Multimodal Resources and Approaches for Teaching Young Adolescents: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

With an increased number of multimodal texts being read, viewed, or designed by young adolescents ages 10–15 years, classroom instruction requires a focus on current research related to multimodal pedagogy. This integrative literature review sought to determine how instruction based on multimodality has been implemented in middle school classrooms. Educational databases were searched to locate empirical quantitative and qualitative studies describing instruction focusing on reading, viewing, or designing multimodal texts. The authors reviewed 37 research studies published between 2013 and 2023 to update the MLER Research Agenda. An analysis of the studies revealed three themes related to multimodal pedagogy: promoting language and literacy development; enhancing content learning; and providing opportunities for empowerment, personal expression, and identity development. Three gaps in the literature were also noted: no studies were conducted in mathematics classrooms, few studies examined multimodal pedagogy and students with learning or language differences, and few studies investigated the impact of multimodal pedagogy on students’ learning. Based on our findings, we conclude with a series of questions for a research agenda.

1. Introduction

1.1. The Seminal and Building Research on Multimodal Pedagogies

Despite the plethora of images and graphics that are found in our environment, educators have primarily valued printed texts, with the use of images as complementary information. One of the first recognized challenges for a research agenda to address pedagogy in the changing literacy environment was conceived collaboratively in 1996 by members of the New London Group (Bill Cope, Norman Fairclough, James Gee, Mary Kalantzis, Gunther Kress, Alan Luke, Carmen Luke, Sarah Michaels, Martin Makata, Joseph LoBianco) as addressing the multitude of available literacies, or multiliteracies, that inform about content, communication, and representation [1]. This was an important and enlightening publication of ideas and a call for change considering the introduction of the internet and the need to infuse a new lens for learning. Along with and following their work, the definition of text expanded to include diverse formats beyond traditional printed texts and to include the social semiotics that underlie literacy, learning, and expression; in short, there was an understanding of New Literacies Studies (NLS) [2]. For example, popular media such as movies, television shows, websites, podcasts, comics, magazines, song lyrics, and graphic novels were recognized by the New London Group as texts. In 2000, Luke further explained the importance of multiliteracies in educational settings as a change agent in practices, de-emphasizing the privileging of the printed word [3].

Kalantzis and Cope continued to research and explain the revolution or transformative nature of new language and literacy resources available to educators and students for learning in 2012. As they explained it, in the pedagogical category, “the learner is a co-designer of learning” and in the epistemological sense, “learners are co-designers of knowledge” [4] (p. 74). They described these new literacies as multimodal designs for meaning, such that “…our processes of meaning are frequently multimodal, bringing together written, visual, spatial, tactile, gestural, audio, and oral modes” (p. 173), and offer an approach that balances reading and writing with drama, dance, construction, visual arts, and access to a range of digital technologies.

Other seminal researchers continued to build on this foundation of knowledge and focused on varying modes of print and nonprint format, or multimodality, for representation and communication. Kress and Kress and van Leeuwen brought to researchers’ attention the terms of the various visual grammars of multimodal text that need to be considered [5,6]. The term visual grammars refers to the use of an image, photo, or diagram that uses color, size, and shapes to convey a message. For example, advertisements use different angles, closeups, gestures, and facial expressions to attract and influence readers. Serafini and Claussen built on the descriptions of the various modes through the development of categories of their textual, visual, and design elements [7,8].

The topic of multimodal pedagogies has continued to gain importance with an enriched understanding of the social and cultural nature of learning with the expansion of research on new literacy studies [9]. Research has documented that the combination of linguistic and non-linguistic has always been our normal mode of communication [10,11]. Canagarajah in 2011 referred to these as codemeshing and described the interplay of codes in learning, especially for English language learners [12]. Cope and Kalantzis’ research on the design for multimodal literacy and learning built on the Learning by Design Framework developed earlier by the New London Group with new explanations [13] and with foci on specific areas of development [14].

As a result, this field of research is especially important when applied to the education of young adolescents to address their new literacy needs and to support their learning in an increasingly diverse population. Serafini has further categorized multimodal elements as necessary to consider from structural analytic, perceptual analytic, and ideological analytic perspectives, and has suggested that educators need to focus students’ attention on these elements in order for young adolescents to comprehend their reading and visualizing in classroom contexts [7].

1.2. Young Adolescents and Multimodality

The Association for Middle-Level Education recognizes that young adolescents between the ages of 10 and 15 have unique needs for learning, including choices for the representation of content information and for expression [15]. In the process of learning how to become responsible community members and responsive, active citizens, young adolescents need to express themselves in a variety of formats including poetry and art to meet their individual learning styles. They benefit from an inclusive set of learning tools including using multimodal texts for reading and multimodal forms of composing such as maps, sketches, art, and graphic novels.

Successful middle schools work to meet these needs by providing a curriculum that is “challenging, exploratory, integrative, and diverse” [15] (p. 9), which includes knowledge about and application of multimodal pedagogies. Successful middle school teachers “are committed to being knowledgeable about young adolescents’ needs, equitable practices, and educational research” [15] (p. 9), which have recently been aligned with the integration of multimodal practices into the curriculum.

