scholarly journals The Covers of Young Adult Novels and Their Graphic Novel Adaptations: A Qualitative Multimodal Content Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 303-319
Author(s):  
Dani Kachorsky ◽  
Stephanie F. Reid

Drawing from theories of visual culture, social semiotics, and multimodality, the researchers conducted a qualitative multimodal content analysis of the covers of 21 young adult (YA) books that had been adapted as graphic novels (GNs). This study showed that the GN covers emphasized character and that the ages of the represented characters seemed to shift during the process of adaptation. However, publishers linked the two covers through branding, color schemes, and visual elements. These findings suggest that publishers view the readership of GNs differently than the readership of YA novels. This article encourages literacy education researchers and classroom practitioners to support students in analyzing visual artifacts designed for particular consumers. Critical readers could examine the sites of production and dissemination in addition to the text itself.

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M. Jimenez ◽  
Carla K. Meyer

Graphic novels in the K-12 classroom are most often used to motivate marginalized readers because of the lower text load and assumption of easy reading. This assumption has thus far been unexplored by reading research. This qualitative multiple-case study utilized think-aloud protocols in a new attention-mapping activity to better understand how expert readers use intentional attention shifts to make meaning in graphic novels. Four expert graphic novel readers, and four expert print-dominant readers, between ages 16 and 20 were asked to trace their attention across the opening pages of five graphic novels and to predict what the story was about. Utilizing digital video recordings as the primary data source, analysis included creating a visual representation of each reader’s attention patterns, time used, as well as the complexity and accuracy of his or her predicted stories. Findings indicate that the expert graphic novel readers initially attended to visual elements to gain an understanding of genre, character, and possible plot points. Only after attending to the illustrations did they decode the written text, and finally synthesized the two. The expert print-dominant readers predominantly attended to written text effectively but did not use illustrations to support or extend their understanding or meaning making in the text. This study complicates current assumptions about the ease of reading graphic novels by observing expert-print dominant readers and expert graphic novel readers negotiate written text and illustrations.


Author(s):  
Kasey Garrison

How we teach youth about social justice issues, and promote diversity in books, is crucial to supporting global citizenship and building cultural empathy. This research posits that graphic novels are useful tools to teach social justice topics given the duality of text and illustrations and the focus of diversity and social justice issues of many graphic novel titles. Using a critical content analysis approach, researchers examine examples of graphic novels giving marginalized communities a voice and targeting social justice topics and explore best practices in using graphic novels to empower youth to become global citizens. Preliminary findings are presented.


Author(s):  
Abu Yazid Abu Bakar ◽  
Dayang Nurfaezah Abang Ahmad ◽  
Melor Md Yunus

Research has shown that using graphic novels in the classroom is one of useful approaches to promote the understanding of learners especially for lengthy and difficult literature texts. This study reports the extent of graphic novel in facilitating students’ understanding of literature and the students’ perceptions towards using graphic novel in learning literature (L2) as compared to other genre of texts. This is a mixed method study which employs quantitative and qualitative methods to obtain data. The findings indicate that most students found that graphic novel helped them to enrich their vocabularies and understand the text better. The findings also reveal that students were attracted to the illustrations in the literature text in which this helps to boost their motivation to learn literature in the classroom. The findings provide useful insights for English as Second Language (ESL) teachers in incorporating and expanding the literature learning through graphic novels in the future. The findings also imply the need of ESL teachers to use graphic novels effectively in facilitating their teaching and learning of literature in L2 classrooms particularly to suit the 21<sup>st</sup> century teaching and learning.


2021 ◽  
pp. 216507992110126
Author(s):  
Lauren Victoria Ghazal ◽  
John Merriman ◽  
Sheila Judge Santacroce ◽  
Victoria Vaughan Dickson

Background: Young adult cancer survivors have significant work-related challenges, including interruptions to education and employment milestones, which may affect work-related goals (WRGs). The study purpose was to explore posttreatment perspectives of WRGs in a sample of young adult hematologic cancer survivors. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study used social media to recruit eligible cancer survivors (young adults working or in school at the time of cancer diagnosis). Data were collected through telephone semi-structured interviews and analyzed using directed content analysis, followed by thematic content analysis to identify themes. Findings: The sample ( N = 40) were mostly female (63.5%), White (75%), and diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (57.5%); most worked in professional (40%) or health care (23%) roles. The overarching theme, “Survivors’ Dilemma,” highlights a changed perspective on work-related fulfillment and financial obligations, capturing survivors’ decision-making process regarding work. Three subthemes illustrated questions that participants contemplated as they examined how their WRGs had changed: (a) Self-identity: Do I want to do this work? (b) Perceived health and work ability: Can I do this work? and (c) Financial toxicity: Can I afford to/not to do this work? Conclusions/Application to Practice: Participants experienced a state of dilemma around their WRGs, weighing areas around self-identity, perceived health and work ability, and financial toxicity. Findings suggest occupational health nurses should be aware of challenges surrounding WRGs, including how goals may change following a cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the potential stressors involved in the Survivors’ Dilemma. Occupational health nurses should assess for these issues and refer young survivors to employee and financial assistance programs, as necessary.


