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Language can alter our mental conceptions of space, time, and categories. While there is compelling evidence that thought can be shaped by syntactic, morphological, and lexical features of a language, less is known about the impact of phonology on thought. This dissertation uses novel objects (alien cartoon figures) and pseudoword names in three experiments to investigate whether phonological similarity in newly acquired object labels influences perceived semantic associations of objects. Experiment 1 provides preliminary support for the influence of phonology on meaning in monolinguals. The experiment was designed so that phonological similarity in the pseudoword names highlighted either color or shape commonalities between alien figures. Results showed that when same-shape aliens had names that overlapped at word onset (e.g., Bonmet, Boncas, and Bondil), participants gave higher visual similarity ratings to them after name learning compared to before. Similarly, same-color aliens were rated as more visually similar after participants learned color-biased names. These findings demonstrate that phonological similarity in linguistic labels could strengthen semantic associations by raising the salience of existing perceptual commonalities between alien figures. However, the lack of a phonological effect in the friendship likelihood rating task and group sorting task suggests that when more salient perceptual features are in place, effects of linguistic features may be harder to observe. Experiment 2 examined how bilingual language experience influences the degree to which semantic processing is affected by phonology. Spanish-English bilinguals were tested on the same tasks as Experiment 1, and their performance was compared to that of monolinguals. The results from Experiment 2 revealed that bilinguals may be more resistant than monolinguals to both phonological and perceptual biases when making semantic association judgements about newly encountered objects. Bilinguals did not show increases in visual similarity ratings for same-shape [-color] aliens after learning shape- [color-] biased names as monolinguals. Instead, they demonstrated a greater tendency to overcome initial visual biases on semantic association judgements after word learning. It is possible that bilinguals' heightened awareness of symbolic arbitrariness and increased inhibitory control have made them more resistant to lower-level influences on semantic associations. To test the hypothesis that shared phonological features can strengthen conceptual links even between objects that share no visual features, Experiment 3 eliminated shape and color as reliable cues of category membership and explored the role of phonology in the construction of meaning. The effect of phonology was observed in the friendship likelihood rating task and the group sorting task, where phonologically similar aliens were rated as more likely to be friends and more often sorted together into groups (no effect of phonology was observed in the visual similarity rating task, likely because aliens' perceived friendliness was a more salient perceptual bias than phonology). These findings extend existing theories on the interaction between phonological, lexical, and semantic processing, and indicate that common visual features may not be necessary for linguistic features to influence the associations between semantic representations. Taken together, the results from this dissertation shed light on the linguistic relativity hypothesis and inform our understanding of general mechanisms of monolingual and bilingual language processing. Conclusions may be drawn that how we conceptualize the world is influenced by the speech sounds we use to denote objects and ideas. Unbeknownst to us, phonological similarity between object labels may lead us to develop closer semantic associations between otherwise unrelated concepts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Recreational reading is in a decline for upper elementary aged readers, and along with this decline comes consequent declines in students' ability to make meaning from what they read and their acquisition of different language forms, including the acquisition of new vocabulary words. However, one reading format is increasing in popularity: graphic novels. As graphic novels, along with other texts with both textual and visual elements, become an increasingly prevalent way of reading in the 21st century, it is important to look at the possibilities multimodal texts have for foundational literacy skills, such as vocabulary acquisition. To date, however, the fields of graphic novels and vocabulary acquisition have yet to intersect. To understand the benefits that graphic novels can potentially offer for incidental vocabulary acquisition, we must better understand the words within the graphic novels. This multimodal content analysis explored how challenging words that are likely unknown to readers in third through sixth grade are represented within specific graphic novels. Through the theoretical frameworks of the Lexical Quality Hypothesis, Dual Coding Theory, and Multimodality, this dissertation aimed to inform our understanding of the challenging words' characteristics, textual and visual elements present with the challenging words, and the supports these elements offered. I analyzed how these textual and visual elements worked independently or in combination with other elements to identify how words are being represented and supported in the graphic novels. The findings highlight the types of challenging words readers encounter in graphic novels and the kinds of textual, visual, and multimodal supports that readers will have for acquiring those words. By analyzing the challenging words, their textual and visual elements, and the level of support provided by each, I hope to provide insight into the possibilities that graphic novels can offer for vocabulary acquisition. