Story-Telling and Diary-Telling: Student’s Experience

Abstract

Storytelling has become one of the methods of learning foreign languages, especially learning with the EFL classroom setting. However, learners still face challenges when using this method. The psychological burden is assumed to be the culprit of the obstacle; therefore, a setting of learning that is less burdensome is required. A study club such as a diary-telling activity is one alternative that can be employed. This qualitative study underwent two stages: the first one on the challenges perceived by students in formal class storytelling activities and the second stage occurred in a more informal situation, i.e., a diary-telling fun club. Descriptive qualitative design was used to each describe the findings at the consecutive study stage. The data were gathered through students’ reflective writing after performing their storytelling for the first study stage and students’ experience after a one-month fun club for the second stage. In the first stage finding, anxiety, preparation steps, and lack of talent became the stressors for them as the story they told was written by others. On the contrary, problems faced in the diary-telling activity were easily overcome. It was revealed that personal factors became the determinants of the students to be able to convey both storytelling in class and diary-telling in speaking club.