The interest in multimodal text has recently increased for young adolescents, with the interplay of words and images in graphic novels, comics, magazines, and digital formats that are focused on fictional, non-fictional, and informational topics; however, this has occurred more often in out-of-school environments than in educational settings. With an increase in the availability and accessibility to multimodal practices for learning, more research interest in using multimodal pedagogies was initiated. For example, Bell, Ewaida, Lynch, and Zenkov noted that “young adolescents have engaged in an asynchronous conversation through… visual and written products, describing “quality” instructional practices that enable them to be successful in our middle school language arts classes and persist through high school” [16] (p. 32). Wissman described the power of using poetry and art with an eighth grader as generative and contagious forces for “illumination, inspiration, transformation, and reflection” [17] (p. 49). Further, Lewkowitz noted that preservice teachers reading graphic novels experienced a transmediation or translation of ideas from one media form to another and that the “visual response offers a means to productively linger in this multimodal gap: encouraging readers to expand their creative capacity for textual interpretation, to take seriously the aesthetic claims and discursive tension of comics and other forms of graphic representation, while simultaneously conceiving new and imaginative forms of self-expression” [18] (pp. 313–314). However, part of the challenge appeared to be that young adolescent students, their teachers, and possibly parents may not have accepted the ‘legitimacy’ of multimodal pedagogies in the classroom [19,20]. One new area of recent research has indicated an emergence of interest in multimodal pedagogies for young adolescents among preservice and practicing teachers for use in pedagogical settings [21,22].

Because multimodal texts are prevalent in society today and are only recently being recognized as legitimate literature for instruction, it is important to determine what texts are being used, how they can contribute to curricula across content areas, how they can contribute to the learning of all students, and what research still needs to be conducted. Therefore, it is important that middle school educators understand the value of these print and digital resources in designing their classroom instruction. Based on our review of the literature, we found several areas to lead future research in the field of middle-level education. Our review of research sought to extend the current knowledge base and highlight an agenda for multimodal pedagogy for young adolescents. Our research was guided by the questions: What are the current practices in multimodal instruction for young adolescents, and what future research is needed in the area of multimodal pedagogy?

2. Materials and Methods

The purpose of this review of the literature was to examine research documenting efforts to integrate multimodal texts and teaching practices with young adolescents ages 10–15 years, updating a previous middle-level research agenda [23]. This literature review was conducted as an integrative literature review [24,25]. One purpose of an integrative review is to synthesize literature to develop a research agenda that “flows logically from the critical analysis of the literature. The research agenda should pose provocative questions (or propositions) that give direction for future research” [24] (p. 363).

To initiate the literature review process, research agenda sub-groups established inclusion criteria: (a) peer-reviewed journal articles, theses, or dissertations, (b) quantitative or qualitative empirical research, (c) published between 2013 and 2023, and (d) specifically focused on the education of young adolescents. These criteria were established to extend the content of the 2016 publication [23] and to ensure that the articles were based on rigorous research that involved classroom instruction for young adolescents. Review for focus on topics for resources and approaches to education was then parsed into specific areas for further investigation in the field.

For this article’s research review, conducted to inform educators of the need for a more expansive lens for literacy development, the authors began by conducting independent database and journal searches. Articles were first identified through searches of electronic databases (i.e., Education Research Complete, JSTOR, ERIC) and hand-checking journals with content specific to the education of young adolescents and/or middle school for inclusion in the research review. Refereed articles including the study of children below age 10 or above age 15 were excluded. The authors began the search using broad, general terminology. The search terms “multimodal learning” and “middle school or junior high” were entered into Education Research Complete and JSTOR. The ERIC database was searched using the terms “multimodal approaches”, “middle grades 6th, 7th or 8th”, and “instructional strategies”. Relevant journals that were searched included Middle School Journal, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, and Middle Grades Research Journal.

After completing the first round of database searches and reading the selected articles, the authors shared their findings to check agreements and discussed if there were other specific applications of multimodal literacy or different groups of adolescent participants (e.g., English Learners, special education students) that needed to be investigated. The authors then conducted a second round of independent searches that expanded into more areas related to various aspects of multimodality and adolescents. Academic Search Complete was first searched using the terms “Comic books or graphic novels” and “middle school or junior high or 6th or 7th or 8th”. The authors continued the search in this manner, searching ERIC, JSTOR, and Educational Abstracts with these combinations of search terms.

• Multimodality in education, Young adolescents or teenagers, Visual literacies
• Multimodality in education, Young adolescents or teenagers, Photography
• Multimodality in education, Young adolescents or teenagers, Art
• Multimodality in education, Learning Disabilities
• Multimodality, Self-expression, Identity

Following this round of searches, the authors again shared their findings. The first author compiled digital copies of all 55 possible articles identified by both authors. The expanded searches yielded additional articles featuring studies that investigated specific affordances of multimodal pedagogy with different types of students, primarily English learners, immigrants, and students with learning disabilities.

