Worth a Thousand Words

Advantages and Challenges of Teaching Graphic Novels in English Classrooms: A Systematic Review

“…Next, the fear that pupils would completely lose interest in classic written literature is another major reason why educators have been reluctant to teach graphic novels in the classroom. Jaffe and Hurwich (2018) highlighted this particular concern in their book raised by a reader who mentioned that graphic novels may discourage individuals from reading books and instead focus entirely on popular culture. This issue is also raised and discussed by Schwarz (2002) who mentioned that some people are afraid that graphic novels will diminish the important value of written texts, replace quality texts, or discourage the reading of other genres.…”

“…This issue is also raised and discussed by Schwarz (2002) who mentioned that some people are afraid that graphic novels will diminish the important value of written texts, replace quality texts, or discourage the reading of other genres. Jaffe and Hurwich (2018) addressed this issue and emphasised that classic books and graphic novels both offer unique reading experiences, thus there is no reason why they should be mutually exclusive or precluding from one another. As a result, this will expose students to various forms of literacy and improve their multiliteracies skills.…”

“…One other reason is also because as mentioned previously, one of the most common justifications given by educators for choosing not to teach them in the classrooms is the absence or the lack of teaching instructions. In their book, 'Worth a Thousand Words: Using Graphic Novels to Teach Visual and Verbal Literacy ' Jaffe and Hurwich (2018) has divided the two fundamental elements of teaching graphic novels. Making sure that students can analyse and comprehend images critically comes first, followed by teaching them to recognise key terms and elements of graphic novels.…”

“…This skill is especially important because the visuals, text panels, and page design, as well as what is included and what is not, are all deliberately chosen to convey meaning in graphic novels. Therefore, it is important for educators to ensure students understand that comprehension when reading graphic novels requires both verbal and visual literacies (Jaffe & Hurwich, 2018).…”

“…Clark (2013) and Rajendra (2015), reported that educators are reluctant to utilise graphic novels in their classrooms because the materials might be too simplistic to qualify as true literature. Similarly, in their book 'Worth A Thousand Words, ' Jaffe and Hurwich (2018) express concern by parents and educators that graphic novels would cause students to lose interest in classic written literature entirely. On the other hand, Hansen (2012) mentioned in her paper that graphic novels are subjected to a great deal of criticism, much of which reveals a dislike for new things rather than a thoughtful critique of the genre as a whole.…”