Sensei International Journal of Education and Linguistic

DETERMINING THE DEGREE OF HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER EDUCATION COLLEGE STUDENTS STUDYING HISTORY IN RELATION TO ETHNICITY

Karina Wanda — 2023-11-30

This study set out to determine the degree of historical awareness among Indonesian college students about various ethnic groups, with a focus on Melayu and Batak ethnic groups. The four components of historical awareness are knowledge of historical events, comprehension of historical research techniques, interpretation of historical events, and historical utility perception. The subjects of this study were college students from two different universities: State University of Medan, which represented Melayu students studying history education, and University of Sumatera, which represented Batak students studying history education. Through the use of a historical consciousness exam, research data were gathered. Multiple-choice questions were developed as test instruments, which assessed knowledge of historical events, comprehension of historical research methodologies, and interpreting historical events, as well as considering the value of history. The proportion of the average historical consciousness scores for each ethnic group of college students was used to examine the data. Overall, the analysis of the results revealed that Melayu college students scored 42% higher on the historical consciousness scale than Batak college students, who scored 39%. This indicates that Melayu college students have a greater level of historical consciousness than Batak college students. The T-test result indicates that there was no significant difference in the historical consciousness of Melayu college students and Minang (df = 78, value sig. 0.198 < 0.08). One may argue that Melayu college students have the same amount of historical awareness as Minang students.

IMPROVING TEACHER PEDAGOGICAL COMPETENCE THROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER WORK MOTIVATION

Desi Sijabat — 2023-11-30

Teacher competence will have a big influence on the creation of active, creative, effective and fun learning so that effective schools are realized.The objectives to be achieved in this study are to find out how much influence work motivation has on the pedagogical competence of teachers in the Girsang Sipanganbolon District.This study uses a quantitative approach with the type of correlational research with the population in this study are 35 teachers who are still teaching in schools.The results showed that there was an influence between the variable x (work motivation) on the variable y (pedagogic competence).The increase in work motivation is followed by an increase in the pedagogic competence of teachers.This means that for every increase in the value of work motivation by 0.776, the value of pedagogic competence will increase by 0.776.Based on the results of data analysis and hypothesis testing in this study, it can be concluded that there is an influence between teacher work motivation and teacher pedagogic competence.The pattern of influence of these two variables is stated as Y= 0.720 + 0.776x.

THE EFFECT OF THE COOPERATIVE INTEGRATED READING AND COMPOSITION MODEL ON THE SOCIAL LITERACY OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Yusrizal Yusrizal — 2023-11-30

This research was motivated by the low social literacy of students in elementary schools. Therefore, this research aims to find a new paradigm in creating learning that is able to increase students' social literacy in elementary schools. Specifically, this research aims to analyze the effect of using the Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) learning model on the social literacy of elementary school students. This research design uses quasi-experiment, namely comparing the CIRC learning model with conventional learning models. This research was conducted at PAB 27 Tanjung Mulia Private Elementary School. The sample used was 48 class V students, each of which was 23 class V/a students who were designated as the experimental class and 25 class V/b students who were designated as the control class. Data collection uses tests of student literacy skills which are prepared in the form of narrative questions. The hypothesis was tested using the independent sample t test. The results of the research show that there is a significant effect of using the CIRC model on the social literacy of elementary school students. With a significant value of 0.000 and a Mean Difference value of 10.17.

THE IMPLEMENTING PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN LITERACY-ORIENTED CLASSROOMS TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ CRITICAL READING AND WRITING ENGAGEMENT

Syahrul Riza — 2026-07-24

Literacy-oriented classrooms require instructional practices that enable students to read critically, interpret information, negotiate meaning, construct arguments, and communicate ideas through written and oral responses. However, many literacy lessons remain teacher-centered and text-reproduction oriented, limiting students’ opportunities to question, investigate, collaborate, and solve authentic literacy problems. This study examined the implementation of Problem-Based Learning in literacy-oriented classrooms and investigated its effect on students’ critical reading and writing engagement. A mixed-method quasi-experimental embedded design was employed involving 96 senior high school students divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received literacy instruction through Problem-Based Learning, while the control group received conventional text-based instruction. Data were collected through literacy performance tests, classroom observation, student reflective journals, interviews, and learning artifacts. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, independent-sample t-tests, normalized gain, and effect size. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings showed that students in the Problem-Based Learning classroom achieved significantly higher literacy performance than those in the conventional classroom. The strongest improvements occurred in problem identification, evidence-based reading, argument construction, and collaborative discussion. The study concludes that Problem-Based Learning can strengthen literacy-oriented classrooms when authentic problems, rich texts, inquiry scaffolds, collaborative tasks, and reflective writing are systematically integrated.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: EFFECTS ON SPEAKING FLUENCY, NARRATIVE COMPETENCE, AND STUDENTS' ENGAGEMENT

Zaki Al Fuad — 2026-07-24

Speaking instruction in English as a foreign language classrooms often provides insufficient opportunities for sustained oral production, narrative organization, rehearsal, and audience-oriented communication. Digital storytelling combines spoken narration with images, text, music, and video, potentially creating a meaningful environment for developing oral language and multimodal communication. This study examined the effects of digital storytelling on students' speaking fluency, narrative competence, and classroom engagement. A mixed-method quasi-experimental design involved 88 tenth-grade students assigned to an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group completed an eight-session digital storytelling project involving story mapping, script development, oral rehearsal, multimedia production, peer feedback, revision, and public presentation. The control group received conventional spoken-narrative instruction using textbook modelling, individual practice, and classroom presentation. Data were collected through speaking performance tests, narrative competence rubrics, engagement questionnaires, observations, interviews, reflective journals, and digital story artifacts. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-sample and independent-sample t-tests, normalized gain, and effect size. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in speaking performance, narrative competence, and engagement. Improvements were strongest in fluency, narrative sequencing, audience awareness, and social engagement. The study concludes that digital storytelling can strengthen oral English learning when multimedia production is integrated with explicit narrative instruction, repeated rehearsal, formative feedback, and equitable access to digital tools.