This study aimed to investigate the effect of storytelling-based narrative writing instruction on elementary students’ literacy performance and character development. Employing a quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest control groups, the research involved 60 fifth-grade students from Central Java, Indonesia, who were divided equally into experimental and control groups. Data were collected using a narrative writing test and a character development questionnaire covering responsibility, honesty, cooperation, and cultural appreciation. Statistical analysis using independent-samples t-tests revealed that students in the storytelling group significantly outperformed their peers in the control group, with large gains in narrative writing scores (t(58) = 7.38, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.90). Moreover, storytelling enhanced students’ character development, shifting their ratings from “fair” to “good” across all measured dimensions, with the strongest improvement in cultural appreciation. The findings conclude that storytelling is an effective pedagogical strategy to simultaneously improve narrative writing skills and foster positive character values in elementary education. The implications suggest that teachers should integrate storytelling, particularly with culturally relevant folktales, to achieve dual objectives of literacy and character formation. Policymakers and curriculum developers are encouraged to adopt storytelling as a contextually grounded approach to holistic education The novelty of this study lies in its integrated examination of storytelling-based narrative writing as a dual pedagogical approach that simultaneously promotes writing proficiency and character development within a culturally grounded elementary education context.
This research aims to analyze the contexts and the meaning of forms of self-destruction as a representation This research is a social constructivist study of literature to explore the correlation between the context and meaning of actions against female stereotypes. This research focuses on the context of resistance to stereotypes of women by society, especially related to women’s bodies, such as: women’s body ownership is belongs to their husbands or lovers. These are manifested in acts of self-destruction related to women's bodies. In more detail, this research analyzes forms of self-destruction through text and text’s descriptions. The approach in this research is a qualitative research with literary analysis. The library and deep reading method, utilizing note-taking techniques, was employed to identify correlations between the contexts and the meaning of self-destruction as a manifestation of resistance to stereotypes. The problem is analyzed based on Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism theory, supported by Kenney’s theory of conflict and Thomas and Killman’s Conflict Management strategy theory. The research result shows that self-destruction conducted by female characters is not an act of giving up or desperation toward oppression, but instead a coping mechanism to manifest their body ownership. This form of self-destruction is contextually addressed through both actual meaning and metaphor, particularly in relation to self-actualization. It is somehow achieved since these women characters have no power to openly resist the patriarchal oppression related to their body ownership.
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the last five years has significantly changed the landscape of foreign language learning. This study aims to explore the shift in code-switching practices towards translanguaging in the context of AI-assisted English learning among English Education students at the University of Muhammadiyah Parepare. Using a qualitative case-study approach, data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and observations of 12 students from various semesters. Data analysis was conducted using open, axial, and selective coding to identify key themes related to students' experiences, perceptions, and adaptive strategies in using AI. The results of the study show that students no longer use two languages separately but dynamically integrate Indonesian and English to build understanding, expand vocabulary, and improve academic writing skills. Applications such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, Google Translate, and Duolingo act as digital translanguaging spaces that allow students to interact across languages flexibly and personally. Nevertheless, students still consider that AI cannot replace the role of lecturers in affective aspects and social interaction. This study confirms that AI functions not only as a technological aid but also as a linguistic mediator, shaping the way of thinking and language of the digital generation. The implications of this study highlight the importance of educators' roles in guiding the critical and reflective use of AI, as well as the need for a pedagogical approach that integrates translanguaging with technology-based learning.
Speaking remains one of the most challenging skills in heterogeneous EFL classrooms, where students differ in readiness, confidence, and opportunities to participate. Addressing this issue, the present study investigates how differentiated learning is implemented in EFL speaking instruction and what challenges teachers encounter in its classroom enactment, with a particular focus on lived instructional practice rather than learning outcomes alone. This study employed a qualitative case study in a public senior high school in Makassar, Indonesia, involving two English teachers as participants. Data were collected through 16 classroom observations and in-depth semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive qualitative data analysis model. The findings show that differentiated learning was enacted most visibly through process differentiation and psychologically supportive learning environments, while content differentiation was mainly realized through simplification and scaffolding, and product differentiation remained limited and occasional. The study also found that teachers faced persistent challenges related to students’ perceptions of fairness, time fragmentation, workload, and technical or resource constraints. These findings suggest that differentiated learning for EFL speaking is pedagogically promising, but its sustainable implementation requires teacher readiness, institutional support, and school-level conditions that enable flexible and equitable instruction.
This study was based on the fact that understanding phrase structure is fundamental to developing syntactic competence in EFL learners. It aims to evaluate the psychometric quality of a lecturer-based phrase structure test using Classical Test Theory (CTT). The test consisted of 20 multiple-choice items covering eight aspects of phrase structure and was administered to 25 students enrolled in a phrase structure course selected through cluster-purposive sampling. The analysis focused on item difficulty, discrimination index, validity, and reliability. The findings indicate that 60% of the items were straightforward (p ≥ 0.70), while 40% exhibited low discrimination indices (d < 0.20), thereby compromising their ability to distinguish between high- and low-performing students. Moreover, the test's reliability score is generally acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.79). These results suggest that although the test demonstrates internal consistency, several items require revision to improve their validity and diagnostic power. The findings imply that classroom-based syntax assessments must be systematically evaluated to ensure that the test items effectively differentiate students’ levels of understanding and accurately measure syntactic competence. While the results also suggest that deductive instruction on phrase structure supports student learning, the effectiveness of such instruction should be interpreted cautiously in light of the quality of the assessment instrument.
