LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, enero, 2023, Volumen 4, Número 1, p. 750.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v4i1.293
Writing Comics in English as a Foreign Language Classes:
A Didactic Sequence with Tertiary Students
La escritura de comics en clases de inglés como lengua extranjera: una
secuencia didáctica con estudiantes de tercer ciclo
Jardel Coutinho dos Santos
Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo
jcoutinhod@uteq.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8626-7229
Quevedo - Ecuador
María Angélica Rivadeneira Zambrano
Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo
marivadeneira@uteq.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3924-5542
Quevedo - Ecuador
Gabriela Gáleas Arboleda
Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo
ggaleas@uteq.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9759-5474
Quevedo – Ecuador
Artículo recibido: día 16 de diciembre de 2022. Aceptado para publicación: 18 de enero de 2023.
Conflictos de Interés: Ninguno que declarar.
Abstract
This experience report shows a didactic sequence put into practice during the academic year
2021–2022 with students from a public university in Los Ríos province, Ecuador, during the
English 1 (A1) classes. The aim was to motivate two Basic Education degree students to write
through the use of comics during English classes. The participants are 39 and 42 students (N =
81). This sequence lasted three weeks of class, a total of 12 hours. Due to the covid-19 pandemic,
the courses were taken online through the Zoom platform. In the end, a questionnaire was used
as a data collection instrument. The results demonstrated positive effects on the students, such
as motivation, awareness of their learning, and autonomy. This study encourages teachers to use
comics to improve English teaching in Higher Education and enhance students' English language
proficiency to achieve a higher degree of proficiency in English.
Keywords: english, writing, comics, learning
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ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, enero, 2023, Volumen 4, Número 1, p. 751.
Resumen
El reporte de esta experiencia muestra una secuencia didáctica puesta en práctica durante el
periodo académico 2021-2022 con estudiantes de una institución superior pública en la provincia
de Los Ríos, Ecuador, en las clases de inglés 1 (A1). El objetivo de esta secuencia didáctica fue
motivar a dos grupos de estudiantes de la carrera de Educación Básica a escribir a través del uso
de comics en las clases de inglés. En esta actividad participaron de 81 estudiantes (N=81). Esta
secuencia tuvo una duración de tres semanas clase, un total de 12 horas. Debido a la Pandemia
del Covid-19 los cursos fueron impartidos de manera online a través de la plataforma Zoom. Al
finalizar la actividad, se usó un cuestionario como instrumento de recolección de datos. Los
resultados demostraron efectos positivos en los estudiantes, como la motivación,
concientización de su propio aprendizaje, y autonomía. Este estudio motiva a docentes a usar
comics para mejorar la enseñanza de inglés en la educación superior y perfeccionar la
competencia del idioma inglés.
Palabras clave: inglés, escritura, historietas, aprendizaje
Todo el contenido de LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades,
publicados en este sitio está disponibles bajo Licencia Creative Commons .
Como citar: Coutinho dos Santos, J., Rivadeneira Zambrano, M. A., & Gáleas Arboleda, G.
(2023). Writing Comics in English as a Foreign Language Classis: A Didactic Sequence with
Tertiary Students. LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades 4(1),
750-759. https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v4i1.293
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, enero, 2023, Volumen 4, Número 1, p. 752.
INTRODUCTION
Some discussions have arisen on the importance of sharing teaching experiences due to the lack
of awareness regarding the pivotal role that sharing knowledge means in the educational field
(Farahian et al., 2022). The strategies we use in class can help other teachers from other parts of
the world to change their teaching realities and consequently positively impact learning (Santos
et al., 2022). Therefore, teachers should share strategies, methodologies, and didactic sequences
used in their classes through the experience report since it helps future educators with a tool to
guide their methods and explain the steps used to reach the learning goal.
A didactic sequence is a collection of learning exercises organized in a particular order that
considers the student's development. According to Richards & Crookes (1988), the idea of
didactic sequencing is not new in the educational field since it is an outcome of educational
practice. Harmer (2007) emphasized that students are likely to see a pattern of progress in a
specific topic with coherent connections between lessons instead of a series of one-off tasks.
For the teachers, reading experience from another colleague can help to learn different strategies
in order not to use the traditional teaching model and foster reflection on the learning process
(Mussi et al., 2021).
In English teaching, writing is a significant and challenging skill for learners to achieve language
proficiency because it allows ideas to convey effectively (Darus & Ching, 2009). The mastery of
writing should be of great importance, so it is necessary to have adequate resources and methods
linked to the use of technologies for teaching and developing this skill in the student in a
successful way. Moreover, in this new educational approach based on information and
communications technology (ICT), the teacher is no longer the owner of knowledge but a
facilitator of the educational process (Vanegas et al., 2019). In other words, users of digital
technologies become content creators capable of interacting and collaborating to take
advantage of the Internet's potential as a source of information, resources, didactic
methodologies, and permanent stimuli (Briceño Polanco et al., 2018)
Nation & Macalister (2020) and Kaweera et al. (2019) mentioned that learners should apply
experience and knowledge to their writing activities. Activities become more meaningful and
successful when students are well-prepared for what they will write and when they see a
connection about what they have to write. We can reach this goal through various previous works
on the topic. English teachers can develop writing skills in their students with the help of various
strategies and technological tools. Using digital comic strips as an English language teaching
strategy provides opportunities for feedback and sharing of content. Digital comic strips provide
opportunities to comment, share content, develop students writing skills in English and foster
collaborative work, creativity, and critical thinking (Cabrera et al., 2018). Software tools such as
Pixton, ToonDoo, and StoryBird allow the creation of comics and are used by Ecuadorian English
teachers due to their easy access. Software tools such as Pixton, ToonDoo, and StoryBird allow
the creation of comics and are used by Ecuadorian English teachers due to their easy access.
