Short Stories as an Alternative Medium to Teach Reading
Keywords:
Reading Difficulties, Short Stories,, Teacher Strategies,, EFL Classroom,, Madrasah Tsanawiyah.Abstract
This study aims to investigate a teacher's instructional strategies in reading instruction using short stories and to analyze the multi-dimensional reading difficulties encountered by ninth-grade students in a rural EFL context. Utilizing a qualitative case study design integrated with phenomenological perspectives and educational ethnography, data were gathered from an English teacher and 25 ninth-grade students at MTs Sayyid Ali Geger Bangkalan. Data collection was executed through triangulation involving non-participant classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and documentation of reading assessment worksheets, which were subsequently processed using the interactive qualitative analysis model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana. The findings reveal that the teacher operationalized short stories through a systematic process-oriented framework spanning pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading stages. The strategic shift from a text-only approach to an illustrated, tool-supported methodology successfully lowered the students' affective filters and enhanced predictive understanding. Concurrently, the analysis of student challenges identified three core dimensions of reading difficulties: psychological and affective barriers (manifested as public speaking phobia and intense performance anxiety), linguistic and lexical hurdles (characterized by an extreme vocabulary deficit, past tense verb confusion, and rigid polysemous interpretation), and phonological friction (stemming from rigid first-language orthographic transfer). The study concludes that while short stories serve as a potent alternative medium to stimulate textual interest, their efficacy remains strictly dependent on targeted scaffolding, visual materials, and systematic structural reinforcement to foster independent, sustainable literacy development among struggling foreign language learners.
References
Alpian, & Yatri, I. (2022). Pentingnya Kemampuan Membaca dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris. Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar.
Alyousef, H. (2022). Teaching Reading Comprehension to ESL/EFL Learners. Journal of Language and Literacy Education.
Amelia, R. (2023). Student Responses and Their Correlation with Reading Achievement in EFL Classrooms. International Journal of English Linguistics.
Bland, J. (2021). Using Literature in EFL Education: Alternative Media and Creative Practices. Bloomsbury Academic.
Brown, H. D. (2021). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (5th ed.). Pearson Education.
Daniyati, A., et al. (2023). Peran Media Pembelajaran dalam Meningkatkan Interaksi Kelas. Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan.
Dörnyei, Z. (2021). Motivation in Second Language Acquisition. Routledge.
Ellis, R. (2021). Understanding Second Language Acquisition (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Ferdiyanto, & Muhid, A. (2020). Stres Akademik pada Siswa: Menguji Peranan Iklim Kelas dan School Well-being. Jurnal Psikologi Pendidikan.
Gilakjani, A. P. (2022). The Role of Visual Aids in Improving EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension. Journal of English Language Teaching and Research.
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2021). Teaching and Researching Reading (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Halik, A. (2010). Pendekatan Proses dalam Pembelajaran Membaca teks Naratif (Kutipan dari Aminuddin, 1995 & Burns et al., 1996). Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra.
Harmer, J. (2022). The Practice of English Language Teaching (6th ed.). Pearson Education.
Hasanudin, C. (2024). Pemanfaatan Cerita Pendek dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa (Kutipan dari Nurhayati & Aunillah). Penerbit Buku Pendidikan.
Huang, S. (2022). Enhancing Reading Engagement and Comprehension Through Short Stories Among Secondary Students. EFL Research Quarterly.
Kurniawan, A. (2023). Implementing Pre–While–Post Reading Strategy to Improve Junior High School Students' Reading Achievement. Journal of English Education and Pedagogy.
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2022). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Lei, H., & Cui, Y. (2022). Effects of Balanced Challenge and Support on Student Focused Engagement During Reading Tasks. Educational Psychology Review.
Lestari, P. (2024). Context-Based Vocabulary Instruction Through Stories for Long-Term Retention. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics.
Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., & Patall, E. A. (2020). Supportive Classroom Environments and Students' Academic Engagement. Educational Psychologist.
Magdalena, I., & Pawe, M. (2023). Analisis Kemampuan Membaca Pemahaman Siswa Sekolah Menengah. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.
Magdalena, I., et al. (2021). Klasifikasi dan Jenis-Jenis Media Pembelajaran dalam Pendidikan. Jurnal Edukasi.
Mayer, R. E. (2021). The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Cambridge University Press.
