creating digital comics to motivate young learners to write: a ......the benefits of using comics...

ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearningVol.7,No.1,February2016,233-263ISSN:1792-1244Availableonlineathttp://rpltl.eap.grThisarticleisissuedundertheCreativeCommonsLicenseDeed.Attribution3.0Unported(CCBY3.0)

Creatingdigitalcomicstomotivateyounglearnerstowrite:acasestudy

Δημιουργώνταςψηφιακάcomicsμεστόχοτηνπαρακίνησητωνμαθητώνστηνπαραγωγήγραπτούλόγου:

μίαμελέτηπερίπτωσης.

AngelikiDELIGIANNI-GEORGAKAandOuraniaPOUROUTIDIThe incorporationof technology in the foreign languageclassroom isausual phenomenonnowadayswhich seems toaffect students’motivation to learndue to the satisfaction theyfeelwhenlearningnewthingsortheirenjoymentassociatedwiththelearningprocess.TheadvantagesofusingcomputersinEnglishasaforeignlanguage(EFL)instructionareplentyandthispaperaimstofocusonthecombinationoftechnologywithwritingasanalternativeway tomotivate learners towrite. Inparticular, it investigateswhether creating storiesbymeansofdigitalcomics increasesstudents’ interest inwriting inEnglishanddevelopstheirwriting skills. Creating stories are very important in children’s lives and useful in primaryeducation.Therearea lotofonlinesiteswherestudentscaneasilyconstructdigitalcomicsusingsimplestepsandwithlittleguidancebytheirteacher.Furthermore,therearea lotofprojectslikeEducomicsandTheComicBookProjectthatdealwiththeissueofusingcomicsineducation.Theparticipantsofthepresentinvestigationareaclassroomofsixthgradersofprimary education studying English in a private school in Central Greece. The specificresearchischaracterizedasacasestudysinceitsfocusisonasingleinstance.Theresearchtoolsdevelopedfordatacollectionincludeobservation,interviewandquestionnaires.Optingfor a multi-method research study, triangulating data, can ensure validity of theinvestigation.Theparticularinvestigationyieldedpositiveresultsregardingthecombinationoftechnologywithwritingandspecificallythecreationofdigitalcomicsinayounglearners’classroom.TheresultsofthestudyofferusefulinformationtoteachersofEnglishregardingthe differentways that thewriting skill could be taught and practiced leaving behind thetraditionalpassivemethodsandusingmorealternativeandcreativeways.

�Σκοπός της συγκεκριμένης έρευνας είναι η χρήση της τεχνολογίας στη διδασκαλία τουγραπτού λόγου για να αυξηθεί το ενδιαφέρον των μαθητών. Συγκεκριμένα οι μαθητέςκαλούνταιναδημιουργήσουνιστορίεςμέσωτωνψηφιακώνκόμικς.Ησυγκεκριμένηέρευναχαρακτηρίζεταιωςμελέτηπερίπτωσηςεπειδήεστιάζεισεμίασυγκεκριμένηπερίπτωση.Η

Deligianni&Pouroutidi/ResearchPapersinLanguageTeachingandLearning7/1(2016)233-263

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συγκέντρωση και ανάλυση δεδομένων από τρία διαφορετικά ερευνητικά εργαλείαεπιβεβαιώνει την εγκυρότητα της έρευνας. Η συγκεκριμένη έρευνα απέφερε θετικάαποτελέσματα όσον αφορά τον συνδυασμό της τεχνολογίας με το γραπτό λόγο και πιοσυγκεκριμένα τη δημιουργία των ψηφιακών κόμικς στην τάξη μικρών μαθητών. Τααποτελέσματα προσφέρουν χρήσιμες πληροφορίες στους καθηγητές Αγγλικών σχετικά μετουςεναλλακτικούς τρόπουςμε τουςοποίουςογραπτόςλόγοςμπορείναδιδαχθείκαιναεξασκηθεί,αφήνονταςπίσωτιςπαραδοσιακέςμεθόδους.Keywords:digitalcomics,motivation,writing,younglearners,collaboration,casestudy1.IntroductionWriting is considered a difficult and highly complex process especially for young learnerswhose linguisticcompetence is limited. Imitatingmodels, followingguidelinesandtreatingwritingasafinalproductareelementsthatcharacterizetraditionalapproachestoteachingandpractisingwriting.Thesetendtofocusonaccuracyandcorrectnessofthewrittentext.Therefore,asZamel(1985)asserts,linguisticproperties,inparticularphonological,lexicalorgrammatical,shouldbethefocusofstudents’attentionduringtheprocedureofcreatingapiece ofwriting. Thismeans that students are deprived of the enjoyment that is likely toderive from true communication in written speech. It is implied that due to the difficultnatureofwritingandtheway it is taught, students’demotivationandboredom increases.However increasing learners’motivation is of high significance as in Dörneyi’s (2001, p.2)words “the study of motivation is a prominent area in the field of psychology andeducation”.The incorporationof technology in theEFLclassroomnowadaysoffers theopportunity fornew and alternativemethods to be applied in the class. Consequently, technology and inparticularcomputerscanbeusedfor thedevelopmentof thewritingskill.Creatingstorieswhich are finally converted into digital comics, is a method used in the specific researchstudyinanattempttoraiselearners’interestandparticipation.Comicscanbeeasilycreatedbymeansofcomputers insteadofthedifficultmanualdrawingandcolouringprocess.Theaimisforthepassivityofthetraditionalmethodstobeturnedintocreativity.AsCameron(2001.p. 156) stresses it is important that studentsbeengaged in activities thatwill helpthemexpressthemselves,haveanaudience,aremeaningfulandcreativeandallowchildrenfreedominwriting.Comics and stories are interesting topics which children are familiar with, consequently,according to Zemach (2010), interesting topics increase motivation and make learningeasier.Theyareoftenusedinclassroomsasamethodforpractisingthereadingskillbutinthespecific lessonwriting ispractised.Anadditionalelement,characteristicof theappliedlesson, is that the focus is placed on the process and stages of creating awritten text incontrast to the traditional methods which treat writing as a final product focusing onaccuracyandnotinthemeaningcommunicated.Thisresearchstudyseekstofindwhethercreatingdigitalcomicscana)motivatelearnerstowrite, and b) promote group collaboration and encourage collaborative writing. It alsoinvestigates whether digital comics can be used as an alternative new way of writingcreativelyandassuchtobeintegratedintothesyllabus.