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This three-article dissertation examines the role of comics as a medium for developing anti-oppressive pedagogies with teacher educators and teacher candidates in English language Arts (ELA) and literacy education. Using methods of critical content analysis (Johnson et al, 2016), descriptive qualitative research (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016), and (post)qualitative analysis (Jackson & Mazzei, 2012), I conducted three studies to consider the following broad research question: "In what ways can comics support teacher candidates in pursuit of anti-oppressive ELA curriculum and pedagogy?" Drawing on Kumashiro's (2000; 2001; 2002; 2009) framework for anti-oppressive education, theories of multimodality (New London Group, 1996; Kress & van Leeuwen, 1996; Sousanis, 2015), and sociocultural theories of reader response (Smagorinsky, 2001; Lewis et al, 2007; Park, 2012; Enciso, 2021), my analysis illuminates how one teacher educator and a group of teacher candidates at a Midwestern university pursued and developed anti-oppressive stances while reading and responding to young adult literature (YAL). For the first article, I conducted a content analysis of texts marketed to youth to explore how representations of fatphobia within comics differed from representations of fatphobia in prose. For the second and third articles, I conducted descriptive qualitative research of teacher candidates in the context of a monthly book club. For the second article, I analyzed teacher candidates' responses to YAL and comics about fatphobia. For the third article, I analyzed teacher candidates' response to comics marketed to queer youth of Color. I took an ethnographic approach to data collection; and I used qualitative analytic methods to analyze within and across multiple data sources, including audio- and video- recordings, transcription, impromptu interviews, artifacts, memos, and field notes. Analysis from this dissertation builds on existing empirical research that examines how teacher educators use YAL and comics as a necessary medium for teacher educators and teacher candidates in pursuit of anti-oppressive pedagogies. In response to my research question, I report that the medium of comics, when read and discussed collaboratively, are uniquely able to disrupt dominant narratives, reposition privileged readers as critical outsiders, and encourage self-reflexive talk and thinking. Findings from this study demonstrate how teacher educators and teacher candidates within ELA and Literacy Education might use comics to curate texts for curriculum and develop discussion-based classrooms rooted in anti-oppressive pedagogies. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Motivation and engagement are often barriers to literacy for adolescent readers. Traditionally, the graphic novel has been seen as easy to read and a resource that only has value for students with language difficulties or learning challenges. This qualitative case study investigated how middle school readers' ability to make meaning contributed to their reading motivation and engagement. Additionally, this study explored the semiotic resources or modes that assist readers in meaning making of graphic novels. Data collection tools included surveys, interviews, and graphic narratives. The results from this study indicated that the graphic novel has the potential to motivate and engage middle school readers when combined with visual literacy instruction. Direct instruction of semiotic resources or modes, such as graphic novel conventions and visual elements, positively contributes to adolescents' motivation and engagement. This study finds that after a week of visual literacy instruction, the reading motivation of one class of seventh-grade readers increased as the students learned to see images and make meaning from images. Furthermore, these readers found that meaning making impacted their reading comprehension, increased their self-efficacy as readers, and was enjoyable. In addition, after visual literacy instruction, these middle school students made meaning from modes from each category concurrently--visual elements, narrative structures, and design features. Likewise, these readers used images in addition to various visual elements, narrative structures, and design elements during the meaning making process. Consequently, the findings from this study suggest that middle school students may benefit when both parents and teachers view the graphic novel as a legitimate literary format beneficial for academic purposes and choice reading material. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Growing up in the digital era, young children are exposed to numerous educational applications and programs, some with well-designed curricula and others focused more on entertainment or game-like qualities. With the increasing popularity of mobile language-learning applications among young children, this dissertation raises a crucial question: do these learning materials actually enhance children's acquisition of language? A total of 71 preschool-aged Mandarin-speaking children (M[subscript age] = 5.76, SD[subscript age] = 0.59) participated in a one-week-long intervention study in Nanjing, China. Across a total of two visits, we assigned children to two experimental conditions to watch targeted English-learning animations focusing first on verbs, in one condition, and on possessives in the other. Children from each condition were encouraged to watch their condition-related animations as many times as they wanted between visits, along with a new take-home animation that was neither verb- nor possessive-focused. Children's performance on target verb and possessive items (vocabulary and grammar) for both comprehension and production was measured after each animation viewing session, in addition to assessing general English verb tense and possessive marking. Overall, our results suggest that preschool-aged Mandarin-speaking L2 learners can benefit from targeted English-learning animations. Moreover, consistent with first language acquisition results in both English and Chinese, some target language categories appear to be easier to acquire than others (e.g., possessive grammar -'s > verb past tense grammar). In addition, comprehension measures for both vocabulary and grammar appear to be easier than production measures. Finally, our results demonstrate that standardized English tests that reflect children's general language knowledge might not be sensitive enough to capture children's limited exposure to targeted language-learning materials. Moreover, different amounts of exposure might be acquired for successful learning of different target language categories in L2 depending on their difficulty (e.g., easy L1 to L2 transfer facilitated learning of possessive -'s marking among Mandarin-speaking children). These findings not only demonstrate the potential for well-designed language-learning applications, and they also speak to a number of limitations, challenges, and future directions in how we might examine the efficacy of language-learning media. