Graphic Novels and Youth in the U.S.Trends in Publishing and School Instruction

William H. Teale University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

William Boerman-Cornell Trinity Christian College, Chicago, IL, USA

Researching Young Readers Conference

Uniwersytet Wrocławski 7 June 2015

Graphic Novel Defined

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Book-length fictional or non-fictional story told with images and verbal text using the conventions of a comic book

Graphic Novel Defined

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Book-length fictional or non-fictional story told with images and verbal text using the conventions of a comic book

GN Defined: Children/YA

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GN Defined: Children/YA

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Current??

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GN Trends & Youth

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• Reviewed ü  Survey, interview & empirical research ü  Publisher data ü  Online instructional resources

GN Trends & Youth

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• Publishing: How Much and What?

• Child/Young Adult Readership

• Classroom Instructional Use

Publishing, Purchasing, Reading

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• How much? ü  Lots recently

Purchasing, Reading

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Purchasing, Reading: Libraries

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• Public libraries/school libraries ü  Library circulation ü  Ages of readership

Other Indicators

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Other Indicators

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Publishing, Purchasing, Reading

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• How much? ü  Lots recently

• What? ü  Wide range of genres but mainly fiction

• For whom (perceived readership) ü Gray line between YA and adult

Current??

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Toon Books

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• “High-quality comics designed for children ages 3 and up”

• “comics young children can read themselves”

Trends: Awards

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Year Award Title and Creator

2015 Newbery Honor El Deafo by C. Bell

2015 Caldecott Honor This One Summer by J. & M. Tomiki

2015 Batchelder Honor Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by L. Dauvillier & M. Lizano

2014 Alex Award Relish by L. Knisley

2007 Siebert Honor To Dance by S. Siegel & M. Siegel

2001 Siebert Honor Pedro and Me by J. Winick

The Readers

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• Ages • Cultural groups • Gender • Preferences

GNs in the Classroom

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• Many teachers not convinced of their instructional value • Where being used: Mainly individual

teachers and school districts—no widespread movement • Secondary school focus • GNs for English Language Learners or

students with reading difficulties

GNs in the Classroom

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• Interesting: Diamond Comics—Maryland Comic Books Initiative • Also some online resources/supports

GNs in the Classroom

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GNs in the Classroom

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Educational Research on GNs & Youth

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• Considerable amount published but little solid research • Research examined: Classroom practices

ü  26 total studies identified from literature search

• Age/grade level ü  Mostly high school (age 15-19), middle school

(age 12-14), or HS/MS ü  Only 1 focused on K-grade 6

• Wide variety of uses/student responses

Online Lesson Recommendations

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• Sampled 50 from search on GNs • Several hosted/written by book’s publisher • Mainly high school/middle school focus • Focus on U.S.-published GNs (even if set

outside US—e.g., Maus, Journey into Mohawk Country; exception: Persepolis)

• No site acts as a clearinghouse/quality control for online GN lessons

GNs & Instruction in U.S.

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•  Modest amount going on, but GNs clearly not a essential/core texts in school •  Vast amount of what is happening happens in

secondary school, not elementary •  Used mainly in English classes, some in History/

Social Studies, little in Science •  Research provides little insight into impact on

students as readers •  Largely ‘dropping in’ GNs to replace print texts/

little focus on the unique affordances of GNs

Current??

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h-ps://uic.academia.edu/WilliamTeale  wteale@uic.edu  

 

h-ps://trnty.academia.edu/WilliamBoermanCornell    Bill.Boerman-­‐Cornell@trnty.edu