Examining parents' perceptions of and preferences toward the use of comics in the classroom

While many researchers openly acknowledge the educational benefits of comics, the academic use of the medium has been met with much fear and apprehension from parents, teachers, and scholars, who have been reluctant to support the inclusion of such texts in the classroom. The literature on the topic of resistance to comics, however, is mostly limited to historical perspectives from the mid-20th century and is largely silent on contemporary parental perspectives. The purpose of this study was to collect data concerning parental perceptions of the academic potential of comics, parental preferences concerning how frequently the medium should be incorporated into academic lessons, and generalized parental feelings concerning the use of comics in first through twelfth grade education. Additionally, this study attempted to discover if relationships existed between the quantified parental perceptions and preferences and demographic data such as the grade and gender of the respondents’ children, the respondent’s gender, and personal readership habits of the respondent in reference to both comics and non-comics material. The instrument for this study was a survey designed to collect information about parents’ perceptions and preferences concerning the academic potential and use of comics and other information related to the study’s independent attribute variables. Results of the survey and statistical measures revealed that (A) parent gender was significantly related to parents’ perception of the comics medium to be an effective tool in helping their children achieve successful learning outcomes, (B) the readership habits of parents in regards to comics was significantly related to parental preferences concerning the frequency of comics incorporation into the curriculum, and (C) the readership habits of parents in regards to non-comics material was significantly related to both parents’ perceptions of comics as an effective learning tool and parents’ preferences concerning the frequency of comics incorporation into the curriculum. Several statistically significant relationships were discovered between the study’s core dependent variables and other independent attribute variables as well. The insight gained into these relationships may help teachers and others to better understand how these external educational stakeholders regard a medium that has experienced a varied social and educational reception throughout American history.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Bischell, Jordan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Crawford, Elizabeth K.
• Miller, Ted L.; Rausch, David W.; Henderson, Joel B.
• College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

• Comic books, strips, etc. in education
• Graphic novels

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/542

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1695