THE EDUCATIONAL, CRITICAL, AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF USING COMICS TO DEVELOP LITERACY SKILLS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

<doi>10.24250/jpe/SI/2026/EMM/</doi>

Abstract

The development of literacy skills requires the effective use
of educational resources capable of addressing the
challenges of contemporary society and the increasing
diversity of communication modes. In this context, comics
emerge as multimodal texts that integrate verbal and visual
language, offering meaningful opportunities for the
development of literacy skills among primary school
students. This paper aims to examine the formative,
critical, and cultural dimensions of using comics in
education by drawing on the literature on literacy,
multimodality, and contemporary pedagogy. It highlights
the contribution of comics to vocabulary development,
reading comprehension, reading motivation, creativity, and
critical thinking, while also emphasizing their role in
fostering the interpretation of multimodal messages and
promoting openness to cultural diversity. To complement
the theoretical perspective, the paper also incorporates
findings from an exploratory focus group conducted with
primary school teachers. The participants’ perspectives
confirm the educational potential of comics and emphasize
the importance of integrating them into instructional
practice through a balanced and methodologically sound
approach. The analysis suggests that comics should be
regarded as complex educational resources that extend
beyond their recreational function and can make a
valuable contribution to the development of literacy skills,
critical thinking, and intercultural competence among
primary school students. The findings provide both
theoretical and pedagogical arguments supporting the
systematic integration of comics into literacy-oriented
teaching and learning practices in primary education.