Upper elementary and middle school students can be less than engaged due to the lack of pictures in texts. Making the reading transition from picture books to complex text literature is challenging for students. Graphic novels could be a resource to improve student engagement and comprehension and support students in that transition. Students with ASD can face additional challenges with reading comprehension and instruction during school. Currently graphic novels are not used commonly for students and the goal of the research is to investigate if these types of books can be a support for students, reading comprehension and engagement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of graphic novels and system of least prompts on reading comprehension of middle school students with autism spectrum disorder. The study implemented a single case multiple probe design with four participants, conducted in a private date school. Results will be shared along with limitations and implications for future research and practice.

As histórias em quadrinhos foram definidas como arte sequencial e costumam ser popularmente associadas como um veículo de comunicação voltadas para o entretenimento. No entanto existem histórias em quadrinhos que são destinadas ao uso na educação, na transmissão de informações e na construção de conhecimentos específicos para o aperfeiçoamento profissional e humano. Este projeto teve como objetivo analisar a potencialidade dos quadrinhos na educação corporativa no Brasil, com recorte em São Paulo. Para atingir esse objetivo, o trabalho abordou algumas definições básicas sobre histórias em quadrinhos, suas características e alguns eventos importantes durante a sua evolução histórica. Realizou-se também um levantamento das produções e publicações de quadrinhos corporativos em São Paulo identificando os principais autores e as editoras desse segmento. Para averiguar a potencialidade dos quadrinhos na educação corporativa, este estudo foi sustentado por duas premissas: a primeira se referiu ao reconhecimento dos quadrinhos como linguagem autônoma e a segunda foi constatar a existência de profissionais especializados em atender o mercado de produção dos quadrinhos corporativos no Brasil. Além disso, foram verificados os métodos de produção, distribuição e utilização dos quadrinhos nos programas de educação de algumas corporações. A hipótese principal deste estudo foi que o uso estratégico dos quadrinhos pode contribuir positivamente para a comunicação no ambiente corporativo. Os resultados demonstraram que os quadrinhos têm sido utilizados por grandes corporações como SEBRAE, ABNT, Metrô SP, Petrobrás, Telefonica, O Boticário, SENAI, Votorantim e outros. Existe no Brasil uma produção regular e bem organizada de quadrinhos corporativos realizada por estúdios, autores e editoras especializadas. Essas produções ocorrem, pelo menos, desde 1994. A maior parte desses quadrinhos foram distribuídos dentro de empresas ou em ambientes mais restritos. No entanto, também houve algumas publicações que foram distribuídas e comercializadas em livrarias publicados no formato Graphic Novel. Verificou-se também que alguns quadrinhos corporativos têm sido publicados em suportes digitais, como foi observado no caso do convênio entre o SEBRAE e a ABNT. De acordo com os resultados coletados nesse estudo, a potencialidade do uso dos quadrinhos na educação corporativa foi associada, principalmente, em auxiliar nos processos da conscientização, compreensão e memorização de ideias e informações. A sua aplicação estratégica através de tiras e cartuns também facilitou e beneficiou a apresentação de ideias ou conceitos durante aulas/palestras e em textos de natureza mais complexa. O uso dos quadrinhos também possuiu o efeito de conseguir romper com o excesso de formalidade na comunicação com os funcionários em algumas empresas, ampliando o seu interesse e envolvimento com os programas de educação. Além disso, alguns elementos usados nos quadrinhos como a concepção de personagens e o humor gráfico também se mostraram como elementos de grande potencial para auxiliar o desenvolvimento de programas de educação corporativa. / Comics were defined as sequential art and commonly associated as a communication vehicle aimed for entertainment. However some comics are used to transmit information, give support to education programs and help to improve the knowledge building about specific themes related to the human and professional