Story-Based Tasks through Reading Aloud to Support Young Learners’ Speaking and Critical Thinking

Abstract

This study investigated the use of story-based tasks through reading aloud to enhance elementary school students’ speaking and critical thinking skills. The study employed a one-group pretest–posttest design involving 26 elementary school students at a private primary school in Yogyakarta. Students’ speaking performance was assessed in terms of pronunciation, fluency, and intonation, while critical thinking was assessed through understanding, reasoning, and connecting. Quantitative data were obtained from speaking and critical thinking assessments administered before and after the intervention, while students’ responses, worksheets, and classroom observations provided supporting qualitative data. The findings indicated substantial improvement in students’ reading-aloud performance, with the mean score increasing from 4.6 in the pre-test to 9.4 in the post-test on a 12-point scale. Students’ critical thinking scores also increased from 4.6 to 6.8. Qualitative evidence further indicated that students became more willing to participate, demonstrated better comprehension of story content, expressed simple opinions, and reused story dialogues creatively in new contexts. These findings suggest that story-based tasks integrated with reading aloud can support the development of young learners’ oral English proficiency and provide meaningful opportunities for emerging critical thinking