The analysis of studies on digital comic strips for teaching writing in English as a foreign language
reveals positive perceptions about this resource (Deligianni-Georgaka & Pouroutidi, 2016, Yasuta,
2018). It also highlights the positive effect on students' motivation to write in English (Yunus et
al., 2012). Regarding the use of digital comic strips, Cabrera et al. (2018) pointed out the
effectiveness of these tools in teaching English grammar and vocabulary, which are crucial
aspects of English writing. Yasuta (2018), on the other hand, analyzed the potential of
implementing project-based activities using online comics in the EFL classroom. The use of
comics revealed a fascinating and positive change in the students' collaborative work giving a
breakthrough in English language learning.
Hopefully, this research can show EFL teachers the value of sharing positive classroom
experiences. Thus, to shed light on the importance of active methodologies in the learning
context, this study shows a didactic proposal developed at Universidad Técnica Estatal de
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, enero, 2023, Volumen 4, Número 1, p. 753.
Quevedo, Los Ríos, Ecuador. The goal was to motivate students to write through the use of
comics during English classes. This article is organized as follows. First, it discusses the
importance of sharing positive experiences in higher education. Second, it presents the study's
methodology followed by the didactic sequence used in class. Third, the results are presented
with some discussions; finally, we end with the conclusion and recommendations.
METHOD
This study is an experience report (ER) that describes a didactic sequence used during English
class. Mussi et al. (2021) postulated that the experience report is a kind of knowledge production
in which the text copes with an academic and/or professional experience in one of the three
principles of university education (teaching, research, and extension), with the main feature is a
description of the intervention. In other words, ER is turning into written words the experiences
aiming the contribution to the production of knowledge of the most varied themes.
Setting and participants
This study was undertaken at Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo, Los Ríos, Ecuador. The
participants are two groups of Basic Education degree students enrolled in the English I (A1)
course aged 18 to 42 years. The first group comprised 39 students and the second of 42
altogether, 81 students (N = 81). The choice of this sample is because they are students of one
of the researchers. So, all of the students agreed to participate in this study and consequently
signed the consent letter.
Description of the Didactic Sequence
We followed the didactic sequence model proposed by Marcuschi (2019). This model is
composed of three different phases. The first phase is the introduction of the situation. It is the
moment that the teacher presents the topic to the students and tries to activate their previous
knowledge of the topic. The second phase is creation. The participants create autonomously and
collaboratively what the teacher proposed to do. Finally, the third and last phase is reflection. The
students present what they have done and reflect on the whole procedure through critical
thinking.
This didactic sequence lasted three weeks of class, a total of 12 hours in the academic period of
May/2021-August/2021. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the students took the classes online
through the Zoom platform. Each week of class was used to focus on one aspect of the didactic
sequence. In the first week, the teacher introduced the comics genre. It was shown students
several examples of comics, and they were asked to search for similarities until they discovered
by themselves the characteristics of the comics. Some discussions were generated to listen to
students' opinions.
In the second week, it was presented "My English comic project." Students were separated
randomly into groups of five. This activity aimed to provide creative and unique ways of
expressing students’ knowledge of content standards through drawing and sequential art; in
other words, students were required to create a comic using the content of the four units they
had learned. To create the comic, learners needed to follow some instructions: a) Create a comic
using the content learned during the unit 1, 2, 3 and b) The comic should be a real-life
conversation; c) They could create their comic by hand or use a webpage to help them. After
presenting to students what they had to do, the teacher gave a rubric to students to demonstrate
how they would be assessed. This rubric focused on five domains: content knowledge, Grammar,
Vocabulary, Creativity, organization, and originality.
Finally, in the third week, students needed to present their comics to the class. Each group
showed their comic and read them to the whole class. Later, the other students gave feedback
about their classmates' results focusing on positive aspects and things they could improve. The
last week was important because listening to their classmates' opinions and assessing their
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, enero, 2023, Volumen 4, Número 1, p. 754.
classmates' comics helped create awareness about the learning process. They saw positive
points and parts that needed improvement.
