Poetry for EFL classroom: students’ self-expression and the creative process behind its creation

Arifah Mardiningrum; Nisrina Adriyanthi

doi:10.23971/jefl.v13i2.6448

Poetry for EFL classroom: students’ self-expression and the creative process behind its creation

Arifah Mardiningrum, Nisrina Adriyanthi

Abstract

In learning and teaching English as a foreign language, poetry has been used in several non-literary classes but in relatively small proportions, and the foci were mainly not on the students' self-expression and individual creative process. This research aims to understand the experiences of student-teachers majoring in English in using poetry as a means of self-expression and their creative process. This study was conducted with a qualitative approach involving six student-teachers enrolled in the English Language Study Program of a Southern Yogyakarta University, Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed through coding. The results show that poetry became a place for self-reflection, sharing personal experiences, a place for self-awareness, and freedom of expression. Meanwhile, the creative process that the students experienced consists of receiving examples, reliving memories, free writing, finding the right place and atmosphere, writing and re-writing, and receiving and responding to feedback. The study implied that poetry could benefit students with a planned and lengthy process. The study might contribute to the field of language education by providing insights into how poetry can be incorporated into the teaching and learning process.

Keywords

creative process; poetry for EFL classroom; self-expression

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v13i2.6448