MULTIMODAL READING: A CASE STUDY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AN AFTER-SCHOOL GRAPHIC NOVEL READING GROUP DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Sean P. Connors, B.A., M.S. Graduate Program in Education The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Anna O. Soter, Advisor Dr. George Newell Lucy Shelton Caswell Copyright by Sean P. Connors 2010 ABSTRACT Despite the interest that literacy researchers have taken in graphic novels—a kind of multimodal text that conjoins word and image to convey a narrative—few applied studies have asked how stronger readers at the high school level experience them. To fill a gap in the literature on graphic novels, and to contribute to a burgeoning body of scholarship on multimodal reading, this case study asked how six high school students—four males, and two females—who were identified by their English teachers as proficient readers responded to four graphic novels in the context of a voluntary after-school reading group. Sociocultural theories of literacy learning, as well as reader response theories and semiotic perspectives on multimodality, were employed to understand: a) how the students conceived of graphic novels as a form of reading material; b) what semiotic resources they drew on to construct meaning; c) how they talked about graphic novels in the context of an after-school reading group; and d) how, if at all, doing so influenced the manner in which they conceived of graphic novels. Data were collected using methods associated with qualitative research, specifically, whole-group and individual interviews, participant observation, and the collection of written artifacts. Data analysis made use of open, axial, and selective coding. Findings from the study indicate that people appropriate strategies for reading and talking about graphic novels as they participate in a community of readers that values that particular form of reading material. The findings also point to the active role readers occupy as they transact with graphic novels. As they read and talked about the graphic novels they ii encountered in the context of this study, the students were found to have drawn on an available visual design, color design, audio design, spatial design, and linguistic design as resources for constructing meaning. Despite this, they often appeared to underestimate the knowledge they drew on as readers of multimodal texts. Conclusions drawn from this study suggest that educators who are interested in using graphic novels in the classroom may need to help students make visible the knowledge they draw on to read them. Given the preponderance of multimodal texts that students encounter outside of school, adopting such an approach may help them foreground the rhetorical strategies those texts employ to persuade them, and heighten their awareness of the resources they draw on as readers to construct meaning in their transactions with them. iii Dedication For Brenda, who encouraged me to dream iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The support and encouragement that I have received from the faculty at The Ohio State University has been exceptional. A particular debt of gratitude is owed my advisor, Dr. Anna Soter, who encouraged me to pursue my interest in graphic novels, and who has been a wonderful mentor and friend. I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. George Newell and Lucy Shelton Caswell, who generously gave of their time to talk with me about my research interests, and who never failed to provide me with valuable insights. I would also like to thank Dr. Maia Pank Mertz, Dr. Caroline Clark, and Dr. Jared Gardner for their encouragement and support, as well as their friendship. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. William Nietmann, who inspired me to undertake this journey. A special thanks is owed the students who participated in my case study—Hal, Barry, Hermione, Bill, Saki, and Sarah. The dedication they exhibited, and the effort they put forth, far surpassed my expectations. I would also like to acknowledge the faculty at Hamilton High School, most notably Dr. Audrey Fisher, who generously sacrificed her time to help me bring this project to fruition. I am indebted to my parents, Dale and Karen Connors, both for the opportunities they have given me, and for the confidence they have shown in me. Likewise, I would like to thank my grandmother, Catherine Tesoriero, for her support, as well as my sisters, Shannon and Casey, and my brother, Clancy, an individual who has always traveled the road less taken, and who never ceases to inspire me. A special debt of gratitude is owed Dakota and v Montana, who insisted that I leave my computer each afternoon just long enough to enjoy a walk in the park. I would like to