Holistic Education through Storytelling: Enhancing Student Character in English Literacy Programs

Abstract

Schools worldwide are encouraged to implement literacy programs to foster lifelong literacy in students, aligning with the "Merdeka Belajar" (Free Learning) program promoted by the government. Despite various limitations, schools strive to achieve literacy goals by fostering students' character. This research aims to investigate: 1) the implementation of an English literacy program based on storytelling for character building, and 2) the efforts made by teachers to develop students' character through storytelling-based English literacy. This study used a qualitative descriptive approach, employing observation, interviews, and documentation for data collection and analysis. The subjects included two model teachers and students from classes X-1 and X-3 at Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 2 Makassar during the first semester of the 2023/2024 academic year. Prior to the research, discussions with teachers covered learning methods, activity schedules, and agreed topics. The findings revealed that the implementation began with prayer, followed by reviewing narrative text material, conducting Q&A sessions, assigning tasks, and performing storytelling. These activities fostered discipline, hard work, responsibility, and creativity among students, who achieved a very good category percentage of 87.68%. This indicated high enthusiasm and motivation at every program stage. The program's relevance is further supported by the importance of literacy as emphasized in Q.S. al-Alaq verses 1-5. Additionally, teachers made significant efforts to develop students' character through disciplined storytelling, hard work, responsibility, and creativity. Students were encouraged not only to memorize story texts but also to paraphrase creatively, retell stories, and create video storytelling projects. This study highlights the importance of integrating character education into the curriculum through innovative methods like storytelling. The results provide a model for other educational institutions and underscore the need for a holistic approach to education that encompasses both cognitive and moral development.

Keywords

• english literacy program
• storytelling
• character building