DESIGNING AND EXPLOITING COMICS FOR VOCABULARY TEACHING IN FRENCH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: A PEDAGOGICAL CASE STUDY[1]
Ioana-Alexandra Avasiloaei[2]
1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania
Abstract
This article presents a theory-informed pedagogical case study documenting the design and classroom exploitation of comics for vocabulary teaching in French as a foreign language (FLE). Drawing on research in communicative language teaching, visual semiotics, and vocabulary pedagogy, the study focuses on how comic-based visual materials can be integrated into vocabulary-focused classroom activities. Rather than aiming to measure learning outcomes, the article adopts a reflective classroom inquiry approach, analysing pedagogical design choices, modes of classroom exploitation, and learner engagement as observed in instructional practice. Two classroom examples are examined to illustrate how comics function as mediating resources for lexical inference, contextualisation, and oral interaction. The paper concludes by discussing pedagogical affordances, limitations, and implications for reflective teaching practice and future classroom-based research in language education.
Keywords: French as a foreign language; Vocabulary teaching; Visual materials; Comics; Classroom-based research.
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Copyright notice:
Cartoon images included in this material are copyrighted works used for teaching, scholarship, and educational purposes under fair use. All rights remain with the original copyright holders.
How to cite this article: Avasiloaei, I.-A. (2025). Designing and exploiting comics for vocabulary teaching in French as a foreign language: A pedagogical case study. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 18(1), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2025.18.1.2
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[1] The current paper was elaborated as part of the MA course in Research Methodology in Language Education, led by Professor Teodora Popescu, academic year 2023-2024, 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania.
[2] Author’s note. The pedagogical framework informing this article was developed in a broader form in Enseigner le français à travers l’image (Avasiloaei, 2024). The present article offers a focused classroom-based case study and does not reproduce the analyses presented in the book.