Of both interest and importance to this study is the use of comic books; that is, the simultaneous use of text and visuals.
Since the beginning of humankind to the undisputed visual and graphic- driven society we live in today, visuals have played an integral part of daily life and communication, making our understanding of the underlining and overarching messages they relay all the more essential to our successful living. Today's young learners are living in a society which mandates that they become more literate and engage in more reading of varying kinds than required of preceding generations (Partin and Gillespie-Hendricks, 2002). An understanding of visuals, visual literacy, their definitions, implications and benefits are important to be conceptualized, as visuals are undeniably a part of the comic book genre.
4.1 Definitions of Visual Literacy
It has been claimed that images, rather than words, are what carry the deepest of meanings (Barry,1997) and, being skilled in the decoding and interpretation of their messages is what we have now come to accept as visual literacy (in Tiemensma, 2009).
Among the definitions of visual literacy, two are claimed to be the most valid and conclusive; one, being that of the International Visual Literacy Association in Debes (1969) (in Tillman, 2012) and echoed by Yeh and Lohr(2010)(in Tillman, 2012) that it is, ''the learned knowledge and skills needed to accurately understand, interpret, and analyze visual messages and create visual messages''. The other expressed by Aanstoos (2003) stated that it is, ''the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images, as well as to be able to convey ideas or messages through imagery'' (in Nicholas, 2007). The main idea of visual literacy is that it is one's ability to recognize, decode, interpret, comprehend and express ideas and/or messages by using or creating various forms of visuals.
Images in relation to text have their own sets of functions, the five major being: Representation, in which the visuals either repeat the content of the text or significantly overlap it; Organization, where visuals aid in the coherence of the text, and Interpretation, during which the images solidify the text's data. Additionally, during Transformation, the images focus on the vital aspects of the text and represent it in a more memorable manner; lastly, Decoration, in which visuals are utilized aesthetically to ignite interest (Liu, 2004).
4.2 Paivio's Dual Coding Theory (DCT)
The main theory positing the importance of text and visuals is the Dual Coding Theory or DCT, by Paivio (1971) (in Liu, 2004).
As outlined in Liu (2004) and Nicholas (2007), the theory reflects the relation between the verbal system of linguistics and the semiotic system of images, both simultaneously present in the text, aiding in the reader's creation of a mental, dual coding system that is both supportive,
interconnected and interacting, by which the reader can more easily, readily and effectively derive and generate inferences and comprehend the overall meaning of texts. This process is associated with Goodman(1976)'s 'top- down' reading approach during which readers, relying on how they ''perceived the graphic, syntactic and semantic information'' in the text, make predictions and hypothesize as to its most probable meaning (in Reid, 2009). As such, it speaks of a mental mechanism which codes and decodes visuals and their (suggested) meanings, as the mind works to join both verbal and visual cues and information from the texts. As such, it could be supported that the use of visuals and text provides numerous advantages to the reader as the working memory allows for stronger readers to gain deeper insight into the text's meaning (Woolley, 2007).
4.3 The Benefits of Visuals in Reading
The beneficial effects of visuals in reading are, thus, numerous as Liu (2004), Nicholas (2007) and Tillman (2012) have demonstrated.
An overall increase in cognitive development, reading comprehension, reading attitude and active involvement in reading have been claimed by numerous researchers such as Gambrell et al(1987), Gersten et al (2001) and Sadoski et al(2000) (in Woolley, 2007), with beneficial results. Another proven benefit is that not only are visuals much more direct than the written word, but, learners are more capable of responding to such texts, since they are able to tap into the dual coding mechanism and derive meaning from either or both verbal and visual channels, especially younger readers (Tiemensma, 2009). Additionally, the use of multi-modal teaching strategies with contextual visuals could enhance comprehension and the formation of mental schemata; that is the archiving of background and prior knowledge into the brain's memory banks for future use (Tindall-Ford et al,1997;Moreno and Mayer,1999; Leahy et al,2003; in Jones, 2010); since, as cited by Gambrell and Jawitz (1993:265), the use of a text visualization strategy generally ''encourages use of prior knowledge as part of creating vivid representations of prose'', especially of dyslexic readers (Wray, 2009 and Keene and Zimmerman, 2007 in Reid, 2009).
4.4 Visuals and Dyslexia
It is commonly accepted, that: ''If a child doesn't learn the way you teach, then teach him the way he learns'' (Chasty, in Chinn and Ashcroft,1999 in Exley, 2003); a statement which echoes the theory of multiple intelligences in the classroom, and is significant for dyslexic learners, for whom adaptations to teaching could be made, for each dyslexic student should be taught in the way he or she learn best (Ellis,1993 in Exley, 2003).
Theory and research alike have strongly indicated that dyslexic learners have distinct hemispheric patterns of processing which seem to favor visual and '' visual-spatial/kinesthetic'' learning and teaching strategies (Bakker,1990;Galaburda,1993; Everatt et al,1999 in Exley, 2003). Visuals, therefore, could be beneficial when used in reading for dyslexic learners as their very minds are attuned to images, for images surpass the linguistic barriers set by their given reading difficulties. The benefits of visuals for dyslexic learners are further proven by empirical studies, as Hibbing and Rankin-Erickson(2003)'s, claiming illustrated books enhance the comprehension skills of struggling readers.
Learners with reading difficulties need to, thus, rely less on the written word to infer meaning and comprehension as they can make use of the non- verbal messages relayed via the images accompanying it. This, in turn, allows the reading process to be a more manageable, pleasurable activity, as there is less room for error. Ultimately, alterations and adaptations made to support dyslexic readers will also prove beneficial to all other students (Chinn,2001), for the advantages of differentiated, multi-modal and multisensory instruction, and of reading specifically, are evident (in Exley, 2003).