The project finished with the students answering an online questionnaire that focused on the
project. This questionnaire aimed to make students reflect on the whole process of the didactic
sequence. The questionnaire contained four open questions regarding the project. To enhance
validity, it was revised by two Ph.D. students in Applied Linguistics from a university in Brazil. The
analysis of the answers was done in the light of the grounded theory. First, all of the responses
were read, and they were coded and grouped into similar solutions.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Comic
We decided to present three different comics created by the students. In the first comic, the use
of language goes beyond the A1 level. The students used verb tenses like present perfect
continuous, and future (will). The idea of the comic embraced the situation that the world was
living in at that moment, the Covid-19 pandemic. So, this group used elements of their real-life
reality and created their comic, giving meaning to what they learned in class.
Figure 1
Wash your hands
The second comic shows a daily life situation. The students used the content of greetings,
prepositions of place, weather vocabulary, countries, and nationalities to create a conversation.
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, enero, 2023, Volumen 4, Número 1, p. 755.
Figure 2
Nice to meet you
Finally, the students used a more advanced vocabulary in the third comic. Also, they used the
types of balloons correctly: the one that means normal speech and the other which means
daydreaming or happy thoughts.
Figure 3
At work
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All of the three examples portrayed before showed the creativity of the students. Their comics
were based on their daily experience, so they brought elements they were costumed to create,
such as the covid-19.
Pedagogical View
According to the participants, the use of this didactic sequence played an essential role in their
learning. The answers found in the questionnaire confirm this idea. When asked if they liked
using comics as a genre to be used in the English class, 79 said yes, and two said no. Graphic 1
portrays this idea.
Figure 4
Students' opinions about the use of comics in EFL class
The two students who said no pointed out why they disliked working with comics. The first one
affirmed that "writing comics demands much time" (Student 1). Indeed, writing comics demands
much time because it is necessary to think about the storage; on the other hand, the other one
said, "I do not like this genre, so it makes it hard to create one" (Student 2).
Some students mentioned that “writing comics was a great tool to facilitate the English teaching
and learning process” and “using comics is an interesting strategy to break the boredom, and
experience new methodology to learn English in a meaningful way.” These comments match a
comics study in which learners expressed positive perceptions and showed motivation when
creating a scene of something they read previously (Cimermanová, 2015).
Learners respond differently to stimuli like music, pictures, sounds, or movements, and specific
activities stimulate their learning more than others. Participants also reported that not all
students learn the same way, such as using tests to evaluate knowledge, so looking for other
strategies is a good option. A class is full of different individuals with different learning styles and
preferences. An experienced teacher acknowledges this and must ensure to cater to the different
learning styles as often as possible, providing a wide range of diverse lessons to cater to
individual differences and needs (Harmer, 2007; Yin et al., 2020).
One participant mentioned, “using comics improves student-teacher interaction because there
exists more cooperation in the learning and teaching process” To keep this interaction, teachers
must sustain motivation in class with activities that involve them and raise their curiosity (Harmer,
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ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, enero, 2023, Volumen 4, Número 1, p. 757.
2007; Jääskä et al., 2022). This opinion can suggest that comics are a valuable hook to engage
students in learning and make them more responsible for their progress. One student mentioned
that using comics in English language learning significantly impacted the development of some
skills. According to him, "teachers can use comics as a learning strategy for students to improve
their knowledge in a more practical, creative, and critical way since we must think a lot before
creating a comic." A study conducted by Nur (2020) also found that using comics in English
language learning significantly impacted the development of productive skills, critical thinking,
creativity, and writing story. Therefore, it can be said that teachers rely on comic activities as a
strategy to teach a second language and help learners improve their language skills.
Finally, from another perspective, using comics can convey multiple messages and help students
become more autonomous in the learning process; comic-style drawings are well suited to
depicting the plurality, difficulty, and often paradoxical nature of human experiences. One
participant corroborated this idea when she said, "using comics as a learning strategy in class
benefits the educational community since it makes students become autonomous and can
develop their skills according to their knowledge." So, the emotional power of comics also
promotes dealing with the topics presented, leads to lively debate, and enables a process of
social meaning formation (Darnhofer, 2018).
CONCLUSION
In the context of second language learning, the comic is a pedagogical tool that may be included
in the classroom. Its use only tends to beneficiate students in their learning process. This study
demonstrated one didactic sequence done with tertiary students in Ecuador, which helped focus
on a communicative-oriented teaching method; consequently, students were the primary agent
of the learning process. The results demonstrated positive effects on the students, such as
motivation and awareness of their learning.
This didact sequence showed the importance of teachers searching for new ways to conduct
their classes based on the students' real-life experiences. Thus, we hope this study can inspire
teachers to generate new didactic sequences in their learning contexts and share the results with
other teachers.
The findings of this study have to be seen in the light of some limitations that could be addressed
in future research. First, the students were only costumed with reading comics. However, they
had not written one before. It was their first time having this experience. So, it was necessary to
explain the parts of the comic genre sincerely to make them understand, but we could not spend
much time on this part due to the lack of time. Consequently, some comics were affected by this
action.
In short, this paper encourages English language teachers to consider the educational
implications presented in this paper as they improve the teaching of English in Higher Education
and enhance students' English language proficiency to achieve higher proficiency in English.
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, enero, 2023, Volumen 4, Número 1, p. 758.
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