Multimodal Storyboarding as a Pedagogical Tool for Enhancing Literary Comprehension
Keywords:
Multimodal storyboarding, Literary comprehension, Dual coding theory, Constructivist learningAbstract
This research investigates the educational possibilities of multimodal storyboarding as a tool to increase the comprehension of literary novels by undergraduate students. Drawing on multimodal literacy theory, dual coding theory, and constructivist pedagogy, the project explored the multimodal combination of visual, textual, and spatial semiotic modes toward a deeper engagement with challenging texts. With a convergent mixed-methods design, the intervention was delivered over six weeks with 46 Undergraduate ESL learners in a city college in Chennai. Participants created sequential visual panels, converting one full-length novel from text to visual panels and engaging with structured prompts and discursive reflections. Quantitative analysis of the pre- and post-intervention assessments indicated significant improvements in overall comprehension, with the most exemplified gains on thematic interpretation and inferencing for ESL students. Thematic analysis of focus group discussions demonstrated that the multimodal nature of the task contributed to student autonomy of interpretation, affective engagement, and meaning-making in collaboration with peers. The instructor's reflections further indicated enhanced participation, a more evenness of discourse during classroom discussion, and fewer evasion strategies to complete the task. Overall, this study implies that multimodal storyboarding engages more productive cognitive processing and provides equitable access to literary engagement, drawing on learning students’ varied learning and processing styles. The findings recommend the implementation of multimodal strategies, including storyboarding, into higher education teaching of literature to enhance understanding, critical analysis, and inductive pedagogical practice.
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