Linking Knowledge and Engagement

Understanding the way government works is critical to becoming an active participant. A 1999 study of civic knowledge and behavior of 14-year-olds in 28 countries found that the respondents had fundamental, albeit shallow, knowledge about politics and government (Torney-Purta et al. Reference Torney-Purta, Lehmann, Oswald and Schulz2001). The authors wrote that, excluding voting, many students do not find political engagement important, noting that they would be “unlikely to join a political party, [to] consider writing a letter to a newspaper about a social concern, or [to] become a political candidate in the future” (Torney-Purta et al. Reference Torney-Purta, Lehmann, Oswald and Schulz2001, 180). A 2009 update of this study included 38 countries and demonstrated a decline in civic knowledge in nearly half of the 15 countries that were a part of both studies (Schulz et al. Reference Schulz, Ainley, Fraillon, Kerr and Losito2010). In addition, voting participation is low among youth: the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (2016) reported that approximately 50% of eligible 18- to 29-year-old US citizens voted in the 2016 presidential election. In research on youth in the United Kingdom, Sloam (Reference Sloam2008) emphasized the important role that political science education plays in rejuvenating political engagement. Although not the goal of this study, political participation is a public good that is critical to creating inclusive and representative democratic government.

Arts-Based Learning

Arts-based education is one promising method of involving a range of learners on social topics (Clover Reference Clover2000; Curtis Reference Curtis2011; Curtis, Reid, and Reeve Reference Curtis, Reid and Reeve2014; Dewhurst Reference Dewhurst2011; Graham Reference Graham2007; Lawrence Reference Lawrence2005). Education that utilizes the arts respects multiple ways of knowing and has the potential to more fully and more creatively explore topics, thereby allowing for the development of deeper knowledge (Curtis, Reid, and Reeve Reference Curtis, Reid and Reeve2014; Dewhurst Reference Dewhurst2011; Graham Reference Graham2007; Lawrence Reference Lawrence2005). Arts-based learning or visual learning may be used in combination with other modes in the classroom. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is “a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn” (CAST 2019). Proponents of UDL posit that accessing material in multiple ways (e.g., visual, audial, and tactile) supports more student learning styles (Schreiner, Rothenberger, and Sholtz Reference Schreiner, Rothenberger and Sholtz2013). Frey and Fisher (Reference Frey and Fisher2008, 1) noted that “visually literate learners…make connections, determine importance, synthesize information, evaluate, and critique” and, when combined with text, this yields a “more complete understanding” of material. Visual or arts-based learning is one tool that faculty can use to captivate students and improve learning.

Comics in the Classroom

The use of comics in the classroom is not new. Many educators use humorous cartoons to lighten lectures or teach topics in a fun and engaging way (Park, Kim, and Chung Reference Park, Kim and Chung2011). Much of the research on learning via images stems from the field of concept cartoons. Concept cartoons are not humorous panels about a topic—political or otherwise—but rather most often a visual depiction of a scientific concept that features one correct conceptualization and common alternate but incorrect conceptualizations (Akamca, Ellez, and Hamurcu Reference Akamca, Ellez and Hamurcu2009; Keogh and Naylor Reference Keogh and Naylor1999). Expressed another way, concept cartoons depict a group of students puzzling out explanations for observed phenomena. Only one correct answer exists for each concept cartoon. In this way, concept cartoons help students explore and think through correct and incorrect answers to a question, ruminating on why they may be right or wrong. An example from the field of chemistry shows a group of students asking why nails rust (Millgate House Education 2014). They give alternate explanations—one student posits that a nail will not rust in the cold; another claims that a wet nail will rust; a third surmises that contact with other rusty nails will cause a nail to rust; and a fourth student infers that a nail will not rust when under water (Millgate House Education 2014). Rusting happens when both air and water are present; therefore, the correct answer is that a wet nail will rust (Millgate House Education 2014). Students explored the options presented in the concept cartoon to understand the concept. In a study combining quantitative and qualitative methods to assess science learning of fourth-graders, Akamca, Ellez, and Hamurcu (Reference Akamca, Ellez and Hamurcu2009) found that concept cartoons positively affect student achievement. Keogh and Naylor (Reference Keogh and Naylor1999) reported that concept cartoons support learning through enabling discussion and supporting inquiry. Kabapinar (Reference Kabapinar2005) wrote that, among other results, teaching through the use of concept cartoons resolves student misconceptions on content; however, she emphasized the importance of student–teacher interaction and discussion of the concept cartoon.