Altogether, 55 articles were identified that met the original criteria. A review of these articles revealed that they were mainly qualitative studies, a few with supporting quantitative data. One measure of rigor in qualitative studies is the degree to which they establish trustworthiness [26]. To review qualitative research with rigor, studies that did not provide evidence of establishing trustworthiness (e.g., triangulation) were excluded from the review of the literature. In addition, studies were excluded if they were conducted within teacher education programs or were pedagogical in nature. That resulted in the selection of 37 research articles for this review.

To introduce and frame the literature gathered from the electronic database searches, the authors also referred to seminal research published outside the selected time period as well as other research by experts in multiliteracies and multimodality. This literature established the historical context for a pedagogy incorporating multimodality and provided terminology and definitions.

A data table was developed to aid in the analysis of the selected articles; this information was recorded for each article.

• Author
• Year of publication (2013–2023)
• Type of research
• Purpose of study/participants (young adolescents)
• Intervention/student activity (classroom-based)
• Measures/data sources
• Results
• Pedagogical implications (classroom-based)

These categories were chosen so the authors could identify current trends and emerging topics and issues related to multimodal pedagogy based on the results and pedagogical implications of the studies. These categories also guided the authors as they re-examined their articles and made their final selections.

The 37 articles selected for the review of literature were next coded for themes and patterns using a two-stage process known as First and Second Cycle coding [26]. Both cycles of coding were conducted collaboratively by the authors. First Cycle coding involved summarizing the data from the descriptions of the articles in the data chart using the Theming the Data approach. In this method, coding involves identifying a theme, or “an extended phrase or sentence that identifies what a unit of data is about and/or what it means” [26] (p. 73). First Cycle coding yielded eight themes related to research-based multimodal classroom practices.

Table 1. First Cycle Coding Illustrative Examples.

First Cycle: Theming the Data	Example from Data Table
Use graphic novels and multimodal texts to increase students’ interest and motivation in reading, expand vocabulary, introduce topics, build background knowledge	scores on quick writes and vocabulary recognition were significantly higher [27] significant differences in reading enjoyment and interest between graphic novels and heavily illustrated novels and graphic novels and traditional novels [28]
Provide students with diverse backgrounds, literacies, and abilities the opportunity to use digital tools for codemeshing, exploring their identities, and describing their life experiences	units promoted the study of social issues that affect the lives of Black girls; units created space across modalities for Black girls to (re)imagine being a learner [29] students used 3 forms of codemeshing: audio, texts, and images; teachers should explore productive ways students can use their heritage languages [30]
Empower students as authors and learners by allowing choice of topics and digital tools	students positioned themselves as community activists; enhanced their ability to produce for different audiences [31] students created an infographic and website on a social issue of their choice after reading To Kill a Mockingbird [32]
Provide student-centered projects with authentic purposes and audiences for designing and sharing multimodal text	helped promote inquiry-based learning; offered multiple perspectives [33] a Slam Poetry and Citizenship unit allowed students to become experts in their chosen topics [34]
Provide instruction on reading and designing multimodal texts	provide multimodal literacies instruction; prepare students to analyze, critique, and challenge images [35] teachers may need to scaffold students’ use of technology for educational rather than social purposes [32]
Use multimodal texts to provide information to students and to check for student understanding	used multiple modes to help in the interpretation of information while researching (e.g., listening to poems, language translations, definitions) [36] 8th grade students read A Midsummer’s Night Dream and rotated through 5 stations reading, viewing, using QR codes, virtual reality devices, websites, watching YouTube videos, 2 biographies of Shakespeare (one graphic), online or print copy of article [37]
Provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively when reading/designing multimodal texts	used multimodalities and collaboration with another student to create the videos (self-representation) [38] multimodal learning stations allowed students to collaborate [37]
Use multimodal texts to illustrate multiple perspectives, promote a critical stance, and develop empathy	use of graphic novels can help humanize history instruction, show different perspectives, and encourage students to care about the past [39] texts such as these allow for multiple options and fewer answers; critical stances were modeled and encouraged [40]

provides examples from the data table that were illustrative of the First Cycle codes.

Second Cycle coding, or Pattern Coding, consolidated the summarized data into a smaller number of themes, categories, or concepts [26]. In the Second Cycle of coding, the authors merged the codes from First Cycle coding into three major themes.

Table 2. Coding Themes.

First Cycle: Theming the Data	Second Cycle: Pattern Codes
Provide students with diverse backgrounds, literacies, and abilities the opportunity to use digital tools for codemeshing, exploring their identities, and describing their life experiences Empower students as authors and learners by allowing choice of topics and digital tools	Multimodal pedagogy for empowerment, personal expression, identity
Provide student-centered projects with authentic purposes and audiences for designing and sharing multimodal text Use multimodal texts to provide information to students and to check for student understanding Use multimodal texts to illustrate multiple perspectives, promote a critical stance, and develop empathy	Multimodal pedagogy for content learning
Use graphic novels and multimodal texts to increase students’ interest and motivation in reading, expand vocabulary, introduce topics, build background knowledge Provide instruction on reading and designing multimodal texts Provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively when reading/designing multimodal texts	Multimodal pedagogy for language and literacy development

displays the themes from First and Second Cycle coding.