development. The main objective of this project was to analyze the potential use of comics in corporate education in Brazil, focused in São Paulo state. To reach this object, this study described some basic definitions of comics, their characteristics and some important events occurred during its historical evolution. Moreover, a bibliography survey of comics productions and publications of corporate comics in São Paulo was also done and the main authors and publishers of this segment were identified. To investigate the potential use of comics in corporate education, this study was supported by two premises: the first one referred to the recognition of comics as an autonomous language and the second was to verify the existence of specialized professionals who support the production of corporate comics in Brazil. In addition, methods of production, distribution and utilization of comics in some corporate education programs had been also checked. The main hypothesis of this study was the strategic use of comics can contribute positively to improve the communication activities in the corporate environment. The results showed that comics had been used by important corporations like SEBRAE, ABNT, Metrô SP, Petrobrás, Telefonica, O Boticário, SENAI, Votorantim and others. In Brazil, there is a regular and well-organized production of corporate comics which is made by studios, authors and specialized publishers. These productions have occurred at least since 1994. The majority of these comics were distributed within companies or in restricted environments. On the other hand, there were also some publications which were distributed and sold in bookstores published in Graphic Novel format. Interestingly, some corporate comics had been published in digital media, as it was verified in the case of covenant between SEBRAE and ABNT. According to the results, the potential use of comics in corporate education was associated mainly to assist the processes of awareness, understanding and memorization of ideas and information. The strategic application of comics through comic strips and cartoons also facilitated the comprehension of ideas or concepts showed in classes/lectures and in texts with specific contents that were difficult to understand. The use of comics also showed the effect of breaking with excessive formality in communication between instructors and employees in some companies, resulting in the increase of employee\'s interests in the activities of the education programs. Furthermore, some elements used in the comics like the design of characters and graphic humor also showed a great potential as elements to assist the development of corporate education programs.

As décadas de 1980-1990 marcam um ponto importante da história das revistas de quadrinhos de super-heróis. Mudanças no mercado, no público, na política, nos debates morais e culturais do momento ofereceram um cenário propício para novos desenvolvimentos no gênero super-herói. Esse quadro é cercado pelo pós-modernismo, a urbanização, a contracultura, mudanças nas artes e condições políticas que se desenvolvem da Guerra Fria, geograficamente centrada entre a Europa e os Estados Unidos, para a Guerra do Iraque, o que desloca atenções geopolíticas e conflitos para o Oriente Médio. Os quadrinhos de super-herói passam a oferecer maior liberdade temática para seus autores, e discussões sobre direitos autorais ganham força. Este cenário dispõe das condições para que alguns autores pudessem levar os super-heróis para discussões diferentes das décadas precedentes, permitindo o surgimento de trabalhos significativos, de autores que marcam suas obras abordando os super-heróis de forma pessoal. A presente pesquisa procura entender como o autor de histórias em quadrinhos Frank Miller se posicionou diante de uma determinada área de produção artística, utilizando-se das revistas de super-herói para discutir posicionamentos ideológicos, e reforçar seu caráter mítico e simbólico. Utilizando princípios da história cultural desenvolvidos por autores como Ginzburg, Burke, Gombrich, Schorske e Barzun, contextualiza-se a trajetória das histórias em quadrinhos até os anos 1980 e 1990, estabelecendo as condições da mídia quando do trabalho do artista. Para posicionar Miller em relação a seu mercado e suas relações de produção, são utilizadas as ferramentas analíticas de Michael Baxandall, que oferecem um modelo interpretativo das relações que se dão na produção