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2.Theoreticalframework2.1.TechnologyineducationStudents’ boredomand demotivation is a usual phenomenon in the language classrooms.Integrationof technology in the foreign languageclassroomcanoffernewandalternativewaysofmotivatinglearnersbyreplacingtraditionalmethods.AccordingtoOxford(1993)technologywillbebeneficialundercertaincircumstances,suchas (a) if it takes into consideration students’ needs and interests and tries to promotemotivation(b)ifthemostsuitabletechnologyisusedforeachpartoflanguagelearningandacquisition taking into account the goals and the type of learners, (c) if it can face thedifficulties that learners may encounter. Furthermore, concerning the activities that theeducatorwilluseordesignthroughtheuseof technology,Sadik (2008,p.488)arguesthat“thekeyinusingeducationaltechnologyistoutilizemeaningfulactivitiesthatmayengagestudentstoconstructtheirknowledgeindifferentways,notavailablebeforethetechnologywasintroduced.”Itfollowsthattechnologyhasbecomeverysignificantinthedomainofeducation.Itisusedforeducationalpurposesevenintheprimaryschoolwherestudentslearntouseacomputerattheageofsix.NoChildLeftBehindAct(NCLB),throughtheEnhancingEducationthroughTechnology Act of 2001 requires States to provide evidence that “every student istechnologically literatebythetimethestudentfinishestheeighthgrade,regardlessofthestudent’s race, ethnicity, gender, family income, geographic location, or disability”(Dellicarpini,2012,p.562).Eventhenotionofliteracyhaschangedmeaningbecauseoftheuse of technology in every aspect of life and especially in education. Coiro (2003, p. 458)argues that “the definition of literacy today has expanded from traditional notions ofreadingandwritingtoincludetheabilitytolearn,comprehend,andinteractwithtechnologyinameaningfulway”.Therehavebeenvariousadvantagesofusingtechnologyintheforeignlanguageclassroomandoneof themajorones ismotivation increase. Students aredealingwithnewwaysoflearning that are interesting, leaving behind the boredom of the traditional approaches.Warschauer & Healey (1998) support that the use of technology has benefits like:multimodal practicewith feedback, individualization in a large class, pair and small groupwork on projects, either collaboratively or competitively, the fun factor, variety in theresources available and learning styles used, exploratory learning with large amounts oflanguagedata, real-lifeskill-building incomputeruse.Chen(2005)revealedthatcomputerassistedlanguagelearningconstitutesanoveltythatpresentslearnerswithattractivewaysoflearningandasaresulteventediousdrillscanbecomemoreinteresting.Additionallytheuse of technologymakes students feel that they can successfully complete tasks and thisencouragesthemtocontinuetoworkontasksasaccordingtoSchunk(1991)theytendtotakeonactivitiestheycanhandle. 2.2.DigitalComicsComics are considered to be children’s favorite reading material. The combination ofpictureswithwords is thekeycharacteristicof that typeof texts.Variousdefinitionshavebeenpresentedforcomics.GregandPratt (2005,cited inYunusetal,2011,p.53)definedthecomicas“asequenceofdiscrete,juxtaposedpicturesthatcompriseanarrative,eitherintheirownrightorwhencombinedwithtext.”Itisemphasizedthatcomicsareaformofart,


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or a method of expression as Eisner (1995) claims and that “comic strips capture all theessenceinanarrativeandcantellusastory inaveryeffectiveway”inAlves,etal, (2007,par.2) words. Comics are based on Dual Coding Theory (DCT), which emphasizes thesignificance of imagery in cognitive operations and mentions that the presentation ofinformationinbothverbalandvisualformenhancesrecall/recognitionaccordingtoClark&Paivio,(1991citedinVassilikopoulou,etal,2007).Theirdifferencefromdigitalcomicsisthatdigitalcomicsareentirelycreatedonacomputerandnotbymanualdrawingandcoloringprocess.Languageteachersaswellasteachersofothersubjectsareconstantlylookingforalternativemethods and techniques to improve the effectiveness of their teaching. There are lots ofsitesavailableontheInternetwheredigitalcomicscanbeeasilydesigned.Plentyofprojectshavebeenimplementedintendingtoshowtheimportanceofusingcomicsforeducationalpurposes. “Graphic novels across the curriculum” as reported in Educomics (2011),presentedadescriptionofschoolprojectsinGreatBritain,havingasthemainfocustheuseof comics in promoting learner’s interest in Literacy. Additionally, the Comic Book Projectthatstartedin2011inUSAaimedtohelpyounglearnerstowrite,designandpublishtheirowncomicsaccordingtotheirinterests(ComicBookProject,2011).Furthermore,Educomics,a European Union education project in the context of the Life Long Learning ProgrammeComeniusActionattemptedtoshowhowwebcomicscanbeusedineducationtopromotelearningandmotivation(Educomics,2011).Yunusetall(2011,p54)statesthatbyusingdigitalcomics,itcanspurstudents’interesttowrite” thereforeusing them forpractising thewriting skill,mayprove valuable andSalehi(2012) supports that creatingdigital comics to tell storieswouldmake thedifficult taskofwritingintheEnglishlanguageamuchmoreenjoyableexperienceforlearners.Howeverthemost difficult part of creating comics is, according to Faulkner (2009), the decisions thatlearnersshouldtakesincethereisnotmuchspacefortextandtheyhavetofindtheimageandjustenoughwordsforittomakesense.Thisisaprocedurethatrequirescriticalabilitysincelearnershavetofindthemostessentialpartsinastory.Thebenefitsofusingcomicsanddigitalcomicsintheclassroomarenumerous.Yang(2003cited inDrolet,2010,p.124)argues that “oneof the strongestbenefitsofusing comics toteach is the ability tomotivate students”.Developing thewriting skill is themost difficultpartofacquiringaforeignlanguageforthemajorityoflearners.AccordingtoSalehi(2012,p.3467, “low-achieving ESL learners need motivation to write in English” Many studentscomplain that they cannot manage to acquire the writing skill and that a lot of effort isneeded as finding the right things towrite for every occasion is a difficult task. They alsocomplainthattheydonothaveanyideasandaskiftheycandrawpictureswhentheywritetosupporttheir ideas(Bledsoe,n.d). Imagesarevery important inthe learningprocedure,especially inearlyagessincetheyenhancestudents’memory.Creatingcomicsdigitally isaway thatwill enable students to use text and images in combination. It is important thatlanguage as well as arts teachers become aware that children are both visual and verballearnersandresearchsupportsthefactthatvisualsenhancelearning(Bruningetal,1999).2.3.StoriesandyounglearnersAccording toWright&Sherman (1999) the first step in theprocessofdevelopinga comicstrip is thescriptingof thestory.Therefore,before thedesignof thecomic scenes,younglearnersarerequiredtousetheirimaginationandtheirexperiencesinlisteningtostoriesinordertoinventandwritetheirownstory.