A synthesis of the research in support of these three themes is presented in the Results section. A critical analysis of the literature will follow the synthesis to describe the “literature’s strengths, deficiencies, omissions, inaccuracies, and any contradictions about the topic” [25] (p. 66).

3. Results

This research was conducted to determine the current practices in multimodal instruction for young adolescents and to identify what future research is needed in the area of multimodal pedagogy. Based on this review of the literature, a multimodal pedagogy has been shown to positively impact students’ language and literacy development; enhance their engagement and learning in content area classes; and empower them as communicators about themselves, their feelings, and their ideas. These three themes, supported by recent research, are examined in depth in the following sections.

3.1. Multimodal Pedagogy for Language and Literacy Development

Reviews of recent research on pedagogy reveal the empowering nature of using multimodal formats for approaches to supporting the language and literacy competencies of young adolescents. There is overlap in the affordances offered by multimodal collaborations of text format; however, a focus on reading/viewing, writing/composing, and language/expression enables strong and clear categories for research review.

3.1.1. Developing Language

Learning in the middle grades requires a large variety of text formats that characterize input of knowledge, including graphs, photographs, print and non-print text, poetry, and songs, among others. Researchers found that young adolescents require instruction to prepare students to analyze, critique, and challenge images [35]. In cases where students do not have the language to develop their ideas, such as for multilingual students, encouragement for the use of code-switching, or alternating between languages or dialects, was formalized into the concept of translanguaging, which is an asset-based approach that encourages students to use a variety of linguistic resources [41,42]. As an example, female refugees from Burma used multiple modes of communication to develop the English language they would need to succeed in the middle-grade classroom [43]. More recently, this pedagogical approach has gained a new term, codemeshing, a strategy that encourages students to use multimodal approaches to include their heritage language to support literacy and learning [30]. This pedagogical approach has been shown to be successful in supporting all young adolescents as educators help students build on their funds of knowledge using multilingual and communicative practices to engage in learning activities [38]. Espinet and Chaman-Santiago used the text Inside Out and Back Again as a backdrop to combine writing and drawing to develop students’ communicative practices and to discuss/resolve questions [38,44]. Pyo found a comparable result when a Korean English Learner was provided with lessons in using technology and English through reading and was able to design responses to social issues [45]. Pyo’s study demonstrated the use of multimodal pedagogy to develop the language of communication and ways to complement printed text.

3.1.2. Developing Reading and Viewing of Multimodal Texts

Young adolescents are in transition toward career readiness and community activism, requiring middle-grade educators to empower students as authors and learners by allowing choice of topics and digital tools [15,46]. Researchers describe multimodal pedagogy as a valid and effective path to engagement in reading tasks. Using graphic novels, Bender and sixth graders read a graphic novel in common and another of their choice [47]. Using surveys, journal entries, and conference notes, six themes were identified including the use of modes (i.e., color, images, bolded words) along with metacognitive strategies to interpret meaning. Brenna used graphic novels to measure the impact on students’ comprehension and found through questionnaires and observations that fourth-grade young adolescents preferred reading graphic novels, and they learned and used graphic novel reading strategies [48]. Sun found that student-centered collaborative projects using multimodal text in response to reading the graphic novel Persepolis increased their engagement, perspective-taking, and empathetic thinking, and the approach promoted inquiry-based learning [33,49]. Dallacqua studied seventh graders as they read and discussed the graphic novels Rapunzel’s Revenge and Calamity Jack in their ELA class [40,50,51]. Audio and video recordings revealed the interesting discussions in which students critically engaged and focused on the grammar in the fairy tales and inequities and inconsistencies in the storytelling, concluding that the time using multimodal text was crucial for thoughtful learning. Further, Dallacqua and Low used out-of-class lunchtime meetings about superhero comics to reveal young adolescents’ thoughts of gender (in)equalities and evolving understandings of gender [52]. Using and analyzing video recordings, the researchers concluded that students need time with these multimodal texts to engage in critical literacy activities, which are so important for young adolescents as they prepare for more complex information in their futures. Schmier, using ethnographic research, described how popular culture formats such as online social networking provided enhancement of learning, and the concluding implication was that a multimodal pedagogy with student choice in topics and modes of communication needs to be implemented in classroom instruction [31]. Qiao, Moses, and Kelly investigated how teachers supported fourth graders in their whole-class discussions and writing conferences while creating comics [53]. These researchers used discourse analysis to document how social interactions mediated positive identity development in the students as they created comics of their own.

Recent research documented preferences for multimodal text. Jennings, Rule, and Vander-Zanden using rating surveys, mid-term questions, and assignment results, found that after reading and discussing three formats of text, the fifth graders preferred graphic novels, highly illustrated novels, and traditional print novels, respectively [28]. From their results, Jennings et al. concluded that the students also increased their comprehension and promoted deeper understandings, and multimodal pedagogy can benefit learning and should be encouraged in classroom instruction [28].

This research review also revealed the nature of young adolescents’ readings of multimodal text and the resulting pedagogy that is needed. Karchmer-Klein and Shinas used transcriptions of think-alouds and results of interviews to determine how eighth graders read multimodal texts and found that they were aware of the different purposes for the different modes and appreciated all modes [54]. In a case study using students’ transcripts of descriptions, Panteleo required fourth-grade students to identify the elements of visual art and design with selected texts [55]. First, the young adolescents received explicit instruction on compositional elements such as color, POV, lines, framing, speech bubbles, and paneling to convey character and plot events. Panteleo concluded that young adolescents need instruction in multimodal design to engage fully with literacy representations in the future.