artística. Finalmente, observam-se as abordagens temáticas e morais de sua obra, com seu contexto dentro de uma trajetória na história cultural. Para isso, traça-se um panorama que discute como a obra de Miller atualiza a jornada do herói de Joseph Campbell, utilizando-se da cultura popular para fazer um diálogo entre discussões morais, históricas e políticas, por meio de uma construção de narrativas heroicas que operam como mitos populares modernos e parâmetros civilizacionais, carregando em si princípios, valores e ideias de uma cultura. / The decades of 1980-1990 establish an important point in the history of comic books. Changes in the market, the audience, in politics and in the cultural and moral debates of the time offered a scenario which was welcoming to new developments on the super-hero genre. This moment is marked by post-modernism, urbanization, the counter-culture, changes in arts and the political conditions which develop from the Cold War, geographically centred between the United States and Europe, to the Iraq war, which moves the geopolitical attentions and conflicts to the Middle- East. Super-hero comics start offering wider thematic freedom to their authors, and discussions about creator\'s rights gain momentum. This scenario contains the conditions for some of these authors to take super-heroes to discussions which are different from the ones happening in the preceding decades, allowing the emergence of important works, made by authors which marked their work in a very personal manner. This research seeks to understand how comic-book author Frank Miller has positioned himself before an area of artistic production, using super-hero comics, and comics in general, to discuss moral positions, and to underline their mythical and symbolic character. Exercising principles of cultural history developed by authors like Ginzburg, Burke, Gombrich, Schorske and Barzun, we situate the trajectory of comics from their inception as magazines until the 1980s and 1990s, establishing which were the conditions of this medium when Miller produced the works we look at. To understand Miller in relation to his market and his production, we use the analytic tools of Michael Baxandall, which offer an interpretative model of the relationships which happen in artistic production. Finally, we observe the thematic and moral approaches of his work, with their context within a trajectory in cultural history. In order to perform this, we establish a context which discusses how Miller work updates Joseph Cambell\'s hero\'s journey, using popular culture to make connections between moral, political and historical debates, creating heroic narratives which operate as modern popular myths and as civilizational benchmarks, carrying with them the principles, values and ideas of a culture.

As histórias em quadrinhos foram definidas como arte sequencial e costumam ser popularmente associadas como um veículo de comunicação voltadas para o entretenimento. No entanto existem histórias em quadrinhos que são destinadas ao uso na educação, na transmissão de informações e na construção de conhecimentos específicos para o aperfeiçoamento profissional e humano. Este projeto teve como objetivo analisar a potencialidade dos quadrinhos na educação corporativa no Brasil, com recorte em São Paulo. Para atingir esse objetivo, o trabalho abordou algumas definições básicas sobre histórias em quadrinhos, suas características e alguns eventos importantes durante a sua evolução histórica. Realizou-se também um levantamento das produções e publicações de quadrinhos corporativos em São Paulo identificando os principais autores e as editoras desse segmento. Para averiguar a potencialidade dos quadrinhos na educação corporativa, este estudo foi sustentado por duas premissas: a primeira se referiu ao reconhecimento dos quadrinhos como linguagem autônoma e a segunda foi constatar a existência de profissionais especializados em atender o mercado de produção dos quadrinhos corporativos no Brasil. Além disso, foram verificados os métodos de produção, distribuição e utilização dos quadrinhos nos programas de educação de algumas corporações. A hipótese principal deste estudo foi que o uso estratégico dos quadrinhos pode contribuir positivamente para a comunicação no ambiente corporativo. Os resultados demonstraram que os quadrinhos têm sido utilizados por grandes corporações como SEBRAE, ABNT, Metrô SP, Petrobrás, Telefonica, O Boticário, SENAI, Votorantim e