Bringing the Past to Life: Teaching English Grammar Through Folklore and Visual Storytelling in Indonesian Classrooms

Authors

  • Idris Sadri Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, Indonesia
  • Alvindi Alvindi Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46918/seltics.v8i1.2552

Keywords:

English Grammar, Visual Aid, Grammar Acquisition, Communicative Langugae Teaching

Abstract

Teaching English grammar, particularly tenses, presents a significant challenge in the Indonesian context, where traditional methods often fail to engage students effectively. This study investigates the use of Indonesian folklore combined with visual aids as a strategy for teaching the English simple past tense. The research explores the potential of integrating culturally relevant content with pictures to enhance grammar acquisition and student engagement. A mixed-methods approach was employed, consisting of pre- and post-tests, classroom observations, and student surveys. The findings reveal that students exposed to folklore and picture-based instruction showed a 24% improvement in grammar comprehension, significantly outperforming their peers in the control group, who received traditional grammar instruction. The experimental group also exhibited higher levels of engagement, with students demonstrating greater enthusiasm and active participation in learning activities. These results suggest that culturally contextualized materials, coupled with visual aids, foster a more interactive and enjoyable learning environment, ultimately improving students' ability to apply grammatical structures in real communication. This study highlights the potential of folklore as a pedagogical tool, offering valuable insights for enhancing grammar instruction and motivating learners in the Indonesian educational context.

References

Abdushukurova, U. (2024). The grammar of fluency: bridging traditional grammar teaching with communicative language practice. Interdicipline Innovation and Scientific Research Conference. 2(20), 436–443.

Al-Mekhlafi, A., & Nagaratnam, R. P. (2011). Difficulties in teaching and learning grammar in an EFL context. International Journal of Instruction, 4(2).

Alnoori, B. S. M. (2023). The Role of Visuals in Promoting Self-Learning of Grammatical Concepts. Conference Proceedings. Innovation in Language Learning 2023.

Aman, N. (2020). Teaching grammar: issues and challenges. Journal of English Language Teaching Innovations and Materials (JELTIM), 2(1), 1–13.

Andrian, D. (2023). Grammar Instruction in Communicative Language Teaching Classrooms: Students Teachers’ Perceptions. Theme: Future Trends of Science and Education: The Use of Artificial Intelligence in the New World, 2962, 78.

Andriani, A., Yuniar, V. D., & Abdullah, F. (2021). Teaching English grammar in an Indonesian junior high school. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 13(2), 1046–1056.

Bateman, J. A., & Wildfeuer, J. (2014). A multimodal discourse theory of visual narrative. Journal of Pragmatics, 74, 180–208.

Bateman, J. A., & Wildfeuer, J. (2014). Defining units of analysis for the systematic analysis of comics: A discourse-based approach. Studies in Comics, 5(2), 373–403. https://doi.org/10.1386/STIC.5.2.373_1

Bruijn, A. (2019). From Representation to Participation: Rethinking the Intercultural Educational Approach to Folktales. Children’s Literature in Education, 50, 315–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10583-017-9330-X

Burns, A., MacDonald, L., Daugherty, D. M., Stroupe, R., Maley, A., Ly, S., Chea, T., Sou, V., Ishikawa, Y., & Sasaki, D. (2011). Grammar and communicative language teaching: why, when, and how to teach it. English Language Teaching Practice in Asia, Phnom Penh: IDP Education, 75–85.

Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of com-municative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1–47.

Celce-Murcia, M., Larsen-Freeman, D., & Williams, H. A. (2015). The grammar book: An ESL/EFL teacher’s course. Newbury House Rowley, MA.

Damis, W. H., Jabu, B., & Salija, K. (2024). Difficulties in Learning English Tenses Encountered by Senior High School Students. Pinisi Journal of Art, Humanity, and Social Studies, 4(2), 452–462.

Darmayenti, D., Besral, B., & Yustina, L. S. (2021). Developing efl religious characters and local wisdom based efl textbook for islamic higher education. Studies in English Language and Education, 8(1), 157–180.

