The effectiveness of comics as medium for effective learning and development has been the subject of debate since the origin modern comic book in the 1930s.[1][2] Sones (1944) notes that comics "evoked more than a hundred critical articles in educational and non-professional periodicals."[3]
The use of comics in education would later attract the attention of Fredric Wertham[4] who noted that the use of comics in education represented "an all-time low in American science."[5]
It has been noted that the use of a narrative form such as a comic "can foster pupils' interest in science"[6] and help students remember what they have learnt[7] and providing a means of fostering discussion.[5][8] However, it has also been noted that many educators remain "ambivalent" about the use of comic books as an educational tool.[9] Comics have also been used as a medium to communicate health care information on subjects such as diabetes.[10]
In 1978, Pendulum Press published a primer on the value of comics as an educational tool: The Illustrated Format: an Effective Teaching Tool (ISBN0883013487). In the US, the use of comics for education, using the Internet, can be seen on Comics in the Classroom, and the state of Maryland's Comic Book Initiative. Teacher professional development content on how teachers can integrate comics into the classroom is available through the State of California Department of Education's Brokers of Expertis website.[11]
^Gruenberg, S (1944). "The Comics as a Social Force". Journal of Educational Sociology. 18 (4). American Sociological Association: 204–213. doi:10.2307/2262693. JSTOR2262693.
^Hutchinson, K (1949). "An experiment in the use of comics as instructional material". Journal of Educational Sociology. 23 (4). American Sociological Association: 236–245. doi:10.2307/2264559. JSTOR2264559.
^Sones, W (1944). "The comics and instructional method". Journal of Educational Sociology. 18 (4). American Sociological Association: 232–240. doi:10.2307/2262696. JSTOR2262696.
^ abDorrell, Larry; Dan B. Curtis; Kuldip R. Rampal (1995). "Book-Worms Without Books? Students Reading Comic Books in the School House". The Journal of Popular Culture. 29 (2): 223–234. doi:10.1111/j.0022-3840.1995.2902_223.x.
^Negrete, Aquiles; Cecilia Lartigue (September 2004). "Learning from education to communicate science as a good story". Endeavour. 28 (3): 120–124. doi:10.1016/j.endeavour.2004.07.003. PMID15350764.
^Nagata, Ryoichi (October 1999). "Learning next term biochemistry through manga — helping students learn and remember, and making lectures more exciting". Biochemical Education. 27 (4). Elsevier Science Ltd.
^Versaci, Rocco (Nov 2001). "How Comic Books Can Change the Way Our Students See Literature: One Teacher's Perspective". English Journal. 91 (2). National Council of Teachers of English: 61–67. doi:10.2307/822347. JSTOR822347.
^Norton, Bonny (Oct 2003). "The Motivating Power of Comic Books: Insights from Archie Comic Readers". Reading Teacher. 57: 140–147.
^Pieper, Claudia; Antonino Homobono (Sep 2000). "Comic as an education method for diabetic patients and general population". Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. 50.
Comic Book Initiative — The State of Maryland's program of instructional strategies that support the use of graphic literature in elementary, secondary, adult, and corrections education.
The Graphic Classroom — Resource for teachers and librarians to help stock educational-worthy graphic novels and comics in their classroom or school library.
National Association of Comic Art Educators — Organization committed to promoting the acceptance of comics as an art form within educational institutions, and facilitating the teaching and use of comics in educational settings.
Educational Comics for Kids - Educational comics on various topics such as study maths, learn to eat healthy or learning vocabulary.
Comics English Reference list of research articles and books about comics in education.
Comics in Education - Educational resource dedicated to the use of visual narrative in the K-12 classroom