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Childrenlovestoriesandstoriesarethefirstpartofliteracychildrenmeet.Additionally,asCameron (2001) argues "they offer a whole imaginary world created by language thatchildren can enter and enjoy". They are claimed to offermany benefits to young learnerclassrooms. Increasing motivation, stimulating imagination, and developing fluency inlanguage skills (Almutrafi, n.d) are some of the advantages of using stories. FurthermoreZigardyova (2006)maintains that theyare funand they createan interest andadesire tocontinuelearningbylinkingfantasyandimaginationtothechildren’srealworld.Oneofthemost frequently mentioned benefits, according to Fitzgibbon & Wilhelm (1998), is thatstories lower affective filters allowing learning to take place more naturally and morereadily.ConsequentlyeducatorsshouldhelpstudentstomakewritingpurposefulasEllisandBrewster (1991) support, adding that writing activities can be divided into those thatencouragecopyingandthosethatencouragecreativity.Creatingandwritingstoriesisnotanactivityencouragingcopyingbutcreativity,sincechildren’simaginationisaprerequisitefortheaccomplishmentofsuchanactivity.Creatingandwritingstoriesisavaluableprocedureconcerning the practice of the writing skill and as such it should be incorporated in theteachingprocedure.2.4.MotivationMotivationisacentralconceptoftheteachingprocedure.Lucasetal(2010)reportthatalotof researchhasbeendone the last thirty years inorder toexplore the roleandnatureofmotivation in learning a foreign language classroom. According to Rost (2006,p.2),“motivationprovidesasourceofenergythat isresponsibleforwhy learnersdecidetomakeaneffort,howlongtheyarewillingtosustainanactivity,howhardtheyaregoingtopursueitandhowconnectedtheyfeeltotheactivity”aprevailingmotivationalperspectivein Csikszentmihalyi’s(1992) work. The term itself indicates that motive is a force thatprompts, incitesor stimulatesactionandBeck (2004)argues thatmotivationderives fromthelatinverb‘movere’thatmeanstomoveandsuchmotivationisresponsibleforpeople’sactionsandbehaviors.Threetypesofmotivationrelatedtotheparticularresearcharegoingtobedescribedhere:Intrinsicandextrinsicmotivation,whichare included intheself-determinationtheory,andcollectivemotivation.Theself-determinationtheory,oneofthemost importanttheoriesthatwas introducedbyDeci et al (1989), define self determination as initiating and regulating one’s actions.According to this theory, motivation is divided into intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsicmotivation should be the ultimate goal of every educator. “Intrinsicmotivation based onautonomy and competence, describes a situation in which material is engaged in for itsinherent interest and the satisfactionandenjoyment it engenders”asBernard (2010,p.5)asserts. Put simply, a student enjoys learning a language due to the satisfaction he feelswhen he learns new things or the joy associatedwith the learning process. On the otherhand,Covington(1999)claimsthatstudentswithextrinsicmotivationareengagedinagoal,such as rewards, praise, grades, certificates, gold stars, basically external to the act oflearning and thismeans that once this need has been satisfied there is no any particularreasontocontinuelearning.Findingwaystopromoteintrinsicmotivationshouldbeoneofthemajortasksofeducators.AlotofauthorsproposesuchwaysamongwhichWang(2001)who argues that intrinsicmotivation can be enhanced by designing challenging tasks andtasksthatcreatedisequilibriawhichcanelicitcuriosity.Additionally,Palmer(2005,p1860)statesthat intrinsicmotivationcanbeenhancedbyprovidingfantasyandcontrolandthat“noveltyisparticularlyimportantingainingstudents’initialattentionforatask”.


