Cartooning in the Classroom: Empowering Primary Students in the Northeast of England by Making Comics

Abstract

This comics-based research field report investigates how disadvantaged primary students in Northeast England engaged with learning to make comics in the classroom. While research since the 1940s has highlighted links between comics and student engagement, little attention has been given to the transformative impact of making comics, partly because educators often read comics but rarely create them. The project Cartooning in the Classroom introduced students and teachers to methods of making comics through six weekly workshops, where participants studied Romeo and Juliet by designing cartoon characters inspired by Shakespeare’s play. Using graphic memoir as both methodology and output, the study employed collaborative practice and critical pedagogy to analyse data from field notes, artwork, observations, and feedback forms. Findings are presented as a graphic memoir that interweaves the researcher’s voice with participants’ experiences, demonstrating comics’ potential to empower marginalised learners and generate meaningful co-created knowledge.