Participants
The study was conducted in a classroom in which the researcher had previously taught.
The chosen participants were 48 fifth grade male and female students. The school was a
convenient selection, as it is relatively close to the university where the researcher is currently
completing graduate school. The students were chosen based on the willingness of the
classroom instructor to allow the researcher to conduct the study. They were also chosen
because fifth grade is often the time where disparities in reading amongst students become
pronounced. Students may have little-to-no knowledge of reading resources, including graphic
novels that are available to them.
The school in which the researcher conducted the study is located in an urban
community, with 30.8% of the students living in economically disadvantaged homes.
Approximately 78.1% of the students are Caucasian, 3.8% are Hispanic, and 7% are multi-racial,