The Impact of Folklore on English Vocabulary Mastery among Seventh Grade at Junior High School in Palu
Vocabulary mastery is a fundamental component of English language learning because it enables students to comprehend texts and communicate effectively. However, many junior high school students continue to experience limited vocabulary knowledge due to the use of conventional teaching materials that provide little contextual or cultural relevance. Although previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of storytelling and narrative-based instruction, limited research has explored the effectiveness of local folklore as a contextual medium for enhancing English vocabulary mastery among Indonesian EFL learners. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of folklore-based instruction in improving the English vocabulary mastery of seventh-grade students at SMPN 19 Palu. A pre-experimental design employing a one-group pre-test–post-test approach was used. The participants consisted of 30 students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a vocabulary test covering nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The results showed that the mean score increased from 58.17 in the pre-test to 78.43 in the post-test. Furthermore, the paired-samples t-test revealed a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores (p 0.05). These findings indicate that folklore-based instruction is an effective, contextual, and engaging approach for improving students’ English vocabulary mastery.