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Collective motivation is another type of motivation, meaning that students enjoy whenworkingandplayingwithothersasBouniol(2004)states.Co-operativelearningactivitiesarethoseinwhichstudentsmustworktogetherfortheaccomplishmentofataskorforsolvingaproblem.AccordingtoLightbown&Spada(1999,p.57)“thesetechniqueshavebeenfoundtoincreasetheself-confidenceofstudentsincludingweakerones,becauseeveryparticipantin a co-operative task has an important role to play.” Nowadays, most of the schoolsimplementgroupworkinordertomotivatestudents.Throughgroupwork,studentslearntocooperateanddependoneachotherfortheaccomplishmentofatasksharingatthesametimeresponsibility.2.5.WritingThemajorityofstudentsfindpractisingandacquiringthewritingskillthemostdifficultpartofstudyingaforeignlanguageaswritingisachallengingtaskthatrequiresconstantmakingofdecisionsandchoicesatthelevelofideas,planning,organization,andexpressionamongothers.Cimcoz(1999)alsoaddsthatlearnersfindwritingdifficultsincetheyusuallydonotknowwhattowrite,theycannotfindideasoreventherightwords.Findingtheappropriatewordsforeverywritingoccasionisadifficultpartofwritingandstudentsspendmuchtimethinking of an idea and then they face the problem of grammar, choice of words andcoherency.Therearetwoapproachesthathavebeenformedfortheteachingof thewritingskill.TheProduct approach, a traditional approach implemented even today in the languageclassroomsandarelativelynewteachingmethodcalledProcessapproach.Inthetraditionalapproaches of teachingwriting, the focus is on the productwhichmeans the creation ofgrammaticallycorrectpiecesofwriting.White(1998citedinHo,2006)assertsthatthefocusisongrammarandadherence togivenmodelsandguidelines,whichmeans that studentsimitatemodelsandasaresulttheydonothavetheopportunitytoexpresstheirownideasandthoughts,leavingouttheircreativity. TheProcessapproachseenasananswertothetraditionalProductapproach,focusesontheprocessofcreatingapieceofwritingandnotonthefinalproduct.TheProcessapproachwillbe applied during the lesson implemented in this research study for an additional reasonrelated to theaimof this study, that is statedbyCzerniewska,P. (2002,p.76)as follows:“Children learning to be literate are involved in a collaboration venturewith others”. Theprocessapproach instruction, includespre-writing tasks toactivatebackgroundknowledgeon a specific topic, drafting of ideas to communicate meaning through the medium ofwriting, revising to clarify meaning taking into account peer feedback, editing to correctspelling,grammar,punctuationandpublishing(Hedge(1994),Raimes(1993),Conover,n.d).Calfoglou(2004,p.198)supportsthat“dividingupthewritinglessonintostagesmakesthewholeprocessmanipulable,whileon theotherhand, thecognitive load is reduced,whichmayfacilitateespeciallynovicewriterprocesses”(Calfoglou,2004,p.198).Itisanapproachwheretheprocess,thestagessomeonecomesthroughandnottheproductisstressed,anapproach that constant revision is promoted and a procedure requiring constant changesuntilthefinaltextisformed.Writingrequiresinteractionbetweenthewriter,thetext,andthereaderandsignificantforthe theory of writing is the primacy accorded to each pole in this triangle of the writingprocess as Calfoglou (2004) maintains. Adding to that Cimcoz (1999) claims that it is aninteractiveprocess,meaning that thewriter should take intoaccount theaudienceduringtheprocess inorder to createagoodpieceofwriting. It is important to consider the fact


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thatwhenstudentsrealizethattheyarewritingforrealpurposesandreaders,andthattheirwritingisnotsimplyanin-classexercisetheydogetmoreinvolved.2.6.PeerfeedbackOne of the tasks that young learners are required to accomplish, during the particularresearchstudy,isthetaskofprovidingandreceivingfeedbackfromtheirpeers,duringtheprocess of writing their compositions. A new feedback technique, the peer feedbacktechnique, different from the traditional onewhere the educator is considered to be thesole source of knowledge and the only evaluator, is applied in the broader context ofalternative assessment. According to Rieber (2006 cited in Hashim, 2011) there are threetypes of peer feedback depending on teacher’s instructions: open-ended peer-review,guidedpeer- reviewanddirectedpeer review.The typeof feedbackused in this researchstudy isdirectedpeerreview,which isusedwith lessexperiencedstudentswho lackgoodwriting skills andworkwith a checklist given to themas “checklists provide guidelines forstudents to read and assess other students’ writing” according to Raimes (1983, p. 148).Furthermore,learnersshouldbepreparedbytheteacherregardingthestepsandthewayofproviding feedback. Teachers should model and role play how to provide constructivefeedbackbeforehavingstudentsmeettheirown.(IntelCorporation,2012).A lot of benefits of peer feedbackhavebeenmentionedbymanyauthors. Pishghadam&Kermanshahi (2011) maintain that it is less threatening by creating a more supportiveatmosphere and as a result, the authoritative role of the teacher is no more reinforced.HansenandLui (2005cited inHashim,2011,p.4)advocatedpeer review for the followingthree reasons: “First, students can avoid being penalized for errors they do not detect intheir work. Secondly, it provides another real audience for students rather than only theinstructor.Thirdlybyhavingtoevaluateotherstudents’papersthey improvetheabilitytojudge their ownwriting”. Furthermore, learners’ responsibility is increased and as Farrah(2012) claims, this is a characteristic of learner-centered approaches. Additionally,Wakabayashi(2008)assumesthatthefactthatstudentsactasfeedbackprovidersenablesthem to gain more insight into writing and revision processes, gaining a betterunderstanding of the necessary steps required for successful revision. What is of greatimportanceisthatthisapproachtofeedbackencouragesstudentstodeveloptheirthinkingprocessesandgraduallybecomeindependentasStobart&Gipps(1997)claim.3.Researchmethodology3.1.ResearchprocedureThefocusof the lessontaughtwasonanalternativewayof teachingthewritingskill.ThecontextoftheresearchwasaprivatelanguageschoolclassroomsituatedinasmallvillageinCentralGreece.Theclassconsistedofninelearnersagedtwelveyearsoldinthe6thgradeofprimaryeducation.TheyarenativespeakersofGreeklanguagelearningEnglishasanL2andtheir proficiency level is A2 according to Common European Framework level (Council ofEurope,2001).TheyhavebeenstudyingEnglishforfouryears.Accordingtothelessonplan(seeAppendixI,p.18)apre-while-postinstructionalsequencewasimplementedandbeforethebeginningofthedesignedlesson,studentsaccomplishedsomepre-writingactivities.Inthesecondpart,studentsweredividedintothreegroupsbythe teacher and the teacher taught the basic steps for the creation of comic and letstudentsexplorethethingsthattheycandotocreatecomics.Thesiteforcreatingdigital