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Asynchronous multimedia learning is a common form of delivering training in the workforce industry, and organizations rely on a completion status to measure that training. However, measuring retention and knowledge transfer of new material rarely occurs during asynchronous learning. Grounded in the Visual Language Theory (VLT) and a delivery modality of digital storytelling (DST) suggest that sequential images presented as a visual narrative have higher degrees of retention. Thus, knowledge transfer occurs when learners relate to the narrative and visual applications when engaging with a comics approach to learning. From 2019-2022 a story emerged to design and develop an asynchronous digital storytelling comic narrative about simulation obstetrics training for distribution to 700 nurses in Bihar, India. Chapter 1 introduces digital storytelling and the use of comics in medical education. Chapter 2 explores the literature around visual language theory, digital storytelling, and andragogy in comics. Chapter 3 investigates the initial design beginning in 2018 with the implementation study, to the Simulation Educator Training redesign in 2019. A thorough needs assessment introduces Chapter 4 with learner and context analysis, exposing communication barriers, culture representation, character development, and technology challenges. The initial deployment and subsequent feedback survey in late 2019 resulted in a major redesign beginning in 2020. The following two years resulted in ten comic episodes with shorter seat time, more in-depth explanations of abstract concepts, and interactive scenarios to practice real-world situations. Chapter 5 concludes with lessons learned, opportunities, and closing with the results of a final study conducted in late 2021 and published in February 2022 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, resulting in an 86% increase in retention. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Underdeveloped reading skills can have major implications in students' adult lives, and virtual students' reading comprehension has been steadily declining. This qualitative study explored virtual high school English teachers' perceptions of graphic novels as supplemental tools for improving students' reading comprehension. Through a multiple case study design, three teachers employed in a virtual academy located in a suburban school district in north Georgia shared their experiences using graphic novels to support students' online reading proficiency, their perceptions of the multimodal genre, and any identifiable barriers in implementing the image-based texts into their online curriculum. Data collected and analyzed through an interpretivist lens during three in-depth semi-structured interviews and two subsequent focus groups identified four main findings: (1) Visuals aid in elevating students' reading comprehension online, (2) graphic novels elongate student reading engagement online, (3) graphic novels increase students' confidence with reading online, and (4) a need for more graphic novel resources from the participants' school district. The culmination of data during two focus groups helped to generate a resource document for their school district on how the genre can be useful in supplementing online readers' comprehension of digital literature. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This teacher-as-researcher case study explores pre-service and novice teachers' experiences with graphic novels and has them consider how these can be used for literacy skill improvement and develop content knowledge. The foundation for this study is rooted in research on teacher preparation while addressing academic literacy standards in secondary classrooms. Through a unit of study in a graduate level education course study participants, all preservice or novice teachers, consider their own experiences with graphic novels, examine theory and pedagogy on the benefits of graphic novels in adolescent classrooms, and read two graphic novels. Participants then synthesize these experiences to determine the assessment potential with the use of graphic novels as a modality to develop literacy skills and content understanding. Participants end the study by reflecting on their initial perceptions versus post-unit perceptions. They discuss their experiences throughout the unit of study, and consider the potential for adolescent learning in their future or current classrooms; specifically literacy skills and enhancing content knowledge. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this study was to find a way to increase low literacy skills for 5th- grade students in a charter school. The research explored the relationship between the attitudes, behaviors, standardized test scores, and perceptions related to student reading; parents' attitudes and perceptions related to their student's reading; and teachers' experiences and perceptions related to their students' reading. The study addressed the following research questions: What are Midwest Charter 5th graders' attitudes, behaviors, standardized test scores, and perceptions related to reading? What are Midwest Charter parents' attitudes and perceptions about their student's reading? What are Midwest Charter 5th grader teachers' experiences and perceptions of their students' reading? The study's research design was a mixed method, consisting of quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate how to increase student literacy rates. For the quantitative portion, surveys were given to one hundred and fifty-one students and parent participants to analyze the attitudes, behaviors, and behaviors regarding literacy. The qualitative research method focused on individual teacher interviews and student focus groups to determine commonalities. The most important conclusion drawn from the study is a connection between student perceptions and literacy rates. The research identified a relationship between a visual text and increasing literacy rates for students and providing training for teachers to increase their knowledge to promote differentiating the type of reading structures and genres in any classroom setting. In conclusion, implementing graphic novels may increase student perceptions of reading and literacy rates. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The primary purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine educators' perceptions of how comic books and graphic novels can promote literacy skills and motivation in readers. The problem was that teachers were concerned about students' lack of ability to focus on traditional novels and lack of interest in classroom reading material. Although using comic books and graphic novels in the classroom has become commonplace, educators have continued to view them as new tools. This qualitative study was designed to determine how comic books and graphic novels can help motivate and benefit struggling students in the classroom. Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences served as the theoretical framework for this study. This study was based on data collected from interviews from 10 teachers who answered open-ended questions via email. The themes that emerged from the interviews included Using Comic Books to Read, Teach, Educate, Engage, Interest, Supplement and Motivate. Not surprisingly, it was revealed that these teachers would choose to use comic books and graphic novels in their classrooms and considered them to be of literary value. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) continue to struggle with community engagement despite decades of research and policy initiatives addressing postsecondary transition. Evidence shows that persons with IDD are engaging in employment, postsecondary education, independent living, socialization, and other roles at significantly diminished rates, yet little data exists describing this participation in the voices of those affected. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to describe community integration of persons with IDD in the decade following postsecondary transition in their own words. Critical disability theory was used as a lens to explore the successes and failures of public policy guiding this process. Research questions focused on types and frequency of community participation, personal perceptions of the transition journey, and how public policy supported or inhibited successful transition. Seven collaborators shared their transition narratives by creating comic books which revealed that: (a) transition began much earlier than addressed by policy, (b) bullying and paternalism were major obstacles that were insufficiently addressed, (c) sexuality was often ignored as an adult role, and (d) continued siloed service delivery led to fractured visions of adult roles and goals. Future research should explore benefits of updating public policy to address the transition beginning in early adolescence, prevalence of bullying for students with IDD, impact of siblings on social skills development, and if role participation should be emphasized over community integration to respect self-determination. Findings attest to the complexity and abilities of collaborators to enable positive social change by empowering overlooked voices to participate in the conversations guiding their futures. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This classroom-based qualitative study examines a multiliteracies approach to teaching Young Adult Literature graphic novels and memoirs within a five-week book club study unit that took place within a twelfth-grade secondary English language arts classroom in an urban school in the Southwest. It explores the teaching and take up of several multiliteracies approaches including written language, oral language, visual representation, audio representation and spatial representation to support adolescents in reading and responding to this unfamiliar genre of Young Adult Literature. Data collection included a demographic survey, pre and post reading habits surveys, student interviews, student drawing and writing in response to texts, visual analysis, and digital graphic narratives. Findings from this study reveal how a multiliteracies approach to teaching Young Adult Literature graphic novels/memoirs supports student reading by allowing for personal and real-world connections to text. It also showed that summarized visual responses to texts in the form of doodling allowed students to come to a deeper understanding of visual literacy through the words and images of the Young Adult Literature graphic novel/memoir. Other findings showed that through the creation of graphic narratives, students grew to appreciate and understand the complexity of Young Adult Literature graphic novels/memoirs as well as discover a newfound appreciation for the genre. Lastly, through participating in literature circle discussions, students gained new insight and perspective from talking in groups on the interpretation of the words and images from their books. In addition, they were able to clarify confusions, work through problems and advance their understanding of their Young Adult Literature graphic novel/memoirs. These findings support the use of a multiliteracies approach to teaching Young Adult Literature graphic novels within the secondary English language arts classroom and point to the value of expanding access to this genre within the formal English language arts curriculum. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

How do art educators find out if the art lesson they just taught made sense to every student in their classroom? Due to the increasing prevalence of inclusion and need for accountability in schools, art teachers need information about how students with special needs interact with assessments. However, the literature that highlights the debate over the need for and merit of art assessment does not include a single study that looks specifically at students with special needs. This action-based research study shines a light on this issue by combining research from the fields of art education and special needs to discover the impacts that formative process-oriented art assessment has on students with special needs in an inclusive classroom. This comparative case study illustrates how three students, one who has Autism Spectrum Disorder and two neurotypical students, responded to a variety of process-oriented pre-assessments, continuous assessments, and post-assessments and how their teacher used this framework to reflect on her teaching instruction and implement accommodations and modifications more effectively. This assessment framework offered multiple opportunities for the students to reflect on their artmaking throughout an art unit and allowed the teacher to revise material as each lesson progressed in order to account for students' unique learning needs, which ultimately made the lesson material more accessible for all students.

