Using Readers’ Theater for Building Students’ Motivation in Learning Literature

Abstract

--The traditional literature classroom emphasized on understanding printed page of the text. It was hard for students to understand the feelings and thoughts of a literary character. Today’s Readers Theatre provides the students with the most imaginative instructional techniques available to see, hear, and feel literature in classroom performance. This study aimed to investigate that Readers’ Theater able to increased students’ interest and motivation in learning literature. Readers’ Theater gave the students chance to read a text creatively. They could use their voice to express what the story about. This strategy may build their confidence in reading. The study was conducted twenty two students and two teachers who teaching reading in University of Baturaja. Quantitative data from the result of questionnaire showed that Readers’ Theater increased students interest and motivation in learning literature. It could be seen from the mean score (4.50) of questionnaire in item 7 and 8 showed students’ interest and motivation in learning literature increased after implementing Readers’ Theater. Creative learning in Readers’ Theater like bringing out the character in live, read aloud, and expressing the story gave the students experience in learning and made them more interesting and motivating in learning literature. In sum, learning literature can have beneficial effects upon the whole language learning process, as long as the reader is wellmotivated, and as long as the experience of engaging with literature is kept sufficiently interesting. The choice of a literary work holds an important role in facilitating the reader establishes with the text.