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comics is www.Pixton.com. Having explored the site, learners chose three cards fromcategoriesofwords(seeAppendixII,p.20).Basedonthewordstheyhavechosenstudentscreatedastorycollaboratively.Eachmemberofthegroupthoughtofastoryathomeandthen the group decided which story would be written including the changes that eachmember of the group proposed. After the completion of the first draft the groupsexchangedpapersinorderforapeerevaluationandpeerconferencingtobeaccomplishedbasedonawritingchecklistgiventostudentsbeforetheyhadstartedwriting.Throughthisactivitycollaborationispromotedandstudentsareengagedintheprocedureofevaluationsothattheybecomecapableofevaluatingtheirownwritingtexts.Cameron(2001,p.235)claimsthat“inVygotskianterms,apupilwholearnstoassesshisorherownworkmovesfrom being “other-regulated” to being “self-regulated” or autonomous.” Taking intoconsideration the comments that the other group made, each group re-wrote the draftmakingtheappropriatechanges.Thefocusisontheprocessorstagesawritergoesthroughwhenwritingatext.Thereisnofinaltext,buttherearemultipledraftsbeforethefinal.Inthefollowingstepeachgroupmadethedialoguesofthestoryanddesignedthecomic(seeAppendix III, p.21). The created comicswere printed and given to the rest of the privatelanguageschoolandtheirparents.AsCunningham(2000)argueswhenstudentsareinvitedtowriteforrealreasonstheytendtobemoremotivated.Furthermore,Miller&Pennycuff(2008) support that the identificationof theaudienceand thepurposeduring thewritingprocesspositivelyaffectlearners’writing.Finally,eachstudentwroteacompositionabouthis/herexperienceincreatingcomics.3.2.ThestudyThepresentstudyisacasestudyresearchwhichisdefinedbyGerring(2004,p341)as“anintensivestudyofasingleunitwithanaimtogeneralizeacrossalargersetofunits”withthefocus, in this specificoccasion,ona class includingnine students.Amajor featureof casestudies is triangulation by combining different methodologies, illuminating a case fromdifferent angles, using evidence from different sources to corroborate the same finding(Rowley, 2002). Current trends towards mixed-method research designs as supported byCreswell(2003)andDörneyi(2007)drawingonbothquantitativeandqualitativeapproachesensured a more rounded picture of the situation under investigation and alsocomplementaryfindingstoberevealed.AccordingtoWeissberg&Buker(1990),afteraspecifictopichasbeenfound,thenextstepis to formulate the research questions which are the basis on which the investigation isplannedandcarriedout.Therefore thecurrent investigationaims toanswer the followingresearchquestions:

1. Howcandigitalcomicsmotivatestudentstowrite?2. Inwhatwaycandigitalcomicspromotecollaboration?3. Whyshoulddigital comicsbe integrated into the syllabusasanewwayofwriting

creatively?3.3.ResearchtoolsSincetriangulationisthemaincharacteristicoftheresearchmethodology,amixedmethodsdesignwasadoptedandconsistedofvariousresearchtoolswiththeintentionofansweringtheabovementionedresearchquestions.Firstly,twoquestionnairesweredeliveredtotheclass, after they had been piloted with three potential respondents. Richards & Lockhart(1996, p.10) support that “surveys and questionnaires are useful ways of gathering


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informationabouteffectivedimensionsof teachingand learning suchasbeliefs,attitudes,motivationandpreferences,andenableateachertocollecta largeamountof informationrelativelyquickly”.However,amaindisadvantageofquestionnaires,fromtheperspectiveofDorneyi&Taguchi (2010) is that there is brief and superficial engagementwith the topic.This is the reasonwhyadditional research tools likeobservationand interview,havebeendesignedandimplemented.Needs analysis questionnaire. A needs analysis questionnaire was delivered before theimplementationofthelesson(seeAppendixIV,p.30).Throughthequestionnaire,theneedsandlikesofstudentswere identified.Thefirstthingtobediscoveredintheneedsanalysisquestionnaire was students’ motivation for studying the English language. Except for thedemographic questions like students’ name and the years of studying English, learners’preferences about the procedure or methods of studying English are discovered.Additionally, learners’ attitudes towardswriting and their experience in using a computerwereexplored.Feedback questionnaire. At the end of the procedure learners completed a feedbackquestionnaire (seeAppendixV, p.32). Through this, students’ feelings about theactivities,theproblemsthey faced, things they likedordisliked, feelingsabout thecooperationwiththemembersofthegroupandtheuseoftechnologyasanalternativewayofpractisingthewritingskill,werediscovered.Observation.Duetothefactthatquestionnairesarenotenoughasresearchtoolsinacasestudy,duringthe lessonstudentswereobservedbytheirbasicteacher.Bell (1993)assertsthat through observation you can discover characteristics which are difficult to bediscovered in other ways. The focus of the checklist (Appendix VI, p.33) is on children’sinterestandpleasureabouttheactivity,theirwillingnesstocooperateandaskhelpfromtheteacher, whether their participation in the activity is equal and finally about the noisecreatedduringtheprocedure.Inthesecondpartofthechecklist,somecommentsabouttheteacher’sbehaviorweresought.Interview. The following research tool applied in the investigation, contributing totriangulation,istheinterview.Studentswereinterviewedansweringalistofquestions(seeAppendix VII, p.34). It is highly accepted that in-depth interviewing is the hallmark ofqualitativeresearchaccordingtoRossmanandRallis (1998).Thequestionsofthe interviewfocusonfeelingsabouttheprocedure,theproblemscreated,thethingsstudents likedandfeelingsaboutcooperatingwithothersfortheaccomplishmentofatask.Ontheotherhand,one main drawback is that interviews, as Nisbet and Watt (1980) point out, provideimportantdata,buttheyrevealonlyhowpeopleperceivewhathappens,notwhatactuallyhappens,andthisisthereasonwhyobservationhasbeenaddedtotheresearchprocedure.4.Presentation,analysisandimplicationsoftheresearchfindings4.1.NeedsanalysisquestionnairefindingsExcept for the demographic questions each question and answer will be analyzed. Theanswersgiventothefirstquestionrevealedthatfouroutofninestudents44%studyEnglishinorderforacertificatetobeobtained,fouroutofnine44%studyEnglishbecausetheyareforcedbytheirparentsandonlyonelearner11,1%targetsateasieraccessontheinternetbymeansoftheEnglishlanguage.Thetypeoflearners’motivationforstudyingEnglishisthefocusofthesecondquestion.Itisconfirmedbystudents’answersthatthetypeoflearners’


