Relationship Between the Graphic Novels/Comic Books and Education Through the Impacts on the Learners

Introduction

Graphic novels are comics that are long. As a long stories or short stories collection, they can be fictions or real occurrences. Thus a representation of the society we are in. Like any other book, they communicate emotions, feelings, and attitudes such as fun, romance, sadness or happiness. Baird and Jackson (2007) describe a graphic novel that has achieved its purpose as one that begins with s stellar story narrated with pictures and words that make the story's augment that excludes provision of what cannot be done by the text alone. The graphic novels make use of printed images form to create accounts. The purpose of graphic novels and comic books are increasingly becoming popular in the current education system. The relationship exists as a result of the motivation boost and engagement with students which has been associated with it. This essay aims at qualitative research on the relationship between the graphic novels/comic books and education through the impacts on the learners. To achieve this, the study will be dependent on the collected and analyzed forms of data such as interviews from students, work, and progress on the learners and recorded observation.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Graphic Novels Increase Student Motivation

In achieving the primary goal of learning at various institutions, motivation is an essential aspect of enhancing skills in writing and reading among learners. In the process of reading, the primary objective is to comprehend the meaning of the text. Similarly, the primary aim of writing is to communicate to the audience specific message so that they understand the word. In the process of reading and writing, boredom may be encountered by the learner. Thus motivation is vital in the process. It is essential as it forces the learner to make an exploration of the boundaries getting the meaning of the text. Students are more likely to have more self-efficacy if engaged in a passage in case they are reading or writing. Pajares and Valiente (2015) argue that self-efficacy attitude advances and determines the effort to be applied that a student will spend on a particular activity, the length of time they will be patient with to face the obstacles as well as the level of resilience that will be in the face of adversity by the student. Research shows that graphic novels motivate the students who are struggling. Such students overcome the difficulties and obstacles when reading and writing as they are interested and engaged in what they are involved with.

Studies have shown that many students are reluctant in most classrooms. Mostly, the struggling learners usually have a difficult time trying to learn and write as stipulated in the traditional curriculum format. MacArthur, Phillipakos, and Graham (2016) articulate that there a lot of complexities and demand in tasks such as writing, therefore, presents motivational challenges to not only leaners but also experienced writers (p.393). In such cases, the students are less motivated to achieve specific tasks which result in unfulfilled or poorly done tasks. Such students put less effort because of the lost anxiety and boredom. In this scenario, graphic novels and comic stories play the role of bridging the gap between the learners and literacy. Graphic novels, therefore, are becoming reputable mentor texts to tutor the many writing aspects, suiting alongside picture books as a fundamental instruction element. Most teachers are adopting the use of graphic novels in the school due to their potential to scaffold struggling learners and turn them into experts in reading (Lapp et al. 2012, pp.26). Graphic novels enable the interest building in learning and thus to increase the literacy success.

Struggling learners can apply the images to interpret their readings. Graphic novels make incorporation of visual literacy which aids the reluctant and struggling students get access to a book and read it. Visual literacy has more impact since communication visually is more potent than words. Graphic novels encourage the transfer from traditional text to an approach that is more visually driven (Hughes et al.2011, pp. 613). Such kind of literature makes a connection with the visual and spatial students who grasp more from materials with more visual content. Additionally, if a teacher encourages the learners by organizing their thoughts so as they can be put down on a paper makes the transition from reading to writing very easy for the learners. If students are motivated to learn, they translate that into writing. The experiences in visual enable the learners to practice writing what they have seen in the images and pictures. Illustrations are important in the process of writing of graphic novel thus elaborate the deeper meaning of the text. Success in academics improves when the leaner is engaged in activities that are comprised of experiences that reflect their own lives.

The most known and ways that is effective to engage the experiences that are relevant to have the leaners to create stories that make a connection to the lessons in life and social issues stories. The connection between the lives of the students as well as the text strengthening the learners reading and in case the students have a feeling that what is read has a relation to their lives; there is a stronger bond formed with the literature and comprehend the story more as well as the contents. This enables the students to be better writers. The graphic novel thus is an effective way of creating interest in reading and writing for the struggling readers.

