Creating digital comics to motivate young learners to write: a case study

Abstract

The incorporation of technology in the foreign language classroom is a usual phenomenon nowadays which seems to affect students' motivation to learn due to the satisfaction they feel when learning new things or their enjoyment associated with the learning process. The advantages of using computers in English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction are plenty and this paper aims to focus on the combination of technology with writing as an alternative way to motivate learners to write. In particular, it investigates whether creating stories by means of digital comics increases students' interest in writing in English and develops their writing skills. Creating stories are very important in children's lives and useful in primary education. There are a lot of online sites where students can easily construct digital comics using simple steps and with little guidance by their teacher. Furthermore, there are a lot of projects like Educomics and The Comic Book Project that deal with the issue of using comics in education. The participants of the present investigation are a classroom of sixth graders of primary education studying English in a private school in Central Greece. The specific research is characterized as a case study since its focus is on a single instance. The research tools developed for data collection include observation, interview and questionnaires. Opting for a multi-method research study, triangulating data, can ensure validity of the investigation. The particular investigation yielded positive results regarding the combination of technology with writing and specifically the creation of digital comics in a young learners' classroom. The results of the study offer useful information to teachers of English regarding the different ways that the writing skill could be taught and practiced leaving behind the traditional passive methods and using more alternative and creative ways.