Pre-service teachers' views on using English comics to improve pupils' English language skills

Najihah Pazaer, Aladdin Assaiqeli

Abstract


This paper highlights the ESL pre-service elementary school teachers’ views on using English comics in the classroom and using English comics to assist elementary school pupils in improving their English language skills. A descriptive survey research design was used, and a quantitative method study was done among 64 pre-service teachers utilising an internet questionnaire as an instrument aimed to answer questions concerning their views towards the use of English comics as a medium for teaching and learning English and the effectiveness in improving pupils’ English language abilities. The results from the questionnaire were analysed quantitatively, and the findings were summarised using descriptive statistics and frequency count to characterise the properties of the large group of samples. From the survey, it was found that most pre-service teachers have positive perceptions of using comic books as teaching and learning tools in class. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the pre-service teachers believe it is advantageous to improving students’ English language abilities. The study offers other recommendations for future research and implications that might help ESL instructors and young students enhance their students’ English language proficiency.


Keywords


English comics; English language; multimodal; pre-service elementary school teachers

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abdullah, A. N., & Yunus, M. M. (2019). Students’ reading motivation across gender and the teachers’ perception in Malaysian primary classroom. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM), 4(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.26655/mjltm.2019.4.3

Ahmad, J. (2011). Intentional vs. incidental vocabulary learning. ELT Research Journal, 1(1), 71-79.

Ahmadi, N., Sadighi, F., & Gorjian, B. (2017). The effect of children’s comic strip stories on beginners’ English vocabulary retention. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Learning, 3(3), 55-63.

Anggriani V. (2013). Using comic strip stories to improve students’ English-speaking skill to the tenth grade of SMA 2 Grabag in the academic year 2013/2014 [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis]. Tidar Mangelang University.

Arast, O., & Gorjian, B. (2016). The effect of listening to comic strip stories on incidental vocabulary learning among Iranian EFL learners. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Learning, 2(1), 1-7.

Assaiqeli, A. (2021). Palestine in visual representation: A visual semiotic analysis of the Nakba. International Journal of Arabic-English Studies, 21(1), 99-126. https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.21.1.6

Assaiqeli, A., Maniam, M., & Farrah, M. (2021). Inversion and word order in English: A functional perspective. Studies in English Language and Education, 8(2), 523-545. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i2.20217

Baker, A. (2011). Using comics to improve literacy in English language learners [Unpublished master’s thesis]. University of Central Missouri.

Barry, A. (2012). “I was sceptical at first”: Content literacy in the art museum. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(7), 587-607, https://doi.org/10.1002/JAAL.00071

Bolton-Gary, C. (2012). Connecting through comics: Expanding opportunities for teaching and learning. US-China Education Review 4(1), 389-395.

Clydesdale, J. (2007). A bridge to another world: Using comics in the second language classroom. University of Calgary.

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Csabay, N. (2006). Using comic strips in language classes. English Teaching Forum.

Fasae, B. K. F., & Akinwamide, T. K. (2018). Application of comics as instructional strategy in language skill development: An oracy enhancement paradigm. International Journal of English Language Teaching, 6(8), 49-59.

Gavigan, K. W., & Tomasevich, M. (2011). Connecting comics to curriculum strategies for grades 6-12. Libraries Unlimited.

Goh, N. M. D. (2017). The impact of graphic novels on Malaysian secondary school ESL learners’ reading comprehension [Unpublished master’s thesis]. University of Malaya.

Gorjian, B., & Branch, A. (2016, February 27-29). Using comic strip stories to teach vocabulary in intensive reading comprehension courses [Paper presentation]. The IAFOR International Conference on Language Learning, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Klau, R. O. (2015). Using comic strips to improve the speaking skills of grade VIII students of SMP N 15 Yogyakarta in the academic year of 2013/2014 [Bachelor’s thesis, Yogyakarta State University]. Eprints@Uny. http://eprints.uny.ac.id/id/eprint/25531

Krashen, S. D. (2004). The power of reading: Insights from the research. Libraries Unlimited.

Liu, J. (2004). Effects of comic strips on L2 learners’ reading comprehension. TESOL Quarterly, 38(2), 225-243. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588379

Marcus, N., Cooper, M., & Sweller, J. (1996). Understanding instructions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88 (1), 49-63, https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.88.1.49

Marlatt, R., & Dallacqua, A. K. (2019). Loud and clear: Using the graphic novel to challenge the status quo in content area literacy. Journal of Language and Literacy Education, 15(1), 1-24.

Megawati, F. (2012). Comic strips: A study on the teaching of writing narrative texts to Indonesian EFL students. TEFLIN Journal, 23(2), 183-205.

Merç, A. (2013). The effect of comic strips on EFL reading comprehension. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 4(1), 54-64.

Mohtar, T. M. T., Singh, C. K. S., Abdullah, N. Y., & Mat, M. (2015). Developing the speaking skill among ESL elementary learners. AJELP: Asian Journal of English Language and Pedagogy, 3(1), 161-180.

Nuarita, E. I. (2015). Improving students’ speaking ability the use of comic strip stories [Student report]. Universitas Muhammadiyah Jember

Rani, T. (2016, April 6-8). Students perception of self-assessment and the use of self-assessment in English writing skills [Paper presentation]. KOLITA 14: Konferensi Linguistik Tahunan Atma Jaya Keempat Belas, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Sarada, P. A. (2016). Comics as a powerful tool to enhance English language usage. The IUP Journal of English Studies, 11(1), 60-65.

Taherdoost, H. (2019). What is the best response scale for survey and questionnaire design; Review of different lengths of rating scale/attitude scale/Likert scale. International Journal of Academic Research in Management (IJARM), 8(1), 1-10.

Tovar, J. S. B. (2017). Cooperative learning using comic strips to develop responsive listening [Bachelor’s thesis, National Pedagogical University]. National Pedagogical University Repository. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12209/10005

Ulu, H., Avşar-Tuncay, A., & Baş, Z. (2017). The relationship between multimodal literacy of pre-service teachers and their perception of self-efficacy in critical reading. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 5(12), 85-91. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v5i12.2806

Wylie, C. D., & Neeley, K. A. (2016, June 26-29). Learning out loud (LOL): How comics can develop the communication and critical thinking abilities of engineering students [Paper presentation]. ASEE 123rd Annual, New Orleans, US.

Yoon, T. (2012). Teaching English through English: Exploring anxiety in non-native pre-service ESL teachers. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(6), 1099-1107. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.2.6.1099-1107




DOI: https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i1.21836

Article Metrics

Abstract view : 0 times
PDF - 0 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Print ISSN: 2355-2794, Online ISSN: 2461-0275

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


View Journal Stats