Researchers in a range of disciplines use visual imagery—if not specifically concept cartoons—to engage students. Tatalovic (Reference Tatalovic2009) reviewed the use of comics in the sciences and found that they have been successfully employed since the nineteenth century to explain scientific principles to both students and the public. Park, Kim, and Chung (Reference Park, Kim and Chung2011) combined humor and content, creating comics to enhance anatomy lectures at the Ajou University School of Medicine in Korea. According to a 2010 study based in Turkey, effective cartooning in the classroom improves instruction, supports active learning, enables critical thinking, and may play a role in higher academic achievement (Birisci, Metin, and Karakas Reference Birisci, Metin and Karakas2010). Williams (Reference Williams2008, 13) found that comics in particular can assist in “crossing boundaries, creating empathy, and educating students about the artistic production and consumption of powerful texts.” Investigating the use of comic books to teach science to non-majors, Hosler and Boomer (Reference Hosler and Boomer2011) reported statistically significant gains among this group’s content knowledge, attitudes about biology, and attitudes about comics. Using comics and cartoons to teach algebraic concepts, Toh (Reference Toh2009) noted that they allow teachers to engage students, yielding increases in motivation. In working with college-level engineering students, Wylie and Neely (Reference Wylie and Neeley2016) observed that the use of comics allows students to retain knowledge of complex concepts. Political science faculty at many levels use comics and visual images to teach. It is not uncommon to employ political or editorial cartoons in the politics classroom as tools to elucidate ideas, share political opinion, review political history, and teach critical and analytical thinking (Dougherty Reference Dougherty2002; Owens Reference Owens and Byrne2016). Using photographs and paintings to teach the first amendment to K–12 students, LeCompte and Bauml (Reference LeCompte and Bauml2012) found this method most beneficial for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and younger students. Editorial cartoons even may have a positive impact on political participation (Baumgartner Reference Baumgartner2008). In these ways, many disciplines recognize the value of using comics to stimulate learning and engagement, although their use is most prominent in STEM fields.

Despite the breadth of research on how faculty use visual images to teach content, there are few assessments of the comparative effectiveness of visual versus written material. In an analysis of knowledge gains through text versus a multimedia display (i.e., audio, video, animation, graphics, text, and special effects), Hallett and Faria (Reference Hallett and Faria2006) observed stronger gains in recalled content through the use of multimedia. In a study that compared the ability of students to transfer problem-solving performance (i.e., apply information learned from one problem to a new problem), Mayer (Reference Mayer1997, 10) reported that students with combined visual and text explanations yielded a median of “65% more creative solutions” than those having a text-only explanation. Focusing on studies of general-education political science courses, Ulbig (Reference Ulbig2009, 385) found that visuals “enhance students’ impressions of the discipline…and boost their interest in and knowledge of politics and public affairs” as well as “enhance students’ classroom experiences…[and] global impressions of the course” (Ulbig Reference Ulbig2010, 185). This evidence suggests that visual images are compelling and effective; however, researchers have not yet made a direct analysis of comparative knowledge gains from text and visual images.

This research seeks to fill the gap on the comparative benefits of visual versus textual content. We assessed a group of 71 American 18- to 22-year-olds to understand the knowledge gains they experienced from viewing a visual depiction of a portion of the Constitution, and we share how we used this method to teach foundational documents to students in an international civics exchange program.