Joyful Literacy, Confident in Facing the TKA: Transforming Indonesian Language Learning in Madrasah Tsanawiyah

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FORMOSA NEWS - Malang - Restructuring Literacy Instruction: New Framework Prepares Indonesian Madrasah Students for Academic Assessments. A new study by Erwinda Sukma Safitri from MTs Negeri 3 Malang, published in August 2026, details a pedagogical model to transform Indonesian language learning in junior high madrasahs (Madrasah Tsanawiyah or MTs). The research addresses low reading literacy scores among Indonesian students by introducing a framework designed to improve reading engagement, textual comprehension, and confidence during standardized testing. The findings matter because national assessment frameworks, such as the Academic Ability Test (TKA), require students to move beyond simple memorization to complex inference and critical evaluation of texts.

Background and Context 
Recent international evaluations highlight persistent challenges in reading literacy across Indonesia. The 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported that Indonesian students achieved an average reading score of 359, compared to the OECD average of 476. Only 25% of Indonesian students reached Level 2 reading proficiency or higher, whereas the OECD average stood at 74%. Traditional classroom practices often rely on repetitive test drills, isolated grammar rules, and mechanical memorization, which can reduce student motivation and fail to build higher-order reading skills. The shift toward standardized assessments like the TKA requires students to demonstrate deep textual comprehension, vocabulary evaluation, and discourse analysis.

Methodology
The study employed a qualitative systematic literature review (SLR) guided by the PRISMA 2020 standards. Safitri gathered and analyzed 15 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2020 and 2024 from Google Scholar. The collected data underwent descriptive analysis and thematic synthesis across four core educational dimensions: cognitive, affective, social, and evaluative. The analysis translated these findings into an operational classroom framework called LITERATURA (Literasi Terpadu, Ekologis, dan Responsif).

Key Findings
The thematic synthesis identified four operational strategy clusters within the LITERATURA framework designed to balance student engagement with academic rigor:

• Game-Based Discovery: Uses activities like literacy escape rooms and scavenger hunts where students must read short stories, poems, or informational articles to unlock clues, strengthening explicit information retrieval and inference skills.
  
• Authentic Agency and Media: Establishes class editorial teams, podcasts, or post offices where students read, write, revise, and publish work for actual audiences.
  
• Visual and Multimodal Storytelling: Utilizes silent books, comic strips, and narrative world-building to develop vocabulary, sequencing, and textual cohesion.
  
• Classroom Literacy Ecology: Integrates casual reading nooks, collaborative story notebooks, and short read-aloud sessions into daily routines to encourage voluntary reading habits.
  

The synthesis established that affective factors such as student interest, choice, and positive learning environments directly support cognitive comprehension and test readiness.

Real-World Impact and Implications

The LITERATURA framework offers teachers and curriculum developers a practical model for aligning classroom instruction with standardized test requirements without resorting to monotonous test preparation drills. By embedding diagnostic feedback into interactive learning missions, educators can address specific reading difficulties, foster self-efficacy, and reduce academic test anxiety among adolescent learners.

Author Profile
Erwinda Sukma Safitri, M.Pd. is an educational researcher and instructor affiliated with MTs Negeri 3 Malang. Her professional expertise focuses on Indonesian language pedagogy, literacy development, instructional design, and educational evaluation in secondary schools.

Source
Erwinda Sukma Safitri. Joyful Literacy, Confident in Facing the TKA: Transforming Indonesian Language Learning in Madrasah Tsanawiyah. Formosa Journal of Applied Sciences (FJAS). ol. 5, No. 8, Tahun 2026, Halaman 1815-1834
DOI : https://doi.org/10.55927/fjas.v5i8.99
URL : https://journalfjas.my.id/index.php/fjas