Research Results: Use of Graphic Novels in Teaching English

Comics use a variety of mediums to convey their meaning or story. The use of comic books to help students develop reading skills has grown in popularity in several areas of the world, including Japan and Europe. Some countries, such as the United States, are also wary of using graphic novels as a learning tool.
This section attempts to examine the findings of the research undertaken in an effort to comprehend the reasons behind the increasing use of graphic novels in English teaching. A study was carried out to examine the ever-increasing use of graphic novels to teach the English language. A sample of 28 teachers was selected from an elementary school, out of which 25 were willing to participate in the research. Interviews were conducted and questionnaires administered to the respondents. The responses were summarized in the table below
Factors motivating the use of graphic novels
Factor Response   Yes No 1. Student Engagement 19 3 2. Overall Performance 6 10 3. Motivation 15 2 4. Improved Student Creativity 20 2 5. Time 8 12 6. Student Comprehension 13 5 7. Cross-curricular 5 2
Table 1.1-showing factors motivating the use of graphic novels
Discussion
Educators have conducted a lot of research in an attempt to find the most effective way to teach the English language which according to Maples et al. (38) has been a long-term challenge, especially for international students. A good mastery of language is measured by the fluency in speech, which depends on the speaker's understanding of the vocabulary. Most teachers of the English language exclude reading as part of vocabulary teaching due to the difficulties encountered in student engagement when using novels and reading materials in their traditional formats. According to (Abshir 43), reading is the most effective way for learners to enrich their vocabulary. It is therefore essential to find new ways and techniques that will incorporate reading as part of vocabulary learning. Graphic novels have become popular as a medium through which students can effectively learn the English language. This paper seeks to analyze the growing use of use of graphic novels as an innovative technique for vocabulary learning of the English language.
Graphics Novel
A graphic novel uses a combination of text and visual illustrations to help readers understand a narrative (Yang186). These visual and artistic examples are the fundamental difference between a novel and a graphic novel. The outline of a graphic novel is not different from that of a novel since it includes dialogue, plot, characters and a setting. The use of graphics as a medium to communicate critical issues in novels has become an integral form of literature over the years. Visual illustrations help to break down the complexity of theme discussed in the novel. The multimodal nature of comics and visual aspect of graphic novels makes texts manageable for students to read and understand by reducing the complexity of words. This reduces reluctance and anxiety among students in the course of learning.
Stakeholders in the education system appreciate the evolving nature of cultural practices and the resulting influence on students. Research indicates that modern-day students have become used visuals due to their exposure to the internet, computer games, and television, and it has become difficult for them to engage with traditional mediums of learning. Educators, especially those teaching English language advocate for the use of graphic novels which according to Bucher et al., (70) not only makes it easy to engage today's visual learners but also improve their comprehension and interpretation of themes.
Benefits of Using Graphic Novels
The results show that teachers are becoming more open to the idea of using comic and graphics in teaching the English language due to the vast benefits derived in enhancing students' mastery of the English language. Another driving factor is the realization by educators of the need to address the diverse learning needs of their students. The most cited factors found to contribute most to this increase in using graphic novels are; Student engagement, improved creativity among students, Efficiency and effectiveness of content, and motivation.
One of the challenges that most English language teachers experience is the ability to engage their students during the process of learning due to the monotonous form of traditional learning materials. Teachers who incorporate graphics and comic in the learning materials have registered positive results in student engagement including visual learners. This can be attributed to the fact that visuals simplify learning content. Graphic novels use visual illustrations which act as a point of reference thereby bridging the gap between students' previous knowledge and new knowledge to be acquired. This is one of the best ways that teachers can use to teach new vocabulary.
Another reason behind the spontaneous growth in the use of graphics learning materials is that they are not only positive but also engaging and relevant in delivering learning objectives. Use of visuals in teaching has been found to be an efficient way of capturing the attention of students and increasing their motivation to continue learning. This helps to cultivate a reading culture which enhances vocabulary. Graphic novels make use of a wide range of art and knowledge which make it easy to for teachers to capture the attention of students in the learning process (Downey185). This acts as motivation for reluctant students to participate in lessons which are key to active learning.
It is much easier for learners to remember images, therefore relating words and images increases the chance of students to remember those words. Most respondents cited that graphic novels simplify the complexities of ordinary novels making it easy for learners to understand the primary issues presented in the classroom thereby achieving the set learning objectives faster
Research conducted by Abshir (59) to establish the effectiveness of using graphic novels in vocabulary teaching indicates that the combined use of visual and verbal aspects increases comprehension of learners.
According to Rohrer & Harold (635) learning occurs through verbal (written text) and non-verbal (visual imagery) means, therefore teachers need to establish a balance for efficient delivery in the classroom. Graphic novels help to create harmony between written words and visuals which give learners clues to identify some of the issues raised in the novel. Also, Brenna (92) explains that learners can easily relate to the themes through visual comprehension of the narrative. The time taken to teach and deliver the enormous required content in the English language is much less when using graphic books as compared to the traditional novels. Visualization exposes students to multiple options which encourage creativity, thereby helping them to relate and interpret social issues from diverse levels of understanding. Students can make use of their analytical skills in acquiring new knowledge and enhancing their vocabulary of the English language (Chun147).Students can also transfer the knowledge and skills acquired in theory and use them to interpret the message in graphic since most graphic novels use more visuals than text.
Conclusion
Graphic novels have been found to be most effective in motivating reluctant students and engaging modern visual learners in the classroom. Additionally, graphic novels are not restricting; this means that various subjects can employ the technique of graphic novels to teach diverse topics. With the numerous benefits that graphic novels offer in aiding learning, educators should adopt this learning technique to prepare students to respond to the evolving curriculum standards. The effectiveness of these books has led to their increased use in teaching the English language. However, there are still challenges that need to be addressed to make good use of the potential in graphic novels in teaching the English language. Effective teaching requires that educators take into consideration the needs of both the teacher and the learner. It is essential to analyze the teachers' skills in using illustrative visual materials to teach. Training should be conducted to equip language teachers with the necessary knowledge to not only use graphic novels but also to write new and translate books in the traditional format into graphic novels. This will require the provision of sufficient resources both by state and federal governments to the education sector. Also, more awareness should be created on the effectiveness of graphic novels in teaching to ensure that more language teachers embrace this technique in their classrooms.

