You are here

Home » Content

THE EFFECT OF COMIC STRIPS ON EFL READING COMPREHENSION

Journal Name:

  • International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications

Publication Year:

  • 2013

Key Words:

Author NameUniversity of AuthorFaculty of Author
Abstract (2. Language): 
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of comic strips on reading comprehension of Turkish EFL learners. 167 university students from two proficiency levels (lower-intermediate and upper-intermediate) were divided into four treatment groups: low-level text only, low-level text with comic strips, high-level text only, and high-level text with comic strips. Students read the texts given and wrote what they remembered about the text on a separate answer sheet. The collected data were analyzed through scoring the Immediate Recall Protocols (IRP) by dividing each recall protocol into acceptable pausal units and ranging them from 1 to 4 based on their salience to the message of the text based on a sample value list. The results of the quantitative analyses showed that all students with a comic strip effect, regardless of proficiency and text level, performed better than the ones without the comic strips. The findings of the study confirm the Dual Coding Theory (DCT) on the account that students are better at comprehending reading texts that are accompanied with visuals. The results of the study are discussed along with the existing literature on the use of visuals for developing reading skills. Certain implications for language teachers and some suggestions for further research are also provided.
Bookmark/Search this post with
FULL TEXT (PDF): 
PDF icon arastirmax-effect-comic-strips-efl-reading-comprehension.pdf
  • 1
54-64
  • English

REFERENCES

References: 

Arlin, M. Scott, M. Webster, J. (1978-1979). The effects of pictures on rate of learning sight words: a critique of
the focal attention hypothesis. Reading Research Quarterly, 14(4), 645-660.
Arslan, H. (1989). Teaching English idiomatic expressions through comic strips. Unpublished MA Thesis.
Eskişehir: Anadolu University.
Avcı, H. (1999). Using video film segments in reading classes to improve low level prep-school students’
comprehension. Unpublished MA Thesis. Eskişehir: Anadolu University.
Bryan, G., Chilcoat, G. W. & Morrison, T. G. (2002). Pow! Zap! Wham! Creating comic books from picture books
in Social Studies classrooms. Canadian Social Studies, 37(1).
http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/css/Css_37_1/index37_1.htm (2011, June 28)
Cortazzi, M., Rafik-Galea, S. & Jin, L. X. (1998). Seeing through texts: developing discourse-based materials in
teacher education. The English Teacher, 27, 39-68.
Gambrell, L. B. & Jawitz, P. B. (1993). Mental imagery, text illustrations, and children’s story comprehension
and recall. Reading Research Quarterly, 28(3), 264-276.
Gower, D. L. (1995). Health-related content in daily newspaper comic strips: a content analysis with
implications for health education. Education, 116(1), 37.
Hallenbeck, P. N. (1976). Remediating with comic strips. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 9(1), 22-26.
Hanley, J. E. B., Herron, C. A. & Cole, S. P. (1995). Using video as an advance organizer to a written passage in
the FLES classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 79(1), 57-66.
Kulhavy, R. W., Lee, J. B. & Caterino, L. C. (1985). Conjoint retention of maps and related discourse.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 10(1), 28-37.
Liu, J. (2004). Effects of comic strips on L2 learners’ reading comprehension. TESOL Quarterly, 38(2), 225-243.
Min, D. (1998). Using comic strips on the Internet for English teaching: a new data base. Primary English
Education, 4(1), 153-166.
Mitchell, R. & Myles, F. (1998). Second Language Learning Theories. London: Arnold.
Nassaji, H. (2003). Higher-level and lower-level text processing skills in advanced ESL reading comprehension.
The Modern Language Journal, 87(2), 261-276.
Purnell, K, N. & Solman, R. T. (1991). The influence of technical illustrations on students’ comprehension in
geography. Reading Research Quarterly, 26(3), 277-299.
Qadiri, M. A. (1999). The effect of exaggeration of cartoons on the performance of field dependent learners.
Unpublished Dissertation. Virginia Politechnique Institute and State University.
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-061799-155009/ (2011, June 28)
Richardson, J. T. E. (2003). Dual coding versus relational processing in memory for concrete and abstract words.
European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 15(4), 481-509.
Sherman, R. & Wright, G. (1996). Ourchestra. Reading Improvement, 33(2), 124-128.
Williams, N. (1995). The comic book as course book: why and how. Long Beach, CA: Annual Meeting of the
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 390277).
Wright, G. & Sherman, R. (1994). What is black and white and read all over? The funnies! Reading
Improvement, 31(1), 37-48.
Wright, G. & Sherman, R. (1999). Let’s create a comic strip. Reading Improvement, 36(2), 66-72.
Yaygıngöl, B. (1990). Enhancing reading comprehension by using video in EFL. Unpublished MA Thesis.
Eskişehir: Anadolu University.

Thank you for copying data from http://www.arastirmax.com