Lexitoons: an educational innovation to enhance contextual legalese using comic strips

LLD20302 (English for Law) is a compulsory course for Diploma in Law students at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. It seeks to provide students with fundamental legal terminology and improve their capacity to comprehend and formulate legal documents in diverse legal settings. The course traditionally depends on reading materials, case studies, and group discussions. Nonetheless, these traditional methods have demonstrated restricted efficacy in aiding students to comprehend the contextual use of legal terminology, especially in ways that are visually and practically relevant. Based on the Multimodal Social Semiotics theory, this educational innovation has adopted the concept that learning happens through the interpretation and creation of meaning using multiple semiotic resources, not just linguistics, but also visual, spatial and interactive. LEXITOONS is an educational innovation that examines the utilisation of comic strips as an alternative pedagogical instrument to enhance students' comprehension and application of legal terminology. In total, 80 students enrolled in the Diploma in Law program participated in this study. Data were gathered via academic performance and a survey to investigate students’ attitudes towards utilising comics in legal education, followed by evaluations of academic achievement and semi-structured interviews to determine the efficacy of the method. Findings demonstrate that incorporating comics into legal English education improves student interest, understanding, and confidence in utilising legal terminology. The visual storytelling approach enables students to contextualise legal concepts more effectively, enhancing the accessibility and retention of learning. This research advances instructional innovation by advocating for a creative, student-centred methodology in legal education.