Manga Reading

2.4.1

Comic books have been used and approved to teach second or foreign languages.

Williams (1995) investigated how comic books can be used as instructional materials for ESL students with low intermediate ― level English language skills, and with limited discourse and interactive competence. Williams found that using comic strips in second language classrooms can guide students to hypothesize about the cartoons’

language, raise awareness of pragmatics, and emphasize language’s underlying regularity. Moreover, to investigate the role of comic strips on ESL learners’ reading comprehension, Liu (2004) found in the research that 53 low intermediate proficiency group students receiving the high-level text with the comic strips scored significantly higher than their 54 counterparts receiving the high-level text only, with the analyses demonstrating that using comic strips significantly enhanced the performance of low-level students but had little impact on the performance of high-low-level participants.

Proficient Manga readers are adept at negotiating multimodality, ― using image plus language in increasingly complex ways (Bearne, 2003, p. 98) as they partake in the dynamic interplay among cultures, identities, texts, and literacies. Also, Carrington (2004) indicated that Manga readers are likely to attend to graphical information at the same hierarchical level as the printed text. This is a drastic change from traditional reading that involves attending first and foremost to the written text, using pictures

and illustrations only as supplements to it.

Such being the case, the researcher decides to fill the gap by integrating Manga rather than other reading materials with illustrations. Moreover, Manga is an effective media to teach reading narrative texts to improve students’ reading ability. The result showed that there is a significant difference between the students who are taught using Manga(experimental group) and those who are not taught using Manga(control group). Manga gives students reasons to re-read the texts. So that it is a good opportunity for the students to understand the texts more. (Aliyah, 2013) On the selection of the teaching materials from visual aids, the researcher indicates that while traditional textbooks are admittedly useful, particularly in EFL classrooms, they often contain vocabulary or expressions that are too formal or old- fashioned and rarely used in daily life. On the contrary, Manga stories tend to reflect daily life (even if the story takes place in a fantastic setting) and contain authentic dialogues, even slangs. In this sense, Manga can serve as a useful source of authentic English, especially in EFL contexts where there is limited access to non-textbook English. Manga as a teaching tool that they may find more interesting and comprehensible compared to starting with the classics (2004, p. 3).

2.4.2 Manga: Possible Solution

The reasons why the researcher chose Manga as the target instructional material are as follows: First, Manga combines illustrations with oral (e.g., speech bubbles) and written (e.g., commentary) text. Mayer & Masser (2003) investigated that the integrated text and illustrations of Manga may help both visual and verbal learners.

Successful Manga readers become adept at deciphering meaning in different modes.

These strategies entail an understanding of linguistic and paralinguistic features of a text. (Widdowson, 1978) Second, comic book readers tend to have more positive

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attitudes toward reading. Krashen (2004) also argued Dynamic interplay among literacies. Proficient Manga readers are adept at negotiating multimodality, ―using image plus language in increasingly complex ways (Bearne, 2003,) when they take part in the dynamic interplay among cultures, identities, texts, and literacies. Third, research into second language reading has also demonstrated that familiarity with the content and format of the literature can increase student engagement with the text, in particular with Japanese participants and the Manga format (Beals, 2009). The authentic language used in translated Manga has been shown to increase engagement with the text, which in turn motivates participants to further their reading of similar materials (Cary, 2004). Fourth, first language research has shown that the comic book format can be a useful medium to increase reading motivation (e.g., Haugaard, 1973;

Krashen, 2005; Norton, 2003; Ujiie & Krashen, 1996; Kane, 2007). Fifth, on a psycholinguistic level, research into learning has shown that multimodal instruction and the use of contextual visual cues such as those found in comic book stories can be beneficial in regard to comprehension and schema formation (e.g., Kalyuga, Chandler,

& Sweller, 1999; Leahy, Chandler, & Sweller, 2003; Meskill, 1996; Mayer &

Moreno, 1998; Moreno & Mayer, 1999; Tindall-Ford, Chandler, & Sweller, 1997).

Sixth, graphic novels and Manga are good for youth who read English as a second language or on a lower reading level because the simple sentences and visual cues allow the reader to comprehend the story (Jones et al., 2004). Seventh, Ikue Kunai, Clarissa C. S. Ryan (2007) emphasized that ― Compared to conventional books, which may overwhelm students with the sheer number of words, the text in Manga is separated into panels, which allows readers to pause before they go to the next one.

Because of this reduced level of information, readers may not be discouraged to keep reading as they would be by large blocks of text. While students may be reluctant to

reread thick textbooks, since reading Manga brings little fear, pressure, or anxiety, but instead brings entertainment, students are more likely to enjoy reading again and again. This repetition may help students learn vocabulary in context. They also affirmed that ―Reading Manga is likely to give students less stress than reading textbooks, novels, or articles, particularly since many students have previously read Manga for fun and thus associate Manga with something exciting rather than something tedious. This image helps readers not be so anxious about their learning;

rather, it increases students’ interest and motivation. Last but not least, Manga translations are authentic English literature despite their origins. The translations are aimed at American audiences, and are often written by a team including a bilingual Japanese-English translator and a native English-speaking translator-editor, who ensures that the text is natural and meaningful (Carlson, 2006). The use of comic book style readers and the participants’ response to them lends support to previous research that contextual illustrations and context help enable participants’ schema formation and general comprehension of text.

Judging from the above-mentioned empirical studies, the researcher thinks that Manga may be a suitable media for EFL junior high learners to enhance their reading fluency. Moreover, given the popularity of Manga among young adults, it is surprising that these comics have not been explored in greater depth in the literacy research literature. The researcher hence tried to incorporate it in the hope of facilitating ninth graders in a public junior high school in Taoyuan, Taiwan.