acknowledge my fellow graduate students, I-Chia Chou, Caitlin Ryan, Kevin Cordi, Ryan Rish, Frank Beickelman, and Sunny Wee for their friendship and support. Likewise, I would like to acknowledge the staff at the Laughing Ogre, who never failed to point me in the direction of new graphic novels, and whose passion for comics continually reminded me of why I undertook this study. It is also necessary to thank Susan Liberator, who along with the staff at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, never failed to assist me in my search for resources. Above all else, I would like to thank my wife (and best friend), Brenda, whose faith in me has been unwavering, and who has only ever inspired me to dream. No words can express my gratitude to her. vi VITA 1992……………………………………………………………..B.A., English SUNY Geneseo 1998…………………………………………………………….M.S., English Education Elmira College 2004-Present……………………………………………………Graduate Teaching Assistant The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS Connors, S. P. (2010). The best of both worlds: Rethinking the literary merit of graphic novels. ALAN Review, 37(3), 65-70. Soter, A. O., Wilkinson, I. A. G., Connors, S., Murphy, P. K. & Shen, V. (2010). Deconstructing “aesthetic response” in small-group discussions about literature: A possible solution to the “aesthetic response” dilemma. English Education, 42(2), 204-225. Soter, A. O., & Connors, S. P. (2009). Beyond relevance to literary merit: Young adult literature as “Literature.” ALAN Review, 37(1), 62-67. Soter, A. O., Connors, S. P., & Rudge, L. (2008). Use of a coding manual when providing a meta-interpretation of internal validity mechanisms and demographic data used in qualitative research. Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, 2(4), 269- 280. Connors, S. (2008). Graphic young adult novels: Deconstructing and reinterpreting Persepolis from a cultural critical perspective. In A. O. Soter, M. Faust, & T. Rogers (Eds.), Interpretive play: Using critical perspectives to teach young adult literature (pp. 179-190). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Education Specialization: English Education vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………. ii Dedication………………………………………………………………………………… iv Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………... v Vita………………………………………………………………………………………. .vii List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………..xiv List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………. xv Chapters: 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………... 1 Rationale and Research Questions…………………………………………………….... 3 Research Questions…………………………………………………………………. 4 Seeing Through the Eyes of Others: The Constructivist Paradigm………………… 6 Tracing the Origins of the Research Project………………………………………... 9 “You Call That Reading?”…………………………………………………….. .9 “That’s Not Reading!”………………………………………………………... 12 Rationale for Assembling an After-School Reading Group………………………. 14 Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………… 16 Appeal of Graphic Novels to Adolescents………………………………………… 18 Graphic Novels as a Tool to Support Struggling Students………………………... 20 Reconceptualizing Graphic Novels as Educational Tools………………………… 21 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….. 23 2. Review of the Related Literature……………………………………………………… 25 Tracing the Origins of the Graphic Novel…………………………………………….. 26 Definitions and Defining Characteristics of the Medium of Comics……………... 26 Educator Perceptions of the Comic Strip: 1895-1930s……………………………. 27 The Birth of the Comic Book: 1930s-1940s………………………………………. 29 The Debate Over the Literary Merit of Comic Books: 1940s-1950s…………….... 30 Converting Comic Book Heathens…………………………………………………31 Emergence of Crime and Horror Comics: Enter the Moral Debate………………. .34 Foundation for the Emergence of the Graphic Novel……………………………... 37 The Graphic Novel………………………………………………………………… 39 viii Educator Perceptions of the Graphic Novel………………………………………. 40 Sociocultural Theories of Learning and Literacy………………………………………41 Zone of Proximal Development…………………………………………………… 43 Communities of Practice…………………………………………………………... 44 Literacy as a Social Practice………………………………………………………. 47 Literacy Sponsors………………………………………………………………….. 49 Semiotic Perspectives on Multimodality……………………………………………… 50 The Cultural Situatedness of Signs………………………………………………... 51 Social Semiotics and Grammars…………………………………………………... 54 Multimodal Literacy as a Process of Design…...……………………………………... 57 The New London Group, Multimodality, and Available Designs………………... 58 Constructing a Metalanguage for Talking About Graphic Novels………………... 60 Reader Response Criticism……………………………………………………………. 62 Overview of Reader Response Criticism………………………………………….. 62 Stanley Fish: Interpretive Communities…………………………………………..