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motivation is extrinsic. Students with extrinsic motivation are engaged in a goal that isseparatefromtheactivitytorecall (Bernard,2010).Therefore,analternative lessonwouldreinforcetheirintrinsicmotivation.According to the following two questions, although comics are students’ favorite readingmaterial,theopportunitytousethemforpractisingthereadingskillintheirschoolwasnotofferedtothem.Consequently,comicsareintroducedinthedesignedlesson.Accordingtothe results, the majority of students, eight out of nine, (88,9%) stated that their nativelanguage isofequal importancetotheforeign language learned.Onlyone learner (11,1%)preferred the English language as the onlymediumof communication in class. Therefore,both languages should be used in the lessons. Oluwole (2008, p.43) points out that it is“generallyacceptedthatinteachingandlearningprocesses,themothertongueofthechildisofutmostimportance.”Regardingstudents’preferencesabouttheteachingmethods,themajority of students (seven out of nine- 77,8%) responded to group activities positively,findingtheminteresting(eightoutofnine,-88,9%)andaverysmallpercentage(twooutofnine- 22,2%) considered individual activities better. Only one student considered groupactivitiesdifficult.Sincetechnologyandspecificallycomputersareofutmostimportanceinthedesignedlesson,itiscrucialthatlearners’experienceinusingcomputersbediscovered.According to the answers given (eight out of nine learners, 88,9%), technology is part ofstudents’ lifesincetheyusethemathomeandasaresult,thetaskswouldbemoreeasilyaccomplished.Thefocusofthelastsectionofthequestionnairewasthewritingskill.Practicingthewritingskill in a foreign language is a procedure which is considered difficult by the majority ofchildren (eight out of nine, 88,9%) even boring (one out of nine- 11,1%). Salehi (2012, p3467)arguesthat“low-achievingESLlearnersneedmotivationtowriteinEnglish”.Despitethe difficulty of thewriting skill, all students admitted that creating andwriting stories ispreferable than letters, description and articles. According to Rixon (1992, p.82), stories“havebeenrecommendedasmemorableandpleasurablewaysofpresentingandpractisinglanguagewithchildren”.Thewaywritingistreatedinthecoursebookisanissuethatmostof the learners, six out of nine, (66,7%) are disappointed about. Only three (33,3%)weresatisfiedwiththeexercises.Thefinalissuetoberaisedisthekindoferrorcorrectionstudentsprefer.Asitwasexpectedteacher correction was the prevalent answer (eight out of nine, 88,9%) to the question.Students were accustomed to a traditional way of correction coming from their teacher.Thatisthereasonwhyonlyonechild(11,1%)respondedpositivelytopeercorrection.4.2.Researchquestion:1.Howcandigitalcomicsmotivatestudentstowrite?TheinformationprovidedbytheresearchtoolsrevealedthattheactivityofcreatingdigitalcomicswasconsideredinterestingbyallstudentsAspreviouslymentioned,creatingdigitalcomicscanspurstudents’interesttowrite(Yunusetal,2013).Theuseoftechnologymadethelessonmoreinteresting,afactsupportedbyallstudentswhoconsideredtheactivityofcreatingdigitalcomicsmorecreativethanthetraditionalactivitiesofpractisingthewritingskill. Writing skills are also promoted through technology because using computers andespeciallygraphicsmakeswritinganenjoyableexperience(Ybarra&Green,2003).According to the educator’s observation comments the majority of students seemed toenjoy thewhole procedureof creating digital comics showingpleasure aswell as interestand additionally being attentive to teachers’ instructions. The interview was used as a


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research method in order for the true feelings and opinions of students regarding theteachingsituation tobediscovered.The fact that theywouldpractise thewritingskill inadifferentwayusingtechnologymadeallstudentsenthusiasticevenbeforethebeginningofthe lesson. Fortunately, their enthusiasm also remained after the accomplishment of thetasks. They liked the fact that they were using computers. They preferred the specificalternativewayofpractisingwriting than the traditionalbook-basedmethodusedbefore.Writingwasmorecreative thansimply followingguidelinesand theyadditionally liked thefactthattherewasarealpurposeandarealaudiencefortheirproduct.Consequently,theresults indicatedthatstudentsarepositivetoalternativewaysofteaching, increasingtheirmotivationtowrite.4.3.Researchquestion2:Inwhatwaycandigitalcomicspromotecollaboration?Accordingtothefeedbackquestionnairefindings,thevastmajorityofstudents(eightoutofnine- 88,9%) indicated their preference in doing an activity collaboratively rather thanindividually, findingtheexperience interesting.This findingtakesustoLightbown&Spada(1999) who claim that cooperative activities increase the self-confidence of students,including theweaker ones, because everyone in a group has a role to play. According toquestion7,thefocuswasonthetechniqueofpeerevaluationwheresixoutofninestudents(66,7%)reportedthattheylikedthespecificexperience.Comparingtheresultsoftheneedsanalysis questionnaire with the results of the feedback questionnaire, concerning peerfeedback, students’ negative views turned into positive. Finally, according to the lastquestionaccomplishingawritingactivityincollaborationprovedtobeimportantregardingthe improvement of the writing skill. Through similar projects collaboration is promoted,studentsofmixedabilityaredrawntogetherandopportunitiesforindividualstocontributeinwayswhichreflectdifferenttalentsandcreativityarecreatedasFried-Booth(2002,p.6)maintain.Accordingtotheobservationchecklist,therewascooperationamongmostmembersofthegroup but not all the students participated in all stages of the process. Regarding theinterview, they liked the fact that the responsibility of accomplishing the task successfullywas shared among the members. As a result, cooperation contributed to students’improvementwithpeerslearningfromeachother.Almostallthestudentsenjoyedworkingwithothers.Using groups for the accomplishmentof each stepof theprocessof creatingdigital comics proved to be very useful for the particular students since they learnt tocooperateforthecompletionofatask.4.4.Researchquestion3:Whyshoulddigitalcomicsbeintegratedinthesyllabusasanewwayofwritingcreatively?According to the fourth question of the feedback questionnaire, all students (100%)respondedpositivelyregardingthecreationofdigitalcomicsinthefutureandsevenoutofninestudentsconsideredthatthewholeprocedureimprovedtheirwritingskills.Duringtheinterview,usingthesamemethodofpractisingwriting in future lessonswastheprevalentsuggestiononthepartoflearners.Acquiringthewritingskillinaforeignlanguageisusuallyadifficultandlaborioustaskincomparisontotheotherthreelanguageskills.Themajorityofstudents findpractisingandacquiring thewriting skill themostdifficultpartof studyingaforeign language. The particular view is also supported by Cimcoz (1999) adding thatlearners find writing difficult since they usually run short of ideas and appropriatevocabulary.Thereforebasedonthedata,creatingdigitalcomicsisaprocessthatshouldbe


