Below you will find scholarly articles supporting the use of graphic novels for education. Find these articles through your local library database search. Ask a Librarian if you have any trouble locating them!
Research
Journal Articles
Clark, J. S. (2013). Encounters with Historical Agency: The Value of Nonfiction Graphic Novels in the Classroom. History Teacher, 46(4),
489-508.
This article looks at the value of nonfiction historical graphic novels for education. Books studied were "A People's History of American Empire," by Howard Zinn, "Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel," by C. M. Butzer, and "Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography," by Andrew Helfer.
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (Eds.). (2008). Teaching visual literacy : Using comic books, graphic novels, anime, cartoons, and more to develop
comprehension and thinking skills. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
This reference book written by two Education P. hDs contains many articles relating to the use of comic books for education. Most are scholarly articles but there are some suggestions for teachers as well.
Monnin, K. (2010). Teaching media literacy with graphic novels. New Horizons in Education, 58(3), 78-84.
This article looks at current research and scholarly sources to determine that graphic novels can be identified as media literacy texts and this used in K-12 classrooms.
Barron, D. (1991). Zap! pow! wham!: Comics, graphic novels, and education. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 8(3), 48-50.
This article discusses how comics can be used in the classroom and the positive impact on reading habits.
Jennings, K., Rule, A., & Vander Zanden, S. (2014). Fifth graders' enjoyment, interest, and comprehension of graphic novels compared to
heavily-Illustrated and traditional novels. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 6(2), 257-274.
The study tested the difference between graphic novels and traditional or illustrated novels. The study found that graphic novels scored higher for 5th grade students in every category studied.
"It’s Elementary! Graphic Novels for the K–6 Classroom", American Library Association, April 7, 2008. http://www.ala.org/offices
/resources/its_elementary_graphic_novels (Accessed June 17, 2017) DOI: e1c20ffa-b2ee-9514-29d2-becefab006c0
This article found that graphic novels are hugely beneficial particularly to elementary students for many different literacy purposes. It also discusses how this goes beyond the classroom into Internet and advertising critical analysis skills.
