the following means:

● Adolescent Motivation to Read Profile (AMRP)

● Observations

● Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) logs

● Teacher interviews

Summary of Results

Overall, the researcher found that reading graphic novels improved the males reading

engagement and positively affected their reading motivation. The graphic novels helped aid their

knowledge of vocabulary and helped with reading comprehension. The AMRP survey scores

reflected that all four participants experienced an increase in their value of reading after the

graphic novel book club intervention. Scores increased from an average of 4.25 to an average of

10.25. Based on student and teacher observations and interviews, it was apparent that both

comprehension and motivation to read were enriched by illustrations in the graphic novels they

read and worked as a scaffold with the text to help improve their reading comprehension and

motivation.

Opinion

It is evident from the research that there is value to be found in using graphic novels with

struggling readers. Using a book club-type session allows students to feel more relaxed and

enjoy their reading book. Graphic novels allow the reluctant or struggling reader to pair visual

literacy with text to read and comprehend the book’s key details, making it easier for the student

to understand what they are reading. I would like to see the effects of this study with a larger

group of adolescent males to see if the same results would hold.

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What I Learned

Graphic novels can help struggling male adolescent readers find value in reading. I did

not realize there was a gap between male and female reading achievement, which only increases

as the students get older. As teachers, we must find ways to decrease the reading gap between

males and females, and based on research, graphic novels are an effective way to help close the

gap.

References

Karen, G. (2011, June). More Powerful than a Locomotive: Using Graphic Novels to Motivate

Struggling Male Adolescent Readers. The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young

Adults, 1(3).

Overall Reflection

After reading the research articles chosen for this assignment, it reiterates my opinion that

more teachers should be utilizing graphic novels in classrooms, and not just in English Language

Arts classes. There is value in allowing students to choose between reading a graphic novel or

the traditional text version. It would allow for rich discussions between students who read the

book in different formats. It took a lot of work to find articles on research-based graphic novels

and not just an article about why or how to use graphic novels in the classroom. Graphic novels,

I feel, are starting to be utilized more in classrooms. It is important that teachers receive helpful

training, if needed, on how to teach using graphic novels to work on comprehension and visual

literacy skills.