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integrated into the syllabus due to the fact that it was students’ desire. The specificalternativewayofwritingmadethemchangetheiropinionregardingthewritingskill.4.5.ImplicationsThe findings of this research study indicated that changes should bemade in the Englishclassroom especially in the methods of practising and teaching of the writing skill. Thetraditional book-based teaching of writing should be changed with the aim to developcreativestudents.ThisisreinforcedbyKern(2000)whoassertsthatspecificguidelinesandmodels for creating a piece ofwriting produce passive learnerswho experience boredombeingatthesametimeunabletousehigherthinkingskills.Bahousetal,(2011)encouragestudents to be active participants in the lesson and not passive, consequently, activitiesshould aim at developing creative thinkers. Additionally, as Williams & Burden (1997)maintain, giving a sense of real purpose and real audience to every piece of writing willincreasestudents’ interestandmotivationanddecreaseboredom.Thefactthattherewasanauthenticpurposeinthepresentstudymotivatedlearners.Anotherchangethatshouldbe introducedreferstothetreatmentofwritingnotasafinalproduct but as a process of constant modification and to the role of the educator as afacilitatorandcoordinatoroftheclassroomencouraging,praisingandmotivatingstudents,offering help and suggestions. Furthermore cooperation should be a major part of everyteaching procedure because through cooperation children have the opportunity to sharethoughts, knowledge and responsibilitywith other classmates. Finally, alternativeways ofassessment should be implemented promoting learners autonomy and increasing theirresponsibilityfortheirownlearning.5.LimitationsandsuggestionsOne of the major limitations of the present study was the extremely limited number ofstudents. There were many difficulties encountered in getting permission to conduct aresearchstudyinaclassroom.Thereforethisresearchstudyprovidesillustrationratherthanrepresentation.Thefactthattherewasonlyonecomputerintheclassroomandnolaptops,was an additional limitation faced. Consequently the lesson was adapted to the specificoccasion.Razak&Eswaran (2013)mention thatoneof the factors thatprevent computeruseintheclassroomistheamountofcomputersineducationalinstitutions.Furthermore,itcouldbeconsideredasatimeconsumingactivitytobeappliedintheclassroomonadailybasisanditcouldbealternativelyusedonceaweek.Itissuggestedthatthistypeofprojectshouldbeapplied tomore classroomsofprivateorpublic institutions to increase validity.Educatorscouldusedigitalcomicsnotonlyforcreatingstoriesbutothergenresadditionally,where students would convert every piece of writing into comics with the help oftechnology.6.ConcludingremarksInconclusion,thefindingsofthepresentinvestigationindicatedmanypositiveeffectsintheteachingof theEnglish languageand specifically in the teachingof thewriting skill that isconsidered a complex and difficult process increasing demotivation. The data analysisrevealed that learnerswereenthusiasticabout theprocedureofcreatingdigital comicsbymeans of technology, supporting that the task of creating comics should be part of theirwriting lessons. It is apparent that the creation of digital comics promoted groupcollaborationandcollaborativewritingcreatingpositive feelings to learners.Digital comics


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can and should be integrated in the syllabus as a newway ofwriting creatively since themajorityoflearnerssuggestedthereplacementofthetraditionalteachingofthewritingskillwith more alternative ways. Additionally, it should be stressed that the focus of writingshould not be on the final product and grammar correctness but on the meaningcommunicated and the process and stages followed till the final product. Additionally,writing should have a real purpose and audience since writing is the result of creatingsomethingthat isusefulandhasmeaningandisnot justanexercisewheregrammarrulesarepractisedandapplied.ReferencesAlmutrafi,F.(n.d).UsingstoriesinteachingEnglishasaforeignlanguagetoyounglearners,

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APPENDIXI:Lessonplan

APPENDIXVI:LessonplanLESSONPLANPrivateclassroom(frontistirio)Numberofstudents:9Age:11-12Studentlevel:A2Materials:copies,computerOverallpurpose:practicingthewritingskill.PlanPROCEDURE OBJECTIVES TIME

Theteacherexplainsthepurposeoftheresearchandtheneedsanalysisquestionnairesaredelivered.PRE-WRITINGSTAGE:1.Theteacherasksquestionsaboutcomics.2.Studentsreadtwocomicstoriesandtranslatethem.3.Studentshavetodrawimagesinacomicwheretherearedialoguesbutnotimages.4.Studentsshouldwritethedialoguesinacomicwhichincludesonlypictures.Theneachstudentreadsthedialogueshe/shewrote5.Studentsaredividedintogroups.Theteachershowsthebasicstepsforthecreationofacomicandthenletsstudentstoexplorethethingsthat

Activaterelevantschemata.Activatebackgroundknowledge.Activatingbackgroundknowledgeandpracticingthereadingskill.Promotingimaginationfortheaccomplishmentofatask.Promotingimaginationfortheaccomplishmentofatask.Practicingthewritingskill.Explanationofthewayacomiccanbedesigned.Preparingstudentsforthetask.

approximately15min10min.20min45min45min45min.