outros. Existe no Brasil uma produção regular e bem organizada de quadrinhos corporativos realizada por estúdios, autores e editoras especializadas. Essas produções ocorrem, pelo menos, desde 1994. A maior parte desses quadrinhos foram distribuídos dentro de empresas ou em ambientes mais restritos. No entanto, também houve algumas publicações que foram distribuídas e comercializadas em livrarias publicados no formato Graphic Novel. Verificou-se também que alguns quadrinhos corporativos têm sido publicados em suportes digitais, como foi observado no caso do convênio entre o SEBRAE e a ABNT. De acordo com os resultados coletados nesse estudo, a potencialidade do uso dos quadrinhos na educação corporativa foi associada, principalmente, em auxiliar nos processos da conscientização, compreensão e memorização de ideias e informações. A sua aplicação estratégica através de tiras e cartuns também facilitou e beneficiou a apresentação de ideias ou conceitos durante aulas/palestras e em textos de natureza mais complexa. O uso dos quadrinhos também possuiu o efeito de conseguir romper com o excesso de formalidade na comunicação com os funcionários em algumas empresas, ampliando o seu interesse e envolvimento com os programas de educação. Além disso, alguns elementos usados nos quadrinhos como a concepção de personagens e o humor gráfico também se mostraram como elementos de grande potencial para auxiliar o desenvolvimento de programas de educação corporativa. / Comics were defined as sequential art and commonly associated as a communication vehicle aimed for entertainment. However some comics are used to transmit information, give support to education programs and help to improve the knowledge building about specific themes related to the human and professional development. The main objective of this project was to analyze the potential use of comics in corporate education in Brazil, focused in São Paulo state. To reach this object, this study described some basic definitions of comics, their characteristics and some important events occurred during its historical evolution. Moreover, a bibliography survey of comics productions and publications of corporate comics in São Paulo was also done and the main authors and publishers of this segment were identified. To investigate the potential use of comics in corporate education, this study was supported by two premises: the first one referred to the recognition of comics as an autonomous language and the second was to verify the existence of specialized professionals who support the production of corporate comics in Brazil. In addition, methods of production, distribution and utilization of comics in some corporate education programs had been also checked. The main hypothesis of this study was the strategic use of comics can contribute positively to improve the communication activities in the corporate environment. The results showed that comics had been used by important corporations like SEBRAE, ABNT, Metrô SP, Petrobrás, Telefonica, O Boticário, SENAI, Votorantim and others. In Brazil, there is a regular and well-organized production of corporate comics which is made by studios, authors and specialized publishers. These productions have occurred at least since 1994. The majority of these comics were distributed within companies or in restricted environments. On the other hand, there were also some publications which were distributed and sold in bookstores published in Graphic Novel format. Interestingly, some corporate comics had been published in digital media, as it was verified in the case of covenant between SEBRAE and ABNT. According to the results, the potential use of comics in corporate education was associated mainly to assist the processes of awareness, understanding and memorization of ideas and information. The strategic application of comics through comic strips and cartoons also facilitated the comprehension of ideas or concepts showed in classes/lectures and in texts with specific contents that were difficult to understand. The use of comics also showed the effect of breaking with excessive formality in communication between instructors and employees in some companies, resulting in the increase of employee\'s interests in the activities of the education programs. Furthermore, some elements used in the comics like the design of characters and graphic humor also showed a great potential as elements to assist the development of corporate education programs.