Graphic Novels Can Be Used as Mentor Texts

Mentor text usually creates the model on the means of using illustrations to present a story other than telling or narrating the story. The mentor text is applied in the inspiring the children to creativity and writing by giving scaffolding where the students can build (Mielke, 2016, pp. 25). The mentor texts ensure the students are engaged and visualize the exact of the look of the exemplary work. Extensively, mentor text enables the student's concentration on skills as well as techniques for helping readers to look out published works, encouraging them to attempt a new profession in writing on their own. There are a variety of writing skills that are teachable with the aid of the graphic novel mentor text. Graphic novels are useful in the passing of information in regards to techniques of literary, elements and terms (Baird & Jackson 2007, pp.6). Graphic novels make use of pictures to communicate meaning and help the reader comprehend the occurrence of the story. The images of the text play a vital role in the development of the story, and the author applies the color for the tone using a format that develops the setting and tone of the story, as well as composing the detailed plot and character. This calls for the students' ability to apply the different strategies in literacy while writing or reading. Learners should, therefore, be critical in their decision making on the means of interaction with the panels as well as the way to interact with the text to translate the meaning of each story component. If the leaner can think critically, they can learn how to work on a text and create meaning from it.

Other than critical and creative thinking, the tutors make use of graphical novels to give the visual context making a supplement of the traditional reading and promoting multimodal literacy (Cook, 2015, pp.23). In the process of reading graphic novels, the leaners are compelled to think beyond their restrictions analyze and decoding the information in the text. Readers make use of the clues provided by the writer to get the meaning. In the process of the leaners writing their graphic novels and comics, they think critically on the means of communicating the definition so that their audience can understand and interact effectively with the text. The knowledge gained by the learner from reading the graphic novel is transferred as they design their own. The pictures in the graphic novel are very helpful in the relaying of the message from the comic by use of the images and making relation of them to the audience. Students tend to understand more if the mages of the story are supplemented by words.

A graphic novel enables the learners to advance skills in writing in the areas of sequencings. It permits the writer to use the panels and boxes creatively to work through the story. Additionally, they are considered as sequential art because they illustrate the action progress by use of images. The reader can visualize the unfolding of actions and have an idea of how the character looks like as well as experiencing the background illustrated setting in the context. Every picture and panel provides relevant information to the reader and propels the sequential order forward. Mentor texts, therefore, are important in the education of students. Graphic novels are not only relevant to the field of writing and reading, but they are also helpful in teaching other subjects such as science and social studies.

Graphic Novels Can Be Used Across the Curriculum to Improve Studying and Writing Skills

In the current curriculum in the education system, writing is integrated to advance the writing skills among students. To improve on writing skills; the students will require adequate practice with a lot of repetition. Some teachers are converting graphic novels to anchor the learning content and increase the writing skills among the learners (Brozo, Moorman, & Meyer, 2013). Graphic novels are mediums with impact to transcend through the curriculum. Gavigan (2012) argues that "Graphic novels are terrific resources for helping the curriculum come alive for students" (p. 23). Graphic novels are therefore applicable in a lot of content areas to advance the writing skills as well as engaging students to develop interests in subjects that were otherwise disliked by the students. This is because they have a specific way of capturing the mind and attention of the students thus invites the learners to interact with the text alongside learning from them. Graphic novels thus motivate the students to read even in areas where they lacked interest in school.

Research has shown that graphic novels enhance the achievement of students in the science subject (Hapgood & Palinear, 2007, pp. 58). They facilitate with the visual which is fundamental in the instructions while teaching science. They supplement or act as a substitute for books. Additionally, graphic novels have content that is illustrated in a way that can be applied to motivate the learners to be critical learners of science which is the main aim of teaching science. It has been discovered that learning cell biology by use of graphic novels is not only enjoyable but is an entertaining means of study (Cirigliano 2012, pp.32). Most students argue that graphic novel is very helpful in making them recall the information learn and teach them concepts that are new. Similarly, the comic books are also effective if used as an instructional manual. They are helpful to the student as they make him gain a deeper insight into the sequential occurrence of various operations, for instance, while in surgery. Research done on a history class showed that graphical novels increase the participation of students in the classroom (Decker and Castro 2012, pp.176). They can actively discuss the theme of heroes by looking at the texts and pictures. Graphical novels and comic books make a class livelier by ensuring the inclusion of all students including the ones that struggle to read history would have an easy time reading them more than textbooks. They, therefore, make a connection between students to a more advanced level of study.

Graphic novels are also applicable in the teaching of mathematics subject. This can be achieved through models...