Promoting Student's Reading Comprehension through Short Stories in ELT Classroom
Main Article Content
Tasriatul Chusniawati
Aura Dian Sibarani
Wahyu Indah Mala Rohmana
This study explores the impact of utilizing short stories to enhance students reading comprehension abilities in English Languange Teaching (ELT). Employing a qualitative approach through comprehensive interviews with three first-semester student, this study found that short stories not only enrich vocabulary and sentence structure, but also improves understanding of cultural context. The interview results showed that all participants showed high interest in short stories, with varied genre preferences, such as horror, culture, and fantasy. This research emphasizes the importance of selecting teaching materials that match students' interests to increase motivation and learning engagement. In addition, the integration of technology through interactive applications and digital media was also shown to increase students' reading interest. The findings suggest that the incorporation of short stories as an educational resource in English is not only effective in improving reading comprehension but also broadening students' cultural horizons, making it an attractive strategy in language learning. This study recommends that future teaching practices consider genre variation and technology integration to further enrich students' learning experience.
Abd Rahman, N. F. N., & Bakar, R. A. (2020). Digital storytelling: a systematic review. Journal of English Language Teaching Innovations and Materials (Jeltim), 2(2), 97-108. https://doi.org/10.26418/jeltim.v2i2.42199
Ahsani, N., & Budairi, A. (2022). A review on L2 models of reading theories and reading teaching strategy. International Journal of Education and Learning, 4(1), 13-27. https://pubs2.ascee.org/index.php/ijele/article/view/474
Akhter, S. (2022). Key informants’ interviews. In Principles of social research methodology (pp. 389-403). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Al-Jarf, R. (2015). Enhancing reading and speaking skills in EFL through multicultural children's short stories. 7th International Conference, Building Cultural Bridges (ICBCB), Suleyman Demirel University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Ameera Sultan, R., Shafiq, M., & Abid, M. (2015). Effectiveness of short stories in enhancing reading comprehension of Grade-V students. Journal of Literature and Language Education, 3(2), 45–58.
Barzani, S. H. H. (2020). The perceptions of EFL teachers and students on the use of short stories to enhance reading comprehension. Asian EFL Journal, 27(3.1), 325–341. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348035007
Burhanuddin, A. A., Adzani, M. A., Salam, A., & Rohmana, W. I. M. (2023). Poetry as an alternative to teach literature for EFL students in English course. IREEL: Indonesian Review on English Education and Linguistics, 1(2), 230–240. https://doi.org/10.30762/ireell.v1i2.2258
Ceylan, N. O. (2016). Using short stories in reading skills class. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 232, 724–731.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The" what" and" why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological inquiry, 11(4), 227-268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Ginting, D. A., Hasan, M., & Syafi'i, M. (2020). The Effectiveness of Short Story To Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension. The SEALL Journal, 1(1), 42-48. https://jurnal.stkipalmaksum.ac.id/index.php/jellas/article/download/36/47/
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F.L. (2002). Teaching and Researching Reading. Pearson Education.
Handayani, N. A. (2013). Using children short stories to enhance students’ reading comprehension. Journal of English and Education, 1(1), 133–141. https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/L-E/article/view/356/0
Herawan, N. D. F. (2013). Utilizing short story to improve the students’ reading comprehension achievement. U-JET: Unila Journal of English Teaching, 14(1), 15–21.
Hidayat, M., Franchsicha, E. M. L., & Rohmana, W. I. M. (2023). The implementation of literature in extracurricular “student conversation club”. Bahtera: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, 22(2), 232-238. https://doi.org/10.21009/bahtera.222.10
Ilham, M., Rahman, F., Sari, D. D., & Annisaturrahmi, A. (2023). Enhancing Preschool English Vocabulary Through Multimedia Tools: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study. Al-Athfal: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak, 9(2), 93-102. https://doi.org/10.14421/al-athfal.2023.92-02
Iqbal, M., Auliana, A., Sari, D. D., Rahman, F., & Haekal, M. (2023). Unveiling The Linguistic Journey: Investigating Word Class Acquisition In 3-5 Year Old Children Through A Qualitative Approach. Child Education Journal, 5(1), 61-73. https://doi.org/10.33086/cej.v5i1.4234
Irhamni, M. N., Nuzula, N. F., & Rohmana, W. I. M. (2025). The use of short stories in improving reading skills. Lililacs Journal, 5(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.21009/lililacs.051.05
Jeni, Y. (2020). The Using of Short Stories to Enhance Students Reading Comprehension. Borneo Educational Journal (Borju), 2(2), 83-88. https://doi.org/10.24903/bej.v2i2.632
Kaya, S. Ü. (2014). Using short stories in ELT/EFL classes. Başkent University Journal of Education, 1(1), 41-47. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/772692
Khatib, M., & Mehrgan, K. (2012). The effect of literary texts on critical thinking: The case of short stories. International Journal of Linguistics, 4(4), 1–14.
Larisa, I., Erlidawati, E., & Rahman, F. (2023). Unlocking Reading Potential: Does English Comics Webtoon Impact Students’ Narrative Text Comprehension?. IALLTEACH (Issues In Applied Linguistics & Language Teaching), 5(2), 99-105. https://doi.org/10.37253/iallteach.v5i2.8595
Lim, W. M. (2025). What is qualitative research? An overview and guidelines. Australasian Marketing Journal, 33(2), 199-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264619
Mohammadnejad, L. (2018). The effect of reading short stories on learning English collocations among pre-intermediate EFL learners. Journal of Sociological Research, 9(1), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.5296/jsr.v9i1.12553
Nafa, M. S. (2022). A broad guide to reading and comprehension. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Pardede, P. (2011). Using short stories to teach language skills. Journal of English teaching, 1(1), 14-27.
Pardede, P. (2021). A review of current conceptual research on short stories use in EFL classrooms. JET (Journal of English Teaching), 7(1), 31-42. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v7i1.2595
Pathan, M. M. (2013). Advantages of Using Short-stories in ELT Classroom and the Libyan EFL Learners' Perceptions towards them for Developing Reading Comprehension Skill. Arab World English Journal, 4(1).
Poejilestari, N. (2019). Improving the students’ reading skill through short story technique (A classroom action research at the seventh grade of junior high school students). Journal of English Language and Literature, 4(2), 47–52. https://doi.org/10.37110/jell.v4i02.79
Purtanto, C. A., Wahyuningtyas, R. T., & Rohmana, W. I. M. (2023). Challanges in teaching English literature: a teacher's perspective. Jurnal JOEPALLT (Journal of English Pedagogy, Linguistics, Literature, and Teaching), 11(1), 59-65. https://doi.org/10.35194/jj.v11i1.2773
Roy, A., Tohamba, C. P. P., Muflihun, & Almuthmainnah. (2024). Students' Difficulties in Reading Short Stories at Junior High School Wawonii Tenggara. Journal of Linguistics and English Teaching Studies, 8(1), 130-140. https://doi.org/10.46870/lets.v5i2.923
Saadawi, A. M. (2024). Enhancing Reading Proficiency in EFL Classrooms: The Role of Short Stories in Language Acquisition and Literacy Development. International Journal of Advanced Humanities Research, 4(1), 138-152. https://doi.org/10.21608/ijahr.2025.382512.1064
Wong, K. T., Hwang, G. J., Choo Goh, P. S., & Mohd Arrif, S. K. (2020). Effects of blended learning pedagogical practices on students’ motivation and autonomy for the teaching of short stories in upper secondary English. Interactive Learning Environments, 28(4), 512-525. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1257693
