Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Action research; Social studies content reading; Graphic novels; American Revolution; Student engagement; Elementary students;

Journal/Book/Conference Title Title

Social Studies Research and Practice

Volume

8

Issue

1

First Page

59

Last Page

76

Abstract

Graphic novels can contribute to effective content area reading on social studies topics such as the American Revolution. This action research study’s purpose was to examine student recall of facts, enjoyment of reading, and interest in the topic when using graphic novels as compared to illustrated nonfiction prose in social studies content area reading. Twenty-two fifth grade students (13 females, 9 males) in a public school in a Midwestern state participated in the study. Half of the students read about the Boston Massacre and Patrick Henry through graphic novels and read about Paul Revere and the Boston Tea Party with illustrated nonfiction texts, with the other half doing the opposite. The mean number of correct ideas recalled by students two weeks after reading two books in the graphic novel condition was 8.6 compared to 7.1 for the nonfiction prose condition with a medium effect size. Students rated their reading enjoyment significantly higher in the graphic novel condition indicating that graphic novels should be employed more often into the school curriculum. Suggestions for integrating graphic novels into the curriculum are provided along with other ways to take action.

Department

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Comments

First published in Social Studies Research and Practice, v. 8, no. 1, pp. 59-76, published by Social Studies Research and Practice. Article

Original Publication Date

Spring 2013

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, University of Northern Iowa, Rod Library

Copyright

©2013 Social Studies Research and Practice. The copyright holder has granted permission for posting.

Date Digital

2013

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

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