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“Comics are a source of new and sophisticated vocabulary for college students. They also are handy for learning a new language and encourage the habit of reading.”
Reading has proven to be one of the most effective skills in fostering language proficiency. I always mention this to my students, although I must confess that, for me, it is a challenge to pick up a book and sit down to read. Therefore, I decided to look for a solution and make the most of my love for superheroes. That is how I started the new adventure of reading comics. As time went on, I took my new passion to the next level. I conducted research for my master’s degree using these innovative texts with students from the language class. The results were anything but disappointing. Through this study, I concluded that we could use comics in the classroom to learn new vocabulary, improve comprehension skills, and encourage the habit of reading.
Although comics typically appeal to a younger target population, they are a source of new and sophisticated vocabulary for college students. Comics’ complexity can vary significantly depending on the title, the audience, or objective or purpose. There is a wide variety of comics, including adventure, fantasy, romantic, humorous, and costumbrista (focusing on local customs).
“The images from the comics combined with the dialogues of the characters helped the participants to get the main idea and the specific details of the stories more accurately and quickly.”
Research for English language learning through comics
This research was carried out in the Integrated English III course of the English as a Foreign Language curriculum of the National Technical University of Costa Rica in September-November 2017. The complete research was published in an indexed journal and can be consulted in this link.
The students who participated in this study stated that the vocabulary learned during the research work was used in other career courses and everyday situations in real life. In addition, the students obtained high scores in the vocabulary exercises carried out during the study. These results coincided with Khoiriya’s (2011) research where the use of comics improved students’ vocabulary mastery by identifying words from the context of the comic, just as participants did in the exercises in class for which they tried to get the meaning of the words from the context. It means that comics have an impact on the learning of incidental vocabulary. In addition, the fact that the target words are contextualized makes it easier to obtain their meaning.
“I have discovered new ways to approach comics to improve skills other than reading, such as listening, speaking, and writing. The use of comics for learning is limitless if the material is used seriously and creatively.”
The comics combine images and text to allow readers to improve specific reading skills, such as scanning and flipping through pages. In a questionnaire conducted after the study’s conclusion, the participating students responded that they had improved skills in reading speed, text comprehension, and understanding of the story’s main idea. These results supported Cary’s (2004) claim that abundant visual cues in comics increase the amount of comprehensible input and consequently increase reading comprehension and second language acquisition. Likewise, it is essential to highlight Stephen Krashen’s hypothesis on the affective filter, which suggests that a second language student will learn more efficiently and better if he or she does not feel tension during the learning process. Comics fulfill this function of reducing the affective filter because they help the student read and entertainingly learn vocabulary. Thus, increased comprehension, in turn, keeps the affective filter low by eliminating or significantly reducing the anxiety and frustration many students feel when reading in a language that is not their own. If students are trained to explore images, visual elements, and sources, they will be more sensitive to reading the textual context. It will improve their reading skills and use reading strategies that will lead to increased autonomy.
Due to their nature, comic books can persuade even the most reluctant readers to acquire the habit of reading. The second question in the post-study questionnaire concerned this latter topic: motivation. The interviewees were asked if their desire for reading had changed due to their participation in the project. Surprisingly, one hundred percent of them answered yes to the question. This result contrasts with what they had said in a survey before their experience with comics. Before the experiment, the participants were reluctant readers, and none considered reading to be an effective way to learn English. However, their contact with this innovative learning resource changed their minds. These results support Cary’s (2004) idea of the comics’ “fun factor.” Cary argues that if students participate in their reading, they are more likely to learn from it. Participants felt they had a sense of ownership in the text; in other words, they felt they were in control of the reading process.
Reflection
In summary, even though many people, especially language teachers, do not take teaching and learning through comics seriously, this research conducted with university students demonstrated the effectiveness of comics in three specific scenarios. First, participants claimed to have learned new words, many incredibly challenging. Second, images from the comics combined with character dialogue helped participants get the stories’ main idea and specific details more accurately and quickly. Finally, and most importantly, comics proved to be very appealing to reluctant readers, which can be an excellent start to persuading students to read. As a result, reading is no longer boring; comics can entertain them and facilitate their command of the language.
After this research, I continued to use this method of teaching English in my university classes. I have also shared my findings with my colleagues, who, in turn, have used comics to motivate their students to read and learn the English language. I have also presented two papers based on this study, the first at the University of Arizona in the USA and the second at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Brazil. In reviewing my research for these purposes, I discovered new ways to utilize comics to improve skills other than reading, such as listening, oral production, and writing. The uses are unlimited if the material is handled thoughtfully and creatively. Therefore, I call and invite the readers of this article to consider giving comics, comic strips, and graphic novels a try in their classrooms. I am sure that the students will appreciate having authentic, eye-catching, and integrative material like this.
About the author
Warner Salazar (asalazar@utn.ac.cr/warner.salazar@ucr.ac.cr) has a master’s degree in English language teaching and is interested in writing about innovative methodologies for language learning. He is currently associated with the National Technical University and the University of Costa Rica.
References
Cary, S. (2004). Going Graphic: Comics at Work in the Multilingual Classroom. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Khoiriyah, N. (2011). The Use of Comic Stories to Improve Students’ Vocabulary. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. Walisongo State Institute for Islamic Studies Faculty.
Krashen, S. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. 4. Ed. New York, Longman.
Salazar, W. (2019). Using comic books with pre-intermediate language students for reading comprehension and vocabulary recognition. Yulök Revista de Innovación Académica. 3(1), 44-57. https://revistas.utn.ac.cr/index.php/yulok/article/view/194/145
Edited by Rubí Román (rubi.roman@tec.mx) – Observatory of Educational Innovation.
Translation by Daniel Wetta.
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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
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