Indonesian Folktales in English Translation Text and Its Illustrations Perceived as a Medium of Developing Student's English Vocabulary

Abstract

This article is part of my thesis which was applying case study research method studying the use of Indonesian folktales in English translation (IFET) text and its illustrations in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes at primary level. Visual culture theory and approaches to language teaching were two chosen theories to investigate the cases in two different primary schools in Solo, Central Java Indonesia. Interview with primary English teachers became primary data source for this study. The EFL teachers from two different primary schools described their use of IFET and its illustrations – folktales illustrations – as a set of medium instruction to develop their students’ English vocabulary. The teacher participants’ delineation about designing their teaching materials were then discussed and contrasted to describe similarities and differences interpretively. To strengthen the stance of this study through its research evidence, the researcher interviewed six students of each school using visual elicitation method. One of the findings of this research showed that teachers’ effort on providing familiar teaching materials such as IFET was perceived to be succeeded in developing students’ English vocabulary.