DeKeyser, R. M. (2005). What makes learning second-language grammar difficult? A review of issues. Language Learning, 55.

Ellis, R. (1994). Comments on Rod Ellis’s" The Structural Syllabus and Second Language Acquisition". Implicit/Explicit Knowledge and Language Pedagogy. Tesol Quarterly, 28(1), 166–172.

Ellis, R. (2006). Current issues in the teaching of grammar: An SLA perspective. TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), 83–107.

Ellisafny, C. A. P. (2019). Learning folklore using english language teaching (ELT) materials for students. Culturalistics: Journal of Cultural, Literary, and Linguistic Studies, 3(2), 13–17.

Fu, J., Yang, S.-H., & Yeh, H.-C. (2021). Exploring the impacts of digital storytelling on English as a foreign language learners’ speaking competence. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 54, 679–694. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.1911008

Hawanti, S. (2014). Implementing Indonesia’s English language teaching policy in primary schools: The role of teachers’ knowledge and beliefs. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 9(2), 162–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/18334105.2014.11082029

Hidayat, D. N., Fitriyani, N., Alek, A., Septiawan, Y., & Eviyuliawati, I. (2020). An Investigation into The Grammatical Errors of Students’ Writing. Eduvelop: Journal of English Education and Development, 4(1), 9–16.

Ilmi, M., Drajati, N. A., & Putra, K. A. (2023). Linking the theory and practice: self-reflections on technology-integrated English grammar teaching. Reflective Practice, 24(2), 125–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2022.2146080

Jon, R. B., Embong, R., Purnama, B., & Wadi, A. S. (2021). The challenges of English language teaching in Indonesia. International Journal of English and Applied Linguistics (IJEAL), 1(3), 158–168.

Khoshsima, H., & Izadi, M. (2014). Dynamic vs. standard assessment to evaluate EFL learners’ listening comprehension. Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies, 6(2), 1–26.

Kim, D., & Li, M. (2021). Digital storytelling: facilitating learning and identity development. Journal of Computers in Education, 8(1), 33–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40692-020-00170-9

Kumayas, T., & Lengkoan, F. (2023). The challenges of teaching grammar at the university level: Learning from the experience of English lecturer. Journal of English Culture, Language, Literature and Education, 11(1), 98–105.

Lomi, A. N. K., Aleksius, M., & Sahan, M. Y. (2024). Folklore Storytelling: A Study into the Effectiveness of Traditional Short Story for Enhancing Vocabulary Development in EFL Learners. Register Journal, 17(2), 279–300.

Macalister, J., & Nation, I. S. P. (2019). No Title. Language Curriculum Design. Routledge.

Macalister, J., & Nation, I. S. P. (2019). Language curriculum design. Routledge.

Mansourzadeh, N. (2014). A comparative study of teaching vocabulary through pictures and audio-visual aids to young Iranian EFL learners. Journal of Elementary Education, 24(1), 47–59.

Mayer, R. E. (2014). Incorporating motivation into multimedia learning. Learning and Instruction, 29, 171–173.

Mayer, R. E. (2024). Increasing the effectiveness of digital learning. Designing Effective Digital Learning Environments, 279–288. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003386131-26/INCREASING-EFFECTIVENESS-DIGITAL-LEARNING-RICHARD-MAYER

McDonald, J. L., & Roussel, C. C. (2010). Past tense grammaticality judgment and production in non-native and stressed native English speakers. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 13(4), 429–448.

Myrzakhmetova, A., Smanov, B., Ugur, V., & Zhaparova, A. (2024). Methods of teaching folklore in secondary school. Scientific Herald of Uzhhorod University Series Physics. https://doi.org/10.54919/physics/56.2024.174qk2

Nazari, M. (2020). Language for Specific Purposes Teacher Education: A Scoping Review. Mextesol Journal, 44(4), n4–n4.

