INNOVATION OF ACEHNESE LOCAL WISDOM-BASED INDONESIAN LANGUAGE TEACHING MATERIALS TO ENHANCE STORYTELLING SKILLS AMONG SIXTH-GRADE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Abstract

The innovation of local wisdom-based teaching materials is considered an important effort to improve the quality of Indonesian language learning while simultaneously instilling regional cultural values in students. This study aimed to examine the effect of Acehnese local wisdom-based Indonesian language teaching materials on the storytelling skills of sixth-grade students. The developed teaching materials incorporated Acehnese folklore, namely Loyang Koro and Putri Pukes, presented in the form of illustrated storybooks featuring simple language, attractive illustrations, and systematic storylines to facilitate students’ comprehension and oral retelling of the stories. This research employed a Research and Development (R&D) method with a quantitative approach using a One Group Pre-test Post-test experimental design. The research subjects consisted of 17 sixth-grade students. Data were collected through storytelling skill tests administered before and after the implementation of the local wisdom-based teaching materials. The findings revealed a significant improvement in students’ storytelling skills following the use of the developed materials. The Paired Sample t-Test analysis showed a t-value of -10.659 with 16 degrees of freedom and a significance value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results. These findings demonstrate that the innovation of Acehnese local wisdom-based Indonesian language teaching materials effectively enhances students’ storytelling abilities while strengthening their understanding of local cultural values. Therefore, teachers are encouraged to integrate local wisdom-based teaching materials into classroom instruction, schools should support the development of local teaching resources, and future researchers are expected to expand similar studies with broader materials and diverse forms of local wisdom integration