Introduction

There has been much debate about the use of political cartoons within the classroom.
Being a teacher in Georgia, I know that students being able to interpret political cartoons is a
required skill for students in grades 3-12th grades. Why not use what children love the most, to
provoke higher order thinking and discussions? Although much of my research has revealed that
very little research has been conducted on the effects of political cartoons on social studies
instruction, but it has revealed that it provokes intense discussions, helps teach difficult skills
such as figurative language, keeps students engaged, and provokes students who would not
normally speak, to voice their opinions.
Article 1
Title: Learning from the Sequence: The Use of Comics in Instruction Written by: Gorg Mallia
Summary- The article begins by introducing the reader to the history of the use of comics and
political cartoons with children. The article reveals that comic and political cartoon sales have
dropped drastically due to more modern technology advances, which are catching childrens
attention. The article then goes on to discuss how little research has been done to necessarily
show the effects of comics and political cartoons on instruction. Due to the lack of research, the
article goes on to state, not much is known about whether it can be applied per se as a total
means of instruction, in the way that non-illustrated or illustrated texts can be. Lastly, the article
goes on to discuss how comics and political cartoons have more of a negative connotation on
instruction than positive.
Analysis of Methodology- A questionnaire was used to conduct the effectiveness of the use of
comics and political cartoons within a classroom. The comic/political cartoon was tested on a

total of 90 children. 45 were boys and 45 were girls, with the average age being 14-15 years of
age. These boys and girls came from four different schools. In a 45 minute session, the text,
illustrated text and comics/political cartoons were given to each of the 30 students. Upon
completion of reading, the text were collected and students begin to answer the questionnaire
that was made up of 28 questions. The structure of the questionnaire was designed to recall shortterm information, how much cognitive information did they retain, how much knowledge did
they acquire, how well they comprehend he text, and then finally how well can they imagine the
facts they acquired through their reading. The types of questions varied as well. Twelve questions
had three multiple choice answers. Four questions had a control number of spaces in each, where
single word answers had to be inserted. Twelve questions left spaces for open-ended answers,
where participants wrote as little as a sentences, to a paragraph. Lastly, the questionnaire was
divided into two sections. The first section comprised of 26 questions which revolved around the
readers recollection of the text content, while the last section was compromised of the reader
giving their opinion. Students were also given a demographic survey, to determine their
background inclination on the visuals as seen by the participants.
Summary of the Results- The data revealed that the scores had minimal differences amongst the
three treatments. Although the differences were very small in numeric value, the differences
showed that comics/political cartoons fared well, with the more widely accepted media. Also
students recollection of text was very close to that of illustrated text, and both the
comic/political cartoon and illustrated text fared better than the text-only treatment.
Opinion/What I Learned-The research was very thorough. I feel that the data went hand in
hand with my opinion on using comics and political cartoons in instruction. The data indicated
that greater results were found, when images were included in with the text. This goes with

Mayers Multimedia Principles. It is important to include visuals for our students. The one thing
I would change is the population that was tested. I would have expanded my research to include
children starting at the age of 7-15, for this is the age students are possibly exposed to comics
and political cartoons in instruction. I learned that political cartoons and comics are not given
much credit in the world of education, and that we are still living in a world where we think text
is in all be all to instruction. We must rid ourselves of this horrible trend, and start to value
political cartoons, and comics for their true value in the world of education. After all, from the
time we are born, until we die, visual images consume our life, so lets learn to incorporate them
into the crucial years of our lives, where we are learning so much!
Article 2
Title-Cartoons as a Teaching Tool: A Research on Turkish Language Grammar Teaching Written
By: Havva Yaman
Summary- The overall purpose of this article is to analyze the effects of teaching by using
cartoons for student success in the Turkish language courses in primary school, and secondary
level students primarily focusing on learning the Turkish language grammar rules and concepts
by sixth grade.
Analysis of Methodology- In this research the multiple method was used. They used a
combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques. The quantitative data was
collected via the 'Rule and Concept Test on Sound Knowledge'; while the qualitative data
was obtained through interviews. The participants in this study consisted of 54 students who
were studying in the 2007-2008 school year. The students were students in classrooms 6A and
6B in a state elementary school located in Hendek district of the city of Sakarya. 27 students

