The Use of Fable to Develop Students' Moral Awareness in Reading Lesson for Junior High School

Abstract

The Use of Fable to Develop Students’ Moral Awareness in Reading Lesson for Junior High School. This study aimed to investigate how fable texts can develop students’ moral awareness in reading lessons. This study employed a descriptive qualitative research design involving 29 students of class VIII-C at SMP An-Nur Kalibaru, with 9 students as the focal participants. The data were collected through classroom observations and video recordings conducted during three reading lessons using the fable “The Fox and the Stork.” During the lessons, students read the fable, discussed the moral lessons, and related the characters’ actions to their daily behavior. The findings showed that students’ moral awareness gradually developed throughout the three observations. In the first observation, several students showed inappropriate behaviors, such as talking, joking, leaving their seats without permission, and disturbing others. In the second observation, some positive changes began to appear after students discussed the moral lessons of the fable. In the third observation, students demonstrated better self-control, greater respect for others, and less disruptive behavior. The findings indicate that fable texts can be used as an instructional medium to develop students’ moral awareness by encouraging them to reflect on characters’ actions and relate moral values to their own behavior.