Identifying Learning Needs for Shot Writing Based on Story-Based Creative Learning to Develop Imagination of Junior High School Students

Abstract

This study identifies the learning needs of short story writing oriented toward developing narrative imagination in junior high school students as an empirical basis for developing the Story-Based Creative Learning (SBCL) model. Using a descriptive qualitative approach within a research and development (R&D) framework, this needs analysis involved three Indonesian language teachers from SMP Negeri 3 Gemolong and 24 eighth-grade students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and analysis of lesson plan documentation and student work. Data were then analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model with triangulation of sources and techniques. The findings indicate that short story writing instruction is still dominated by conventional methods that do not optimally facilitate the development of students' narrative imagination. Teachers need a model with a clear syntactic structure, short story-based creative media, and standardized narrative imagination assessment instruments. Students need immersive learning experiences based on inspiring stories with imaginative freedom. The novelty of this study lies in the systematic integration of Story-Based Learning and Creative Learning into a single model specifically for developing narrative imagination—a gap unaddressed by previous research. These findings underlie the design of the SBCL model, which consists of five stages of syntax: story orientation, narrative exploration, imaginative construction, creative production, and narrative reflection.