Abstract
The over-arching purpose of this dissertation is to lay a foundation for teachers and researchers to incorporate comics based transmediation activities as tools for learning into their teaching and research practices to develop their emergent bi/multilingual students’ literacy practices. This modified grounded theory study of 56 11th grade bi/multilingual students who were or are EB and one teacher was conducted in two 11th grade culturally and linguistically diverse Title I classrooms. The study presents a novel substantive theory about participants’ experiences of transmediating traditional texts to digital comics that emerged from analyzing 23 participant interviews, recorded observations, and student work.
The novel substantive theory that emerged from the study’s findings is that: “in CLD classroom settings, transmediating traditional texts into digital comics is a beneficial, rigorous, and engaging learning tool that enables bi/multilingual students who are or were EB to engage in deep understanding, analysis, and interpretation of texts. However, teachers may require additional pedagogical knowledge to integrate the full benefits of the learning tool into their already effective classroom practices due to the unique nature of transmediation and the grammar of comics.” Ultimately, this study provides a foundational learning tool for teachers that empowers their bi/multilingual students to engage in literacy practices on a deeper level.