As décadas de 1980-1990 marcam um ponto importante da história das revistas de quadrinhos de super-heróis. Mudanças no mercado, no público, na política, nos debates morais e culturais do momento ofereceram um cenário propício para novos desenvolvimentos no gênero super-herói. Esse quadro é cercado pelo pós-modernismo, a urbanização, a contracultura, mudanças nas artes e condições políticas que se desenvolvem da Guerra Fria, geograficamente centrada entre a Europa e os Estados Unidos, para a Guerra do Iraque, o que desloca atenções geopolíticas e conflitos para o Oriente Médio. Os quadrinhos de super-herói passam a oferecer maior liberdade temática para seus autores, e discussões sobre direitos autorais ganham força. Este cenário dispõe das condições para que alguns autores pudessem levar os super-heróis para discussões diferentes das décadas precedentes, permitindo o surgimento de trabalhos significativos, de autores que marcam suas obras abordando os super-heróis de forma pessoal. A presente pesquisa procura entender como o autor de histórias em quadrinhos Frank Miller se posicionou diante de uma determinada área de produção artística, utilizando-se das revistas de super-herói para discutir posicionamentos ideológicos, e reforçar seu caráter mítico e simbólico. Utilizando princípios da história cultural desenvolvidos por autores como Ginzburg, Burke, Gombrich, Schorske e Barzun, contextualiza-se a trajetória das histórias em quadrinhos até os anos 1980 e 1990, estabelecendo as condições da mídia quando do trabalho do artista. Para posicionar Miller em relação a seu mercado e suas relações de produção, são utilizadas as ferramentas analíticas de Michael Baxandall, que oferecem um modelo interpretativo das relações que se dão na produção artística. Finalmente, observam-se as abordagens temáticas e morais de sua obra, com seu contexto dentro de uma trajetória na história cultural. Para isso, traça-se um panorama que discute como a obra de Miller atualiza a jornada do herói de Joseph Campbell, utilizando-se da cultura popular para fazer um diálogo entre discussões morais, históricas e políticas, por meio de uma construção de narrativas heroicas que operam como mitos populares modernos e parâmetros civilizacionais, carregando em si princípios, valores e ideias de uma cultura. / The decades of 1980-1990 establish an important point in the history of comic books. Changes in the market, the audience, in politics and in the cultural and moral debates of the time offered a scenario which was welcoming to new developments on the super-hero genre. This moment is marked by post-modernism, urbanization, the counter-culture, changes in arts and the political conditions which develop from the Cold War, geographically centred between the United States and Europe, to the Iraq war, which moves the geopolitical attentions and conflicts to the Middle- East. Super-hero comics start offering wider thematic freedom to their authors, and discussions about creator\'s rights gain momentum. This scenario contains the conditions for some of these authors to take super-heroes to discussions which are different from the ones happening in the preceding decades, allowing the emergence of important works, made by authors which marked their work in a very personal manner. This research seeks to understand how comic-book author Frank Miller has positioned himself before an area of artistic production, using super-hero comics, and comics in general, to discuss moral positions, and to underline their mythical and symbolic character. Exercising principles of cultural history developed by authors like Ginzburg, Burke, Gombrich, Schorske and Barzun, we situate the trajectory of comics from their inception as magazines until the 1980s and 1990s, establishing which were the conditions of this medium when Miller produced the works we look at. To understand Miller in relation to his market and his production, we use the analytic tools of Michael Baxandall, which offer an interpretative model of the relationships which happen in artistic production. Finally, we observe the thematic and moral approaches of his work, with their context within a trajectory in cultural history. In order to perform this, we establish a context which discusses how Miller work updates Joseph Cambell\'s hero\'s journey, using popular culture to make connections between moral, political and historical debates, creating heroic narratives which operate as modern popular myths and as civilizational benchmarks, carrying with them the principles, values and ideas of a culture.