Work Cited
Abshir, Zahra Fakher. "The Effect of Verbal and Visual Techniques on Vocabulary Achievement of." The Iranian EFL Journal 12.13 (2011): 43. Retrieved from:https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/33600012/Volume-7-Issue-5.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1511704416&Signature=HKO8BBwEwK2Ee3%2B856%2BgWZhA3K0%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DOverpassivization_of_Unaccusative_Verbs.pdf#page=43
Boatright, Michael D. "Graphic journeys: Graphic novels' representations of immigrant experiences." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 53.6 (2010): 468-476. Retrieved from:http://racomics.pbworks.com/f/GN%27s+Immigrant+Experiences.pdf
Brenna, Beverley. "How graphic novels support reading comprehension strategy development in children." Literacy47.2 (2013): 88-94. Retrieved from:http://www.beverleybrenna.com/resources/how-graphic-novels-support.pdf
Bucher, Katherine T., and M. Lee Manning. "Bringing graphic novels into a school's curriculum." The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 78.2 (2004): 67-72. Retrieved from:http://wcurleycox-wiki summer2015.wiki.westga.edu/file/view/Bucher_Manning_2004.pdf/555475431/Bucher_Manning_2004.pdf
Chun, Christian W. "Critical literacies and graphic novels for English‐language learners: Teaching Maus." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 53.2 (2009): 144-153. Retrieved from:https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/30317259/Chun_2009b.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1511704014&Signature=GgL%2FcXwd7O4yDTs5rPJFqKujWNw%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DCritical_literacies_and_graphic_novels_f.pdf
Downey, Elizabeth M. "Graphic novels in curriculum and instruction collections." Reference & User Services Quarterly(2009): 181-188. Retrieved from:https://journals.ala.org/index.php/rusq/article/viewFile/4165/4733
Maples, Joellen, Marie Cianca, and Michael Maloy. "Using Graphic Novels to Engage English Language Learners." Vanguard 45.1 (2016): 37. Form:https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1055&context=education_facpub
Rohrer, Doug, and Harold Pashler. "Learning Styles: Where's the Evidence?." Online Submission 46.7 (2012): 634-635. Retrieved from:https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535732.pdf
Yang, Gene. "Graphic novels in the classroom." Language Arts 85.3 (2008): 185. Retrieved fromhttp://intranet.ecu.edu/cs-lib/trc/upload/Gene_Yang_article.pdf


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