This study explored how using graphic novel features in the writing process influenced the motivation and engagement of fifth grade boys to write. Participants used graphica features to visually draft their narrative essays before crafting their final writing piece. During the drafting process, students were encouraged to engage in the revision process as their story ideas evolved through their drawings. The theoretical framework supporting this research was cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), developed by Vygotsky (1978). In addition to CHAT, the researcher used the underpinnings of Rosenblatt's (1988) transactional theory as writers interacted with their written text. The study was designed as a focused ethnography relying on qualitative data and supported by data that sought to quantify participant writer's self-perception along with motivation to write. Three questions guided this study: 1. How did drafting a story, using graphic novel features as a tool, affect the writer self- perception of fifth grade boys participating in an afterschool writing program? 2. How did drafting a story, using graphic novel features as a tool, affect the motivation to write of fifth grade boys participating in an afterschool writing program? 3. How did drafting a story, using graphic novel features as a tool, influence the use of descriptive vocabulary in the narrative writing of fifth grade boys? Data were collected through observations, interviews, personal narratives, and the WSPS and MRP-R instruments developed to quantify motivation and self-perception about writing. Overall, students demonstrated more engagement with, and a stronger commitment to, their writing. Participants became so motivated to write, they created a writing club (The Writers' Club) and continued to meet after completion of the study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitive and multimodal strategies used by adolescent students as they read comic texts and traditional prose texts. This study looked at the strategies employed by adolescents in an eighth-grade English class. The cognitive and multimodal strategies that the participants used while reading were divided into subcategories for both cognitive and multimodal strategies. The corpus of data was collected through four primary methods. Videotaped classroom interactions, worksheets completed by the participants, audio-recorded one-on-one interviews, and personal audio-recorded field notes were the four sources of data collection. The goal in analyzing these sources of data was to see how the participants used cognitive and multimodal strategies to make sense of the texts that they were reading. Data was collected over a three-month period. Six participants agreed to participate for this study. The videotaped classroom interactions were taken at the same time the participants were given worksheets to complete. Data analysis included transcribing the videotaped classroom interactions, transcribing the one-on-one interviews, and scanning the written documents so that these sources of data could be analyzed. Instances of participants applying a cognitive or multimodal strategy were identified and coded. Cognitive and multimodal strategies each were broken down into three sub-categories. The sub-categories for cognitive strategies were summarizing, inferring, and visualizing; the sub-categories for multimodal strategies were visual, spatial, and semiotic. Each of these sub-categories was broken down further so that a specific strategy employed by the participants could be identified. The findings of this study indicate that in all cognitive and multimodal strategies, the participants used these strategies more for comics than they did for traditional prose. This study also highlights the need for expanded understandings of literacy and what it means to be literate in the 21st century. Students can incorporate a variety of strategies to engage with a text regardless of the text they are reading. These findings indicate that teachers, policymakers, and researchers can benefit from including more multimodal texts into educational settings and research. Findings indicate that significant strategies used in both prose and comics were that identifying key information, reading between the lines, and making a coherent visuospatial map of what was happening in the text were the most dominant cognitive strategies that were used for traditional prose and for comics. Findings also indicate that image inferring, effective communication of ideas, and using the linguistic-gestural form of communication as the dominant semiotic strategies. Broadly speaking, these strategies were used consistently across the mediums of comics and traditional prose. The most frequently used strategy across both mediums was a cognitive strategy; the inferential strategy of reading between the lines was used more often than any other strategy. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This study focused on the lived realities of two undocumented students where they comment on political cartoons that provide viewpoints on immigrants and topics of immigration. Immigration topics and immigrants have historically, and contemporaneously, been featured frequently in political cartoons, and the messaging of political cartoons possesses a unique ability to shape political and social discourse. This qualitative narrative inquiry study brings undocumented students into the conversation framed by political cartoons, and reveals experiences and reactions that offer insight for educational leaders and policymakers to consider when attempting to produce supportive learning environments for undocumented students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]