ORCID

0000-0001-9559-1066

Keywords

comic art, social science education, descriptive phenomenology, technological pedagogical content knowledge, social cognitive theory

Subject Categories

Curriculum and Instruction | Educational Technology | Secondary Education

Abstract

This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study explored secondary social science teachers’ lived experiences with comic art in classroom instruction. Existing research suggests that comic art, including comic books and graphic novels, can support student engagement, content understanding, visual literacy, and critical thinking; however, less is known about how teachers experience and make decisions about using comic art in social science education. Framed by Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Social Cognitive Theory, the study treated comic art as a representational instructional technology and examined how teacher confidence and the context of their experience shaped its use. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 17 secondary social science teachers and analyzed using descriptive phenomenological procedures. Findings indicated that comic art occupied a purposeful but conditional place in secondary social science instruction. Participants described comic art as useful when it supported instruction without replacing disciplinary texts or teacher guidance. Comic art was also described as a visual narrative bridge to content understanding, particularly when students needed support accessing dense or abstract social science content. Participants emphasized that comic art required guided interpretation and careful instructional framing. Resource access, approval concerns, time, pacing, standards alignment, and teacher confidence shaped whether comic art was used, avoided, or discontinued. The study contributes to the literature by showing that comic art use is a professional decision shaped by instructional purpose, perceived legitimacy, classroom context, and the conditions needed to use the medium well.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Russell, William

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

School of Teacher Education

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

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