3.1.3. Developing the Designing of Multimodal Texts

The complements to pedagogy for multimodal reading and viewing elements are the competencies they develop for multimodal composing for projects that express young adolescents’ understandings and critical stances. Recent research has documented the need for young adolescents to explore the use of multimodal design for a more enriched and personal response to readings and viewings in their educational curricula. Ehret and Hollett used multimodal pedagogy to engage 12-year-old students in an enrichment course to access, use, and create narrative responses to a reading [56]. The students learned to navigate within and between apps, building their knowledge of alternate elements to mediate their ideas and respond to topics. Espinet and Chapman-Santiago challenged their eighth graders with a project to first compose a class graffiti wall with their writings and drawings, and then to create storyboards for video development [38]. Using recordings of debriefing sessions and student and teacher artifacts, the reveal was how students grappled with identities and stereotypes and they collaborated to create the videos and express their unique ideas using multiple modes for responses.

Researchers have demonstrated how multimodal design can move beyond the traditional use of written responses to include physical responses [57]. Their study focused on 13- and 14-year-olds in a drama class who acted out scenes from The Diary of Anne Frank, created artwork including photographs and videotapes depicting an emotion, and acted out their interpretations. More specifically, the use of their bodies in space, motion, and character, extended their composition of a response. Dalton et al. conducted two studies to determine young adolescents’ expanded choice of multimodal elements beyond writing to complement their responses [58]. Using scoring guides for retellings, modal use, and transcriptions of student interviews, they documented that students used visual design, sound, and animation to respond to a reading of Hungry Spider with more detail. Content literacy responses have developed from multimodal compositions, as in a study by Howell, in which ninth graders read Tuesdays with Morrie and then created a website focused on social issues [32]. The multimodal composing provided a scaffold to encourage creative and authentic responses. Howell suggested that multimodal compositions in content areas provided strong arguments and could be developed in classroom projects. In a curriculum of critical literacies using digital format, Price-Dennis using interviews, field notes, lesson plans, and participant observations, described how fifth-grade Black girls examined their literacy practices and composed responses on power and social justice in and out of school [29]. This collection of research revealed the empowering effect of using multimodal pedagogy in language and literacy education.

3.2. Multimodal Pedagogy for Content Learning

With its comics, graphic novels, and websites for reading and viewing and its digital tools for composing, multimodal pedagogy has been seamlessly integrated into English language arts instruction. Other content areas are now exploring the affordances of multimodality for presenting information and checking for students’ understanding, moving beyond traditional textbooks and paper-and-pencil activities. Specifically, multimodal pedagogy in content areas has been utilized to make content accessible for all students, connect course content with language arts skills, and encourage students to explore relevant social issues.

3.2.1. Making Content Accessible for All Students

Several studies investigated the efficacy of multimodal pedagogy in meeting the needs of students with learning and language differences. Hitchcock, Rao, Chang, and Yuen’s intervention, TeenACE for Science (TAS), was implemented in two science classes containing a diverse group of students, one class for grades 5–8 and the other for grade seven [59]. The goal of TAS instruction was to improve students’ expository writing skills through the integration of multimedia technology, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD). Students followed a highly-structured sequence of writing lessons prior to placing their paragraphs into a prepared PowerPoint template, adding audio to the presentation, listening to the report, editing, and presenting. Standardized test results, as well as scores on first and last science reports, showed significant improvement in students’ writing. Townsend, Brock, and Morrison studied the vocabulary instruction of a teacher for seventh- and eighth-grade science at a middle school with a diverse student population and with 99% of the students receiving free lunch [60]. Mrs. Balan’s instruction included engaging activities that motivated the students, repetitive use of the science vocabulary in authentic situations, use of multimodal resources, and guidance and scaffolding to support students’ learning. Scores on the fall and spring vocabulary tests showed a significant increase in students’ spelling of academic words, morphology, and ability to use academic and discipline-specific words.

Zhang conducted an ethnography of communication to study the multimodal science discourse in a sixth-grade sheltered classroom for ELs [61]. Video and audio recordings were analyzed to determine how multimodality and translanguaging impacted the science learning of ELs. Zhang noted that much of the teacher’s instruction, although incorporating different modes (i.e., pictures, diagrams, gestures), was based on transmitting content and was not fully comprehended by the students. Student discourse was focused on attempting to make meaning of the content rather than the science concepts, and instruction failed to link the language of science to their everyday language. Pierson et al. studied an English-dominant sixth-grade classroom of 20 students to determine how scientific modeling and translanguaging supported the five bilingual ELs [62]. During the 9-week unit on ecology, students created a variety of multimodal models of ecosystems, being able to select the modes and languages they would use. The authors described instances of multilingual and multimodal translanguaging, translation among monolingual and bilingual students while modeling, and translanguaging for the monolingual students. These practices not only made the science content more accessible for the ELs but also promoted a classroom where the contributions of all students were considered legitimate and valuable.