Onwuka, L., Obidike, N., & Onwuka, C. C. (2020). Virtue Based Learning in Early Childhood Education: Folklores as the Missing Link. International Journal of Research, 7, 110–117. https://consensus.app/papers/virtue-based-learning-in-early-childhood-education-onwuka-obidike/37b4ce6135b85ff9abef9b695ab0fdc4/

Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory: Retrospect and current status. Canadian Journal of Psychology/Revue Canadienne de Psychologie, 45(3), 255.

Panggabean, H. (2015). Problematic Approach to English Learning and Teaching: A Case in Indonesia. English Language Teaching, 8(3), 35–45.

Papadimitriou, E., Emmanouilidou, M., & Makri, D. (2015). The" Visual Grammar" in School Contexts: A Multimodal-Critical Approach to Teaching Literacy to Primary Education Students. The International Journal of Literacies, 22(3), 29.

Polat, M. (2017). Teachers’ Attitudes towards Teaching English Grammar: A Scale Development Study. International Journal of Instruction, 10(4), 379–398.

Richards, J. C., & Reppen, R. (2014). Towards a pedagogy of grammar instruction. RELC Journal, 45(1), 5–25.

Richings, A. V. (2022). Japanese folktales: Story grammar in the English classroom. Journal of Literature in Language Teaching, 11(1), 3–15.

Rose, D. (2018). Languages of schooling: Embedding literacy learning with genre-based pedagogy. European Journal of Applied Linguistics, 6(1), 59–89.

Schmidt, R. (2012). Attention, awareness, and individual differences in language learning. Perspectives on Individual Characteristics and Foreign Language Education, 6(27), 27–49.

Schneider, J. (2005). Teaching grammar through community issues. ELT Journal, 59(4), 298–305.

Sorohiti, M., Nugraha, H. N. R., & Rahmawati, F. (2024). Teacher awareness, identification of learning difficulties, and effective teaching strategies for english grammar mastery. Indonesian EFL Journal, 10(1), 45–54.

Suryadi, S., Hufad, A., & Leksono, S. M. (2022). The use of banten folklore and vocabulary mastery on the students’ narrative text writing skill. Ethical Lingua: Journal of Language Teaching and Literature, 9(1), 107–114.

Syafii, M. L. (2021). Utilizing picture-based storytelling technique to enhance the speaking skill. ETERNAL (English, Teaching, Learning, and Research Journal), 7(2), 249–268.

Tichachart, S. (2020). Grammar matters: Integrating Grammar in Communicative Language Teaching classrooms. ARU Research Journal, 7(3), 73–80.

Tineh, S., Rorintulus, O. A., & Wuntu, C. N. (2023). Integrated Skill in English Language Learning: Examining Folklore-Implemented Teaching Toward EFL Students’ English Skill. Edumaspul: Jurnal Pendidikan, 7(2), 3982–3994. https://doi.org/10.33487/EDUMASPUL.V7I2.7054

Ur, P. (2011). Grammar teaching: Research, theory, and practice. In Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 507–522). Routledge.

Wang, S., & Lee, C. I. (2021). Multimedia gloss presentation: Learners’ preference and the effects on EFL vocabulary learning and reading comprehension. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 602520.

Widdowson, H. G. (1990). Aspects of language teaching. Oxford University Press.

Yulia, Y. (2013). Teaching challenges in Indonesia: Motivating students and teachers’ classroom language. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 3(1), 1–16.

Zulfitria, Z., Arif, Z., Dewi, H. I., & Susanto, A. (2020). The Use of Visual Art as an Alternative Learning to Develop Storytelling Ability of Elementary School Students. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1471(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1471/1/012032

Downloads

Published

2025-06-28

How to Cite

Bringing the Past to Life: Teaching English Grammar Through Folklore and Visual Storytelling in Indonesian Classrooms. (2025). Seltics Journal: Scope of English Language Teaching Literature and Linguistics, 8(1), 28-43. https://doi.org/10.46918/seltics.v8i1.2552