Science comics as tools for science education and communication: a brief, exploratory study

TLDR

Comics are a popular art form, especially among children, making them a promising medium for science education and communication. The study aims to catalogue existing science comics, review evidence for their effectiveness in promoting scientific literacy, and highlight research gaps and future questions. The authors surveyed science‑themed comics and graphic books in a museum exhibit, compiled an overview, and reviewed literature on their educational impact.

Abstract

Comics are a popular art form especially among children and as such provide a potential medium for science education and communication. In an attempt to present science comics in a museum exhibit I found many science themed comics and graphic books. Here I attempt to provide an overview of already available comics that communicate science, the genre of ‘science comics’. I also provide a quick literature review for evidence that comics can indeed be efficiently used for promoting scientific literacy via education and communication. I address the issue of lack of studies about science comics and their readers and suggest some possible reasons for this as well as some questions that could be addressed in future studies on the effect these comics may have on science communication.