The effect of using educational comics in social sciences course on digital literacy levels of secondary school students

The rapid developments and transformations in technology make it necessary to raise individuals who can adapt to the digital age. In the Social Studies course, which aims to raise citizens compatible with the digital age by improving individuals' digital literacy skills, educational comics are used as functional materials in terms of concretizing abstract concepts and making the teaching-learning process effective and enjoyable. The aim of this research is to reveal the effect of using educational comics in the Social Studies course on middle school students' digital literacy levels. An explanatory sequential mixed method was adopted in the research. The participants of the study consisted of students studying in the 5/J and 5/G classes of a public middle school in the city center of Eskişehir in the 2023–2024 academic year. A quasi-experimental design was used in the quantitative dimension of the research, and the implementation was carried out over 12 weeks. Quantitative data of the research were collected using the Digital Literacy Scale, and qualitative data were collected through a semi-structured interview form. Quantitative data were analyzed using the SPSS 24.0 package program with 2X2 ANOVA and t-test. Qualitative data were analyzed using inductive analysis. As a result of the research, it was revealed that the use of educational comics in the Social Studies course created a statistically significant difference in the digital literacy levels of the students in the experimental group; increased students' interest in the course, and provided positive contributions to students in cognitive, affective, and social contexts. Based on the findings, recommendations were presented at the end of the study.