It begins! Below is a research summary (the first of many needed for my master's program action research project) I need to submit to my current instructor tomorrow.Norton (2003) wants to better understand the nature of students’ engagement with Archie comic books and the extent to which this engagement can be better understood with reference to larger sociocultural practices both inside and outside schools. Her broad research question is, “Do insights from Archie readers have significance for literacy educators?” This question leads to the exploration of three subtopics: the reasons why children read Archie comic books, how readers of Archie comic books relate to one another, and, how the reading of Archie comic books contrasts with academic reading.
Norton locates her work in a theoretical framework informed by Haugaard, Meek, Kress, Dyson, Davies, and Norton Pierce and Stein. Haugaard believes comic books to have a “fantastic motivating power” and urges educators to discover the reasons for this power. Similarly, Meek believes that comic books are more than mere “trash.” Kress sees visual modalities as more efficient than verbal ones in transporting information. Working from this idea, Norton suggests that comic books are innovative because they transport information via multiple modes. Inspired by Dyson, Norton is conscious of the reciprocal relationship between an artifact, like a comic book, and its social context, like a community of Archie comic book enthusiasts. Davies explores the “life worlds” of children. Inspired by this notion, Norton believes that the best way to understand the daily life of a young Archie comic book reader is to ask him or her. Norton Peirce and Stein posit that the reading of a text in a hierarchical institution, like a school, influences how someone functioning low in the hierarchy, like a student, reads that text.
Norton did her research from 1998 to 1999 at an elementary school in the Vancouver metropolitan area in British Columbia, Canada. 19 girls and 15 boys, aged 9-12, participated in the study. Three grades were represented: fifth, sixth, and seventh. Also, 13 of the 34 participants were English language learners. In this group of 13, six were boys and seven were girl. Six home languages were represented by this group of 13.
Norton collected data with questionnaires and interviews. Interviews were conducted by Norton and a research assistant. She also included an Archie story for students to analyze. She learned through pilot studies that children like to refer to the comic books when answering questions during interviews.
An important outcome for Norton was the realization that adults, including Norton, need to confront their own fears and reservations about comic books. She also noticed that when a student has ownership of a text, he or she is more likely construct meaning, hypothesize, and make predictions while reading. Norton also observed that the pictures in comic books facilitate learning and meaning making, particularly for English-language learners. Further, Norton found that readers of Archie comic books constitute a distinct reading community that promotes friendship and rich, text-based talk.
Norton offers many implications for further research. Feeling ownership over a text boosts a young reader’s confidence as he or she interacts with that text in a critical manner. Consequently, literacy educators need to avoid dismissing texts that they perceive as “trash” and, instead, take time to understand the appeal of such texts. With an eye toward the growing literacy demands of the 21st century, Norton makes a plea for further research. She encourages educators and researchers to explore how comic book can aid, not hinder, the literacy development of young people.
In my research, I want to explore how information that is transmitted via the visual mode can enhance information delivered through verbal and linguistic modes. Looking closely at how young readers interact with comic books is a way to explore this phenomenon. Also, I am interested in seeing how comic books can be used in the classroom to promote critical thinking about other kinds of texts, such as canonical literature, film, television shows, and video games.
Norton, B. (2003, January 1). The motivating power of comic books: Insights from Archie comic readers. Reading Teacher, 57(2), 140. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ676033) Retrieved May 3, 2008, from the ERIC database.