Comics, graphic novels, and manga differ appreciably from textual narrative formats, and materials with increasingly visual elements have found their way into progressive and student-centered library collections. But many educators and librarians still resist inclusion of graphic narratives in school libraries and devalue the reading practice of students who prefer more visual texts. Using the framework of radical change, which posits that both text conventions and reader expectations for text are increasingly multimodal as they possess characteristics of evolving digital media, this study considered the relationship of the characteristics of text individual students prefer, particularly those they select from the school library, and their attitudes towards aspects of reading practice as evidenced through the Adolescent Motivation to Read Profile instrument. Survey data was supplemented with circulation history from the library management system to inform a correlational study punctuating attitudinal differences based on reader preferences. Findings include high school students who engage with graphic narrative text formats reporting more favorable views of libraries and reading. There is a demonstrable distinction in attitudes between students who prefer more visual text when compared with peers with more traditional print affinities. Student engaging with graphic narrative texts also report more frequent engagement with text overall. These demonstrated relationships should help to legitimize the inclusion of more graphic narrative text formats in school library collections.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: To write a life story the auto/biographer must reflect upon the past that was once experienced. When presented with this task of depending on memory and narrative, the auto/biographer often finds himself/herself in the position of creating and imagining, rather than reflecting or presenting the past as it was lived. Fragmentation, forgetfulness, selection, (re)construction and imagination are often inextricably connected to Memory which results in the reliance on an unstable memory to access the past. This dissertation explores how postmodern auto/biographies, specifically the (auto/bio)graphic novel, acknowledges the difficulty of writing about the past when concerned with truth. The (auto/bio)graphic novel disrupts the notion of truth by blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction, resulting in a hybrid form where text and image, reality and imagination co-exist to create new, and often more significant pasts (that can serve the present). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om ‘n lewensverhaal te skryf, reflekteer die outo/biograaf op dít wat eens geleef was in die verlede. Deur hierdie proses, wat ‘n afhanklikheid van die geheue behels, vind die outo/biograaf homself/haarself gereeld in ‘n situasie waar hy/sy ontwerp en verbeel, eerder as om die verlede weer te gee soos dit beleef was. Fragmentasie, vergeetagtigheid, selektering, (her)konstruering en verbeelding is soms onskeibaar van Geheue wat dui op die afhanklikheid van ‘n onstabiele geheue in die skryf- en illustreer-prosesse van ‘n outo/biografie. Hierdie verhandeling ondersoek hoe postmoderne outo/biografieë, spesifiek die (outo/bio)grafiese roman, bewus is van die kwessies rondom die skryf van die verlede in verhouding tot waarheid. Die (outo/bio)grafiese roman ontwrig die idee van waarheid deur die grense tussen feit en fiksie te ondermyn. Gevolglik onstaan ‘n hibriede vorm van outo/biografie waar teks en beeld, realiteit en verbeelding gekombineer word om nuwe en meer beduidende verledes te skep (wat so ook die hede op nuwe maniere kan dien). / mlb2013

Comics and graphic texts require complex engagement from readers, engagement that relies on a developed understanding of text and image, and how they interact to create meaning. There are several theories about how readers engage with comics, many from comic creators themselves, and some from scholars in literature and composition. This project introduces an approach to comics utilizing visual rhetoric, which reconsiders the stricter text/image dynamics often conceptualized in Comics Studies, includes the reader as creator, and explores comics as collaboratively created texts. This approach is applied to Superman: Red Son, a popular text that focuses in on Superman, and Cold War politics, producing a critical conversation about American and Russian relations and their influences in a global context. This project has several goals: to legitimize the superhero comic as a place of important cultural power, to show the collaborative nature of comics, placing writers and artists in equal standing to the work they produce, and to introduce the reader as creator.

Thesis (M.A.)--Tennessee Technological University, 2009. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Feb. 25, 2010). Bibliography: leaves 87-90.

English language enjoys a high status in Hong Kong. Many parents enroll their children to language classes at a very young age aiming to get them into well-regarded schools for a better prospect. One way that can help learners improve English proficiency is through reading. However, when local students are streamed into different secondary schools, the motivation to read is lowered. This thesis aims at highlighting the different learning contexts of our students that contribute to reading. A new genre, graphic novel, is used to investigate the effectiveness to motivate secondary school students to read. Factors are also identified which may facilitate the revival of the interest of students of different backgrounds and abilities in reading. The study consists of 8 Form 3 (grade 9) students and 2 secondary English teachers. 5 students are studying in a secondary school with English as medium of instruction (EMI) and the other 3 students are studying in a secondary school with Chinese as medium of instruction (CMI). The 2 teachers are working in these two secondary schools respectively. This research was conducted using an action research approach. Questionnaires, interviews and students’ journals were used to achieve the aim of the study. The results reveal that graphic novel can positively motivate secondary school students to read. Teachers can also make use of the features of the genre to make the lessons more interesting. However, more research needs to be done about the introduction of the genre in classrooms and the value of the genre in improving the language proficiency. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education