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theycando.Thenstudentschoosecardsfromthreecategoriesofwords.WHILE-WRITINGSTAGE:6.Basedonthewordschosen,studentswriteastorycollaborativelyonpaperandawritingchecklistisgiventothem.7.Studentsexchangepaperswiththeothergroupandbasedonthewritingchecklisttheydopeer-evaluation.RE-WRITINGSTAGE:8.Studentsre-writetheirdraftstakingintoaccountthecommentsmadebytheothergroup.9.Basedonthestorywritten,studentswritethedialoguesandcreatethecomiconthecomputer.POST-WRITINGSTAGE:1O.Eachstudentwritesacompositionabouttheexperienceincreatingcomicsonthecomputer.Studentsaregiventhefeedbackquestionnaire

Practicingthewritingskill.Tousetheappropriatelanguage,toneandideas.Toorganizetheirideasandthestepsthatwillfollowwhiletheyarewriting.Practicingpreviouslearntstructures.Checklistsaregivensothatstudentshaveinmindwhatiscorrectbeforetheystartwriting.Promotesco-operation.Itenrichestheirideas.Theytakeresponsibilityoftheirwriting.Itdevelopstheabilitytoevaluate.Itdevelopspeer-evaluationandconsequentlyself-evaluation.Promotestheprocessofwriting.Thestagesastudentfollowsuntilthefinalproduct.Theactivityrequirescognitivethinking,practicesthewritingskillandpracticescomputerskill.

45min30min15min90min


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APPENDIXII:WordsANIMALSDOG,BIRD,REINDEER,HORSE,SHEEP,COW,GORILLA,BEAR,PIG,MOUSE,LION,SQUIRELL,CHICKEN,BEE,FISH,SNAKE,BAT,BUTTERFLIE.FRUITBANANA,PINEAPPLE,NUTS,CHERRY,ORANGE,APPLEOBJECTSCAR,COMPUTER,TENT,PLANE,CAMERA,ROSE,ENVELOPE,BAG,TREE,BOAT,SHOP,BOOK,VASE,MIRROR,FLOWER,HELICOPTER,PIZZA,UMBRELLA,CAKE,GUITAR

andarebeinginterviewed.

Practicingthewritingskill.Theteacherwilltrytofindanyimprovementinstudents’writingperformance.

35min55min


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APPENDIXIII:Students’comics

GROUP1SANTACLAUSSTORY


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GROUP2THERIVERANDTHENOISE


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GROUP3THECIRCUS


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APPENDIXIV:Needsanalysisquestionnaire

FULLNAME:…………………..HowlonghaveyoubeenstudyingEnglish?…………………CIRCLE1.IstudyEnglish:a)togetacertificateb)tofindabetterjobc)toaccesstheinternetd)becausemyparentswante)itispartoftheschoolcurriculumother…………………………….2.Doyoulikereadingcomics?YES/NO 3.HaveyoueverusedcomicsinEnglishinyourschoolorinthefrontistirio? YES/NO4.Iwouldlikemyteacherto:a)speakinEnglishb)speakbothinEnglishandGreek5.Ipreferdoinganactivity:a)Ingroupsb)alone6.Workingingroupstodoanactivityis:a)boringb)difficultc)interesting7.Doyouuseacomputerathome?YES/NO8.DoyoufindwritinginEnglish:


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a)difficultb)easyc)boringd)interesting9.WhatdoyoulikewritinginEnglish:a)articlesb)storiesc)lettersd)descriptionse)other……………10.Doyoulikethewaywritingistreatedinthetextbook?YES/NO11.Whatkindoferrorcorrectiondoyouprefer?a)self-correctionb)teachercorrectionc)peer-correction

APPENDIXV:Students’feedbackquestionnaire

AfterthecompletionoftheactivityCIRCLE1.Ifoundtheactivityofcreatingcomics:a)easyb)difficultc)interestingd)boring2.Didyoufaceproblemsduringthecomicactivity?YES/NO3.Didyoulikedoingtheactivityingroups?YES/NO


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4.Wouldyouliketocreatecomicsinthefuture?YES/NO5.Doyouthinkcreatingcomicsimprovedyourwritingskills?YES/NO6.Ifoundworkingwithothers/classmates:a)usefulb)notusefulc)interestingd)difficult7.Didyoulikeevaluatingyourclassmateswork?YES/NO8.Usingtechnologymadethelessonmoreinteresting?YES/NO9.Creatingcomicswasmorecreativethanthetraditionalactivities?YES/NO10.Allgroupmembersparticipatedequallyintheactivity?YES/NO11.Ineededmoretimefortheactivity YES/NO12.Collaborationwasusefulformetoimprovewriting.YES/NO

APPENDIXVI:Observationchecklist

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S91.Showsinterest

2.Participatesinallstages

3.Enjoystheactivities

4.Attentive 5.Showspleasure

6.cooperates 7.Feelsanxiety 8.Askstheteacherforhelp

9.Makesnoise 10.Reluctant

Equalparticipation.Comments:…………………………………Noise.Comments:……………………………………………….Teacherfacilitator.Comments:………………………………….Teacherencourages.Comments:………………………………..Teacherkeepsmotivationalive.Comments:…………………….


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APPENDIXVII:Interview1.Howdidyoufeelbeforeyoudidtheactivity?2.Whatwasinyourmindafterthecompletionoftheactivity?3.Whatproblemsdidyoufacewhileworkingontheactivity?4.Thingsyoulikedanddidn’tlike.5.Didyoulikecreatingcomics?6.Wouldyouliketodowritingbycreatingcomics?7.Doyouthinkthattheactivityhelpedyou?8.Didyoulikeworkingwithothers?9.Anyproblems?10.Didyoulikepeer-evaluation?11.Didallthemembersofthegroupparticipateequally?12.Anysuggestions?

AngelikiDeligianni-Georgakas([email protected])holdsaPhDdegreefromExeterUniversity,UKinTESOLandaMaster’sdegreefromAUTHinPedagogy.Shehas

workedinthepostofThessalonikiStateSchoolAdvisor,andhastaughtatAristotleUniversity.Shehaspublishedonforeignlanguageteachingandhas

cooperatedwiththePedagogicalInstituteandtheCouncilofEuropeonanumberofforeignlanguageprojects.

OuraniaPouroutidi([email protected])holdsaMastersdegreefrom

HellenicOpenUniversityinforeignlanguageteaching.Shehasworkedasateacherinprivatelanguageschools,inprimaryeducationandinstitutionsof

technicaleducation.

creating digital comics to motivate young learners to write: a ......the benefits of using comics...

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