were in the experimental group, while the other 27 students were in the control group. Students
were given a multiple-choice knowledge test consisting of 25 questions, which were intended for
measuring the amount of voice knowledge students had formed.
Summary of Results- This study yielded great results. The order average (34.04) of
experimental group students' last test scores, where cartoons were used, is higher than the
order average (20.96) of control group students' last test scores (U = 188,000, p < 0.01).
These results reveal that the use of cartoons increased success in proper grammar acquisition.
These results show that cartoons have a significant impact on students ability to learn language
grammar concepts. The use of traditional method had presented no significant difference
(z=-,992; p > 0.05) in learning language grammar concepts by control group students
before and after the application. This result shows that language courses performed with
traditional methods don't increase students' success in a statistically significant level. The
qualitative research found that students felt that cartoons had a positive effect on learning. They
felt they added fun to the course and eased learning. It was also shown that cartoons increased
students motivation as well for learning.
Opinion/What I Learned- This article was great. I loved learning how other countries view the
use of political cartoons or cartoons as a great resource for their students. Although they used
cartoons/political cartoons in language acquisition, the results still showed that these visual
models, can yield greater creativity and eagerness to learn amongst students. I too have
witnessed this within my classroom. Anytime I mention the use of political cartoons, my students
are super excited, and cannot wait to discuss with their peers and share with the class their
interpretation of the cartoon. Lets face it, we must be prepared to teach according to common
trends that are engaging to students. This is the only way that we will be able to meet them. It is

great to know that other countries are catching on to the importance of visual models to facilitate
their students learning. Furthermore, I feel that we can have the same success with language
acquisition, if we decided to use more political cartoons and cartoons to teach our students.
Article 3
Title- Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Views on Concept Cartoons: A Sample from Turkey
Written By: Salih Birisci, Mustafa Metin, and Mehmet Karakas
Summary- This article focuses on examining the views of teacher candidates, and how they feel
about the use of political cartoons/cartoons in instruction.
Analysis of Methodology- Researchers used the mixed-method to collect data. Data was
collected through the use of questionnaires, and surveys. The study was surrounded around forty
freshmen students, who were enrolled in the Elementary Teaching department at a very small
university in northeastern Turkey. The study was conducted in the spring of 2008. All data was
collected over a six week time period. Researchers analyzed the questionnaires using frequency
and percentages, while interviews were analyzed using descriptive analysis.
Summary of Results- According to the findings, the use of political cartoons/cartoons rescues
students from the boring traditional lecturing, it helps teachers improve their instruction, and the
use of cartoons/political cartoons align with the constructivist learning theory. Findings reveled
that these items makes the lesson more interesting and entertaining for students. Students also
become more actively involved in the lessons. Lastly, political cartoons/cartoons foster
discussion environments, which allow students to improve their critical thinking skills. The most
astonishing finding was the fact that the use of political cartoons/cartoons just overall improves
the students outlook on school, and may be linked to improving students academic achievement.

Opinion/What I Learned-I feel that this was a great article. I loved the fact that this study was
conducted on upcoming teachers. I feel that it is important that we target new teachers and old
teachers alike, when educating the importance of incorporating visuals into learning. I learned
that many of the teacher candidates have the same feelings as I do, as it relates to using political
cartoons/cartoons in instruction. I am relatively new to the world of education, and very open to
change, while many older teachers are reluctant to that change. Overall, I feel that we must start
where Turkey has, and thats targeting new incoming teachers, who are going to be willing to
take chances and make mistakes, as Mrs.Frizzle would say!
Overall Reflection
This assignment was an eye opener for me. I did not realize that much research has not
been conducted on this subject area, therefore it made it really hard to find reliable sources.
Much of my research was conducted outside the United States. This makes me wonder if the
United States is behind on acknowledging that the use of cartoons, comics, or political cartoons,
can truly shape and change the learning environment? All my research yielded positive results,
showing that using these resources only guarantee a positive learning environment. I strongly
suggest that many universities require upcoming teachers to take some form of visual literacy
course. We live in a world surrounded by images, why not just make it an extension into our
classroom, where we are educating our future? I will always continue to advocate the use of
visuals within the classroom. Finally, I will spread the word, and encourage those who are
reluctant or hesitant, to use these resources within their classroom! Furthermore, I will challenge
them to share their newfound information with a friend, and hopefully, they will do the same,
and we will start a visual literacy revolution!

Work Cited
Mallia, Gorg. Learning from the sequence: The use of comics in instruction. ImageTexT:
Interdisciplinary Comics Studies. 3.3 (2007). Dept of English, University of Florida. Retrieved
10 Apr 2016, from http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v3_3/mallia/.
Birisci Salih, Metin Mustafa and Karakas Mehmet (2010). Pre-Service Elementary Teachers
Views on Concept Cartoons: A Sample from Turkey. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research,
5(2), 91-97. Retrieved April 6, 2016, from http://googlescholar.com
Yaman, H. (spring 2010). Cartoons as a Teaching Tool: A Research on Turkish Language
Grammar Teaching. Kiirniii Ve Uyiiiiliiriinih Egitim Bilimleri / Eilucatiunal Sciences: Hictiry &
Pmctic, 1231-1242. Retrieved April 07, 2016, from
http://www.galileo.usg.edu/scholar/westga/search/