The research element of this Comic Art Europe project was led by The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival (LICAF), in partnership with The Phoenix, the British weekly story comic for children aged 6 –12 published by David Fickling Comics Ltd, and Manchester City of Literature, one of UNESCO ’s network of 39 Cities of Literature. Both of these stakeholders share a mission to entice young people into reading.
This UK Interim Report on the Comic Art Europe, Comics and Literacy Project summarises the findings of the initial phase of research into the relationship between comics and literacy undertaken with primary school children in the city of Manchester in North-West England. The research element of the Comic Art Europe project was led by The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival (LICAF), in partnership with The Phoenix, the British weekly story comic for children aged 6 –12 published by David Fickling Comics Ltd, and Manchester City of Literature, one of UNESCO ’s network of 39 Cities of Literature. Both of these stakeholders share a mission to entice young people into reading.
Abraham Moss Community School (AMCS), a state school in Crumpsall, North West Manchester, was selected to participate in this project. AMCS has a highly diverse pupil population, its children representing a wide range of minority ethnic groups and very many pupils speaking English as an
additional language (Ofsted 2018). As a higher than average proportion of pupils attending the school are supported by Pupil Premium funding, it was considered to be a setting in which exposure to comics may not have been widespread. Lower key stage 2 (KS2) was selected as the pupil group with which to execute this study due to seven years being an age at which children were expected to be able to access and enjoy comics, having already acquired the necessary phonics knowledge and comprehension skills.
There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating how comics can positively impact literacy: the combination of text and pictures can support the development of comprehension and inferential skills; using comics as a stimulus can enrich learning across all areas of the curriculum; and reading comic books can help children learn and practise new language and literary concepts. In the UK, comics are frequently marketed to educators as a "stepping stone" into reading for reluctant readers or as an alternative to prose for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or English as an additional language (EAL). Whilst there is truth in these hypotheses, studies have shown that they can be the preferred medium of skilled readers too, owing to children regarding them, quite simply, as fun.
Download the UK Interim Report on the Comic Art Europe, Comics and Literacy Project using the link below (PDF format)
