%0 Journal Article
%T The semantic and syntactic qualities of paneling in students¡¯ graphic narratives
%A Sylvia Pantaleo
%J Visual Communication
%@ 1741-3214
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1470357217740393
%X The overarching purpose of the classroom-based research featured in this article was to explore the development of middle-year students¡¯ visual meaning-making skills and competencies. The research was informed by multimodality and social semiotics, and embraced a sociocultural perspective of literacy and a transactional theory of literature. Over a period of several weeks, Grade 7 students had opportunities to learn about a selection of elements of visual art and design, and some conventions of graphic novels, including paneling. In addition to reading, responding in writing to, and discussing a selection of picturebooks, graphic novels and magazine issues, the students composed their own texts using the medium of comics. In this article I focus on the paneling in the graphic narratives created by seven student participants. The content analysis of the students¡¯ graphic narratives revealed the intentionality of their panel meaning-making, and the semantic and syntactic qualities embodied in their paneling. Excerpts from the students¡¯ interviews revealed how learning about the what, why and how of paneling affected the composing of their work. I conclude the article with a consideration of some pedagogical issues associated with the teaching of paneling and other conventions in the medium of comics
%K comics
%K graphic narratives
%K graphic novels
%K middle years
%K multimodality
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470357217740393