3.2.2. Teaching Reading, Writing, and Creating with Course Content

Content area teachers are recognizing the need to support students’ reading and writing skills which, in turn, can promote a deeper understanding of course content. Brugar et al. and Chisholm et al. focused their studies on reading informational graphic novels based on events in U. S. History [27,39]. Brugar, Roberts, Jimenez, and Meyer used One Dead Spy, a narrative about Nathan Hale in the American Revolution, as their anchor text [27,63]. Prior to reading the novel, the sixth-grade students received instruction on reading strategies to employ while reading a graphic novel. The researchers noted that students improved their vocabulary recognition and learned some important facts from the graphic novel; however, they did not understand the sequence of events in the war. Based on these findings, the researchers suggested that graphic novels can be used as an entry point into a topic but not serve as the main informational text. Chisholm, Shelton, and Sheffield explored students’ emotional reactions to the images in Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel [39,64]. Like the Brugar et al. study, instruction on reading graphic novels was provided before reading [27]. Students responded to the graphic novel by completing a project selected from a RAFT (Role-Audience-Format-Topic) organizer and participated in discussions and interviews. The researchers determined that students closely attended to the visual images accompanying the narrative, enabling them to develop emotive empathy for selected characters in the novel (e.g., Lincoln, Union soldiers, civilians), humanizing the characters and promoting a caring for past events. Pratt, Coleman, and Dantzler investigated how fourth-grade students used strategies while reading a non-linear science text [65]. In individual sessions with students, they checked prior knowledge, after-reading comprehension, and strategy use. Results indicated that prior knowledge had no effect on comprehension scores and that the more capable readers relied on reading strategies and integrating text and visuals, while less capable readers used decoding strategies and traditional text directionality. Pratt et al. suggested that teachers should become knowledgeable about visual representations in texts so they can instruct and support students in reading multimodal science texts.

Other researchers studied the connections of content knowledge to the writing or design affordances of multimodal pedagogy. Hitchcock et al. determined that TeenACE for Science (TAS) had a positive impact on the expository writing of middle school students [59]. In seventh- and eighth-grade science classes, Nixon et al. investigated the impact of Multiple Modes of Representation (MMR) on students’ learning and multimodal use on assessments [66]. The participating teachers used MMR in half of their classes, and the other half received the usual science instruction. MMR was first explained and modeled for the students in three lessons, then embedded by the teachers into instruction. On the end-of-unit assessment, open-ended questions were written to determine whether students would include additional modes (e.g., diagrams, tables, graphs) in their written responses. There were no pre-/post-test differences between classes receiving MMR instruction and those that did not, although the researchers noted that people of Latin descent, and females tended to use more representations in their answers, both before and after the intervention.

Pantaleo focused on the visual art and design used by Canadian students in their fourth-grade social studies projects [55]. Students’ background knowledge was established with lessons on deep thinking, analyzing visual elements of picture books, and reading a graphic novel from the Science Comics series. Next, students were to design a poster depicting how contact between Indigenous Peoples and European explorers led to change, and it was to include five required visual elements. Students explained their design choices in an audio recording and in writing. An analysis of students’ posters suggested that their designs integrated both visual symbols and their historical knowledge.

3.2.3. Exploring Issues and Abstract Concepts

Multimodal pedagogy allows students to engage in researching and reporting on critical social issues, making use of the affordances of the internet and digital tools. English teachers often follow the reading of classic novels with a written critique or response. However, in Howell’s study of two English classrooms, students created infographics about euthanasia after reading Tuesdays with Morrie and a social issue from To Kill a Mockingbird [32,67,68]. In addition, one class created websites based on social issues from Of Mice and Men; the other class created websites based on social issues of their choice [69]. These projects were designed to introduce students to argument writing. Students expressed that the multimodal projects helped them organize their arguments, but they were also motivated by exploring issues that were personally relevant. Lee et al. conducted a case study to describe the project development of one student, Quincy, in a seventh-grade social studies class [70]. Students were directed to select a problem in their community, research how another country addressed the problem, and create a task force that would employ research-based solutions. They created presentations on PowerPoint, using a digital tool they were learning about in a technology class. Using critical discourse analysis to analyze Quincy’s presentation on gun violence, the authors reported that the project motivated and engaged Quincy because it allowed him to see the relevance of his work for himself and his community. Pellegrino et al. created and studied a “slam poetry” multimodal project based on the question, “What does it mean to be a citizen?” [34]. The authors stated that poetry was commonplace in language arts classes but “perhaps underutilized in social studies contexts” [34] (p. 224). Definitions and examples of slam poetry were first shared with the students followed by pre-writing lessons and activities for generating vocabulary and ideas. Next, students wrote, edited, and revised their poems while also collecting images to include in their illustrated presentation. The final products provided insights into what the middle school students thought citizens say, do (or don’t do), and think, believe, and feel. The abstract concept of citizenship became concrete for these students through their own words and images. Dallacqua conducted a lesson on the structure, elements, and vocabulary of comics with seventh-grade social studies students prior to reading a comic on the Black Death [71]. Students read and discussed the text in small groups and concluded the short unit by writing about the comic or creating their own. Dallacqua noted that the teachers’ traditional teaching methods and classroom arrangements had been challenged from their perspective. Likewise, the students were challenged by reading an unfamiliar format and engaging in collaborative small groups. As a result, the author posited that the proper selection of texts was critical as well as providing meaningful ways for students to engage with multimodal texts such as comics.

