Designing dialogic fiction writing through local Folklore in Indonesian junior high schools

Abstract

This study examines how a local folklore module supports the design of dialogic fiction-writing tasks in multilingual classrooms with uneven technological access. A design-based project involved 168 Grade VIII students and six Indonesian-language teachers in six public junior high schools in Brebes Regency, Indonesia. Development comprised prototyping, classroom implementation, and reflection with redesign. The module combined narrative comprehension, conflict mapping, characterization, dialogue construction, drafting, and collaborative revision through print-compatible and locally available digital media. Evidence comprised student texts, aggregate rubric scores, classroom observations, teacher interviews and group reflection, field notes, and module documentation. The reported mean total writing score rose from 8.9/20 to 16.6/20, while the dialogue mean rose from 1.7/5 to 4.0/5. Close reading distinguished dialogue affirming shared belonging from dialogue challenging a community figure through Javanese expression. Teacher feedback informed clearer dialogue guidance, modular lesson units, and explanations of unfamiliar local idioms. Uneven group participation and differences in cultural familiarity qualified the assumption that local material is equally accessible to all students. Without a comparison group and documented scoring reliability, score changes remain descriptive. The study proposes inclusive localization as a provisional design principle connecting cultural resources, explicit writing instruction, media flexibility, and linguistic support for classroom repertoires.