Mercer, S., & Dörnyei, Z. (2023). Engaging Language Learners: Relational Teaching Practices. Cambridge University Press.
Nation, I. S. P. (2021). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Nugraha, U. (2013). Efektivitas Penggunaan Media Pembelajaran Interaktif di Sekolah. Jurnal Teknologi Pendidikan.
Nurfadillah, S. (2021). Media Pembelajaran untuk Sekolah Dasar. CV Jejak.
Papadaki, A., Karagianni, E., & Driga, A. M. (2023). Developing Reading Sub-skills Through Structured Frameworks in the EFL Classroom. Eximia Journal.
Paramita, R. (2022). Proses Konstruksi Makna dalam Kegiatan Membaca. Jurnal Literasi Bahasa.
Pratama, R. (2024). The Impact of Illustrated Texts on Students' Reading Motivation and Comprehension. Journal of Language Teaching and Research.
Putri, A., & Hidayat, T. (2023). The Impact of Monotonous Reading Materials on Junior High School EFL Classrooms. Journal of English Language Pedagogy.
Qasserrasi, L. (2023). Beyond the Words: The Art and Science of Teaching Reading Interactively. Journal of Interactive Language Learning.
Rahmawati, S. (2024). Analisis Kesulitan Siswa SMP dalam Memahami Struktur Kalimat Kompleks Bahasa Inggris. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Bahasa.
Riani, N., et al. (2021). Strategi Peningkatan Pemahaman Membaca Teks Bahasa Inggris. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2022). Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. Guilford Press.
Sari, N. (2024). Pengaruh Penggunaan Media Pembelajaran Kreatif Terhadap Interaksi dan Pemahaman Membaca Siswa. Jurnal Teknologi Pendidikan.
Schmitt, N. (2022). Vocabulary in Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Sumardjo, J. (2023). Memahami Cerita Pendek: Teori dan Apresiasi. Penerbit Kompas.
Sun, D., & Looi, C. K. (2024). Collaborative Classroom Climates and Peer Feedback in Reading Comprehension Development. Learning and Instruction.
Suryani, L., Kiptiyah, M., & Chairuddin. (2023). Improving Students' Reading Through Comic Strips Media in Webtoon Application. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa.
Susanti, E., et al. (2024). Dampak Negatif Metode Pengajaran Monoton terhadap Motivasi Belajar Siswa. Jurnal Psikologi dan Pendidikan.
Susanto, B., & Widodo, S. (2023). Vocabulary Deficit and Reading Comprehension Difficulties Among Junior Secondary. EFL Students. Indonesian Journal of EFL.
Suwarni, S. (2021). Aspek-Aspek Dasar dalam Keterampilan Membaca (Kutipan dari Farida Rahim). Jurnal Pedagogi.
Tanjung, N. J. U., Lubis, Y., & Daulay, E. (2022). The Implementation of Pre-, While-, and Post-Reading Activities in Enhancing Narrative Text Comprehension. INSPIRATION: Journal of English Education.
Tomlinson, B. (2021). Materials Development in Language Teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Uno, H. B. (2007). Teori Motivasi dan Pengukurannya: Analisis di Bidang Pendidikan. Bumi Aksara.
Wang, Y., & Guan, X. (2021). Emotional and Social Engagement and Its Connection to EFL Reading Achievement. Frontiers in Psychology.
Webb, S. (2022). Context-Based Vocabulary Learning and Long-Term Retention. Routledge.
Yulianti, R. A. (2024). Analysis of Short Story Reading Skills and Writing Skills of Elementary School Students. Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar.
Yusuf, M., & Anwar, K. (2023). Using Short Stories to Improve Main Idea Identification in EFL Classrooms. English Language Teaching Journal.
Zahra, Z. (2025). The Influence of Short Story Media on Students' Reading Comprehension Ability. Journal of English Education.
Zhao, L., & Lai, C. (2023). Reducing Anxiety in Affective Learning Environments for Reading Activities. System.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
1. Copyright of this journal is possession of Editorial Board and Journal Manager, by the knowledge of author, whilst the moral right of the publication belongs to the author.
2. Legal formal aspect of journal publication accessibility refers to Creative Commons Atribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA), implies that this license lets others remix, adapt, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This license is often compared to “copyleft” free and open source software licenses.
3. Every publications (printed/electronic) are open access for educational purposes, research, and library. Other that the aims mentioned above, editorial board is not responsible for copyright violation