Overall, research revealed that multimodal pedagogy can enhance content area instruction for students with diverse language and learning needs, connect course content with reading and writing/creating skills, and allow students the agency to examine social issues and abstract concepts. In addition, several studies noted the need to include instruction on reading graphic novels, understanding visual design, and using digital tools. However, this review of the literature indicated that there is a paucity of research that had been conducted on multimodal pedagogy in mathematics and for students with learning differences (e.g., learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder).

3.3. Multimodal Pedagogy for Expression and Identity Opportunities

Another impact that is indicated by increasing the use of multimodal resources is its effect on students’ self-expression and personal identity. Specifically, recent changes in the diversity of the student population have increased the importance of addressing the needs of individuals to express their ideas and identity related to culture and family and background knowledge in educational settings, in and out of schools. This is extremely important for young adolescents who are maturing in cognitive and social domains. Most educational institutions still prioritize the written word, necessitating the addition of multimodal pedagogy to support all middle-grade learners’ efforts to express their ideas. A research review demonstrates new studies with young adolescents that ground this theory.

3.3.1. Supporting Empowerment and Identity Development Using Multimodal Pedagogy

One impact of the use of multimodal approaches to instruction is that it heightens the development of young adolescents’ critical literacy and opens opportunities for them to explore their identity through creative expression. As an example, Price-Dennis opened the classroom focus to units on power, social justice, and civic engagement for fifth-grade Black girls [29]. The researcher offered these students opportunities for creation of authentic texts using a variety of reading/viewing materials and animation videos, blogs, and photographs. The projects allowed for students to use their daily life experiences to expand their expression and critical knowledge, which can be applied in the future. Schmier focused on eighth graders’ critical views as they used online social networking with popular culture to develop podcasts, anime music videos, and artifacts that enhanced their ability to express their understandings with different audiences and assert their identities as community activists [31].

It is especially beneficial and empowering to use multimodal pedagogy with young adolescents who may not be proficient in the English language and require the complement of several modes to express their ideas and highlight their identities. Pyo supported an eighth-grade Korean English language learner with the expression of ideas by introducing him to the mixed format of comics and graphic novels for reading [45]. Pyo suggested using multimodal formats to develop students’ research to enable them to express themselves. Kennedy, Oviatt, and DeCosta used a case study to investigate the use of poems and journals to express their cultural identity and to inquire about how the students use both languages in their projects to communicate their ideas [43]. Honeyford also used case study methodology to analyze the work of seventh- and eighth-grade students in an English as a New Language (ENL) class [72]. They created photo essays entitled “I am from aquí (which means ‘here’) and allá (which means ‘there’)” to explain what a “culture” meant to them, bringing out multiple insights into their diasporic identities. These research studies illustrate the benefits of multimodal pedagogy in mediating learning through the expression of ideas and the development of personal identity.

3.3.2. Expressing Personal Responses to Literature Using Multimodal Pedagogy

Another impact is that approaching literature comprehension activities using a multimodal approach affords young adolescents to move beyond the use of written responses [57]. In Chisholm and Whitemore’s research, 13- and 14-year-olds responded to a reading of The Diary of Anne Frank using photographs, videotapes, and artwork to expand their interpretations and depict an emotion [73]. Similarly, Chisholm et al. studied eighth graders as they responded to Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel with writing and images to illustrate their interpretations of the depression and anger of soldiers [39,64]. This study broadened the students’ perspectives and caring elements.

Literature response using multimodality focused on the use of translanguaging and codemeshing serve to support young adolescents’ own cultural funds and successfully support second language learners. For example, Pacheco and Smith studied eighth-grade students’ digital compositions with their own heritage language after reading The Warrior’s Heart [30,74]. They revealed how the students explored new perspectives and nuanced meanings as their work related to the students’ own cultural and social backgrounds through these multidimensional activities. The researchers concluded that instruction is most effective when it builds on students’ existing practices. Espinet and Chapman-Santiago also worked with eighth graders as they created a class graffiti using wall writing and images, and storyboards for video [38]. The researchers’ analysis of these artifacts led them to creatively document their thoughts and to consider others’ perspectives and stereotypes. They concluded that students need to use multilingual and multimodal communitive practices to build knowledge and design responses to literature.

