Abstract
Literature, instructional design and educational practice were integrated to create a relevant place-based educational resource engaging interdisciplinary approaches and perspectives. This study examines how an original graphic novel about a 19th century labor advocate was utilized to inform, give insight and promulgate heritage, culture, and resilience. Since the 18th century, workers from Asia and Europe were recruited for the numerous sugarcane plantations along the Hāmākua Coast of Hawai‘i island. However, the once thriving region has been affected by the demise of the sugar industry, highway infrastructure, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, the community practiced resiliency when it built a memorial in 1994 to honor the legacy of Katsu Goto as a labor champion, not a victim of racism and oppression when he was lynched in 1889 for his advocacy of plantation laborers. Using an online instructional resource created from the results of another study, a community of 40 educators utilized the graphic novel in their curriculum with copies provided by a grant. Motivational and instructional models served as frameworks to guide the study’s learning design process. The qualitative and quantitative findings, field notes and communication provided data triangulation. After analysis and interpretation were completed, the results significantly confirmed that the instructional resource and the community of educators had a positive, educational impact upon students. This study contributed to sustaining the heritage, culture and resilience of the region and beyond. It has significant potential to influence the broad possibilities of innovative, interdisciplinary forms of knowledge, research, and collaboration in humanities education.
Presenters
Patsy IwasakiAssistant Professor, English, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaii, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Literary Landscapes: Forms of Knowledge in the Humanities
KEYWORDS
Graphic Novel, Instructional Design, Community of Practice, Sustaining Culture, Place-Based