Author(s):  
Hope Hutchins

In the context of increasing familiarity with mainstream superhero comics and their characters, a wide range of readers are being exposed to the values regarding gender and social control being communicated in this genre. Therefore, it is important to assess whether social control is signified differently for males and females in superhero comics. This presentation will begin with a discussion of why it is important to study comics and graphic novels. I will then outline the concept of social control and criminological theories centered on this idea before demonstrating why superheroes may be understood as agents of social control. This will bring me to a discussion of preliminary findings of a qualitative content analysis of issues of Batman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Ms Marvel, Justice League of America, and New Avengers comics released from May to October 2007. In examining the leadership positions, the formal and informal methods employed, those over whom social control is exercised, and relative success of each superhero in these issues, I am seeking to assess whether social control is portrayed as being exercised by male and female superheroes in different ways and to identify how this happens. The results of this content analysis will be compared with previous studies of women police officers to assess whether representations of female agents of social control in superhero comics are consistent with the experiences of real‐life criminal justice practitioners. Finally, the reasons for and implications of the nature of such media constructions will be briefly explored to encourage other students to study comics and graphic novels.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (S4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoriia Oliinyk

The relevance of the research is due both to the lack of research that would comprehend a graphic novel as an independent phenomenon and subject of art history, the youth of the genre, and its relative non-proliferation in the Ukrainian literary space. The vast majority of Russian publications touch on the analysis of specific graphic novels in the context of modern literary studies, which focuses on the narrative and ideological components of individual works without taking into account the role of the visual component for the genre as a whole. Theoretical analysis and practical application of new synthetic methods and means of transmitting visual socio-cultural codes are of value not only in the context of design but also for other multimodal-oriented industries. The structural approach is the main approach to the study of this problem, which uses the methods of linguistics and semiotics, bringing them to the meta-level regarding design, as well as discursive analysis, in the subject field of which there is a question of the cultural and historical conditionality of a graphic novel as a genre and the nature of its perception. 


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Ramos-Serrano ◽  
Ángeles Martínez-García

Instagram is one of the main social networking services personal style bloggers choose for interacting with followers. The goal of the present study is to detect the most common principles of visual composition and themes used by the world’s ten most influential bloggers. To achieve this goal we have employed a content analysis, using a sample of 503 Instagram images. The results indicate that the bloggers’ visual pattern of choice on Instagram corresponds to a wide shot with a full body view of the blogger against a significant background. The shot is taken at eye level angle and the predominant visual elements —the blogger and/or the product— are located in the centre of the photograph.


Author(s):  
Umefien Dakoru Epepe

This study examined novel coronavirus (COVID-19) messages on select Nigeria-based WhatsApp groups. Viewed through the lens of the Rumour Theory, the study applied content analysis and social semiotics (multimodal discourse analysis) methods. Data were elicited from three purposively selected WhatsApp groups, using the constructed and continuous weeks approach. The sample covered 6 weeks (42 days), spread across March, April, and May 2020. Findings from the content analysis showed that texts, comments, and linked message on COVID-19, had the highest frequency. The frequency of messages peaked in March and steeply tapered downwards in April and May 2020. The multimodal discourse analysis demonstrated a preponderance of messages about vaccines, treatment, prevention, lockdown, and conspiracy theories. A significant number of COVID-19 messages were based on rumours and misinformation from spurious sources, with a few from credible sources. The study recommended that to help flatten the misinformation curve, timely, unambiguous and accurate COVID-19 information should be provided from official sources.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (19) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Mateus De Oliveira Fornasier ◽  
Thiago Dos Santos Da Silva
Keyword(s):  

Este artigo objetiva apresentar uma discussão filosófica a partir da obra Watchmen, abordando assuntos como o panoptismo e o utilitarismo (Bentham), discutindo a supervigilância na atualidade. O problema que norteia a elaboração do trabalho é: é possível discutir sobre questões filosóficas, morais e políticas a partir da mídia das graphic novels? Como hipótese, apresentou-se que sim, dado o alto teor filosófico apresentado em Watchmen, inspirado na crítica literária das ideias de panoptismo e utilitarismo. O texto tem, como objetivos específicos: 1) Introdução e comentários críticos acerca da graphic novel Watchmen; 2) explicação do panoptismo, com ênfase na supervigilância presente na pós-modernidade; e 3) estabelecimento de um paralelo entre a obra Watchmen e o panoptismo. Sua metodologia é dialética, estabelecendo-se uma conversação interdisciplinar entre a obra Watchmen e o panoptismo.Palavras-Chave: Panoptismo. Watchmen. Vigilância.


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