4. Discussion

Review of themes: This integrative literature review synthesized information reported in 37 research articles published between 2013 and 2023 that investigated the use of a multimodal pedagogy with young adolescents [24,25]. The authors found that the literature represented a wide range of new, innovative educational applications for multimodal texts and digital tools. In language and literature instruction, multimodal pedagogy promoted language development, developed students’ abilities to read and view multimodal texts and extended their opportunities to write and design multimodal texts, both print and digital. For example, although PowerPoint slides were still used by some teachers, others were assigning projects using digital tools to produce websites, podcasts, and infographics. Another new application of multimodal pedagogy that we identified was that across content areas, multimodal pedagogy was used to make content accessible for diverse groups of students, connect language arts skills to the learning of course content, and assist students in their exploration of social issues and grasp of abstract concepts. In particular, graphic novels and comics were being integrated into social studies and science to provide information to students in addition to traditional texts. We identified that the use of multimodal pedagogy also allowed young adolescents to develop a sense of agency by supporting them in communicating about their cultures, languages, and identities and in expressing personal responses to literature. We noted that this aspect of multimodal pedagogy was especially important for English learners, immigrants, and other marginalized groups. Overall, the studies provided evidence that various forms of multimodal pedagogy are now being implemented and studied in classroom contexts.

Gaps in literature: Although these studies indicated that the affordances of multimodal pedagogy are being recognized by many educators, there are three gaps in the literature noted by the authors. First, no studies involving mathematics instruction were found in the search for articles. However, math is, by its very nature, a multimodal content area with words, graphs, diagrams, and equations. Second, no articles involving students with learning challenges were located. One study mentioned that students with IEPs were part of the participants, but it was not designed to examine the effects on that group of students specifically [59]. Third, few studies examined the impact of multimodal pedagogy on students’ reading or writing abilities. For example, Brugar et al. checked student knowledge of the American Revolution and vocabulary recognition before and after reading One Dead Spy [27,63]. Hitchcock et al. measured students’ writing using a standardized test before and after the intervention as well as curriculum-based measurements of written products during the intervention [59].

Critique: Most of the studies were qualitative in design, with few exceptions: Brugar et al. used both quantitative and qualitative methods in data analysis; Hitchcock et al., Pratt et al., and Townsend et al. used a mixed methods research design, Nixon, Wimmer, and Smith employed a quasi-experimental design and a counterbalanced research design was used by Jennings et al. [27,28,59,60,65,66]. Many studies were descriptive and illustrative of the in- or out-of-classroom activities involving reading, viewing, or designing multimodal texts. As stated by Miles, Huberman, and Saldana, “Qualitative analyses can be evocative, illuminating--and wrong” (p. 289), and they follow with the question, “How can we increase our--and our readers’—confidence in what we’ve found? [26] (p. 289). In qualitative studies, researchers establish trustworthiness by describing the steps that were taken to ensure readers’ confidence in their findings. All the studies selected for this review triangulated data sources as a method to establish trustworthiness, and several researchers included additional measures. Examples of these additional measures included: following interviews with member checks, using outside raters and establishing interrater reliability for scoring student projects, describing positionality as researchers and teachers in the study, clarifying data analysis with tables describing the data collection methods and the data coding with examples, and making multiple visits to the research site over an extended period of time [32,38,58,71,72]. In addition, few authors noted any limitations to their studies [27,54,59]. Researchers investigating aspects of multimodal pedagogy should include procedures that can validate their findings, thereby providing compelling evidence in support of this emerging pedagogy [26].

Implications: This review of the past 10 years reveals the increased use of multimodal pedagogy from several perspectives. The first perspective is framed by the changes in students’ work on content and identity development. Studies indicate that the promise of multiliteracies and multimodality is being realized in middle school classrooms through combinations of print and digital readings (i.e., multiliteracies) and personal responses using combinations of modes. Research articles have described studies of middle graders reading, responding, and designing representative projects combining modes. The expansion of communication is notable and serves as an important implication for development.

The second perspective is from educators’ (re)conceptualization of models for instructional strategies and literacy development. The positive benefits of extending learning applications beyond traditional print seem clear. Teachers’ use of unique and interesting combinations of arts, visuals, and audio have expanded strategies that can enhance students’ comprehension and communication of ideas.

A third perspective is a (re)consideration of experts’ theories related to necessary transitions to multimodality in education. The introduction of ideas for education using new literacies to become knowledgeable about reading text and graphic images in tandem and how to instruct students has found its footing in schools [1,2]. The initiatives to use multimodal pedagogy to make students into agents of their own learning and knowledge and to engage and motivate students are transforming, or transmediating new knowledge [3,16,18]. Researchers have developed new terms for specific combinations of language modes and new analytic approaches [7,12].

Still, there remains much for educators to investigate in this area. It is not widely known how frequently multimodal approaches are integrated into the curricular pedagogy for young adolescents, and we have not heard many of the voices of teachers as to its efficacy for specific topics and for specific student populations.

Future Directions: In response to this review of the literature, we recommend a research agenda guided by the following questions:

• What is the impact of multimodal pedagogy on content literacy and learning achievement for young adolescents?
• What is the impact of multimodal pedagogy on young adolescents’ motivation and interest in reading, writing, and developing content area knowledge?
• How can teachers develop the knowledge needed to instruct students in using and critiquing multimodal texts?
• What strategies can teachers use to prepare students to read/view and critique multimodal texts?
• How can multimodal pedagogy support the learning of students with diverse language and learning needs?
• What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of multimodal pedagogy?

From this review of the literature, we have documented the current trends in the field of multimodal pedagogy and identified the potential affordances for expanding classroom instruction.