Development of a Mind Mapping-Based Learning Module for Teaching Short Story Writing

Abstract

Teaching short-story writing in junior high school remains challenging because many students have difficulty generating, organizing, and developing ideas, and classroom instruction is still dominated by conventional methods and lacks teaching materials that explicitly scaffold idea organization. This study aimed to develop and examine the feasibility and practicality of a mind-mapping-based short-story writing module. The study employed Research and Development (R&D) using a modified ADDIE model limited to the Analysis, Design, and Development stages. It was conducted at SMP Negeri 1 Songgom, SMP Negeri 2 Songgom, and SMP Negeri 3 Songgom, Brebes Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The needs analysis involved preliminary observations of 192 seventh-grade students and interviews with six Indonesian language teachers. A limited-practicality trial involved 96 seventh-grade students purposively selected from the three schools. Data were collected through observation, interviews, documentation, expert validation sheets, and student response questionnaires. Two expert validators rated the content, presentation, language, and visualization at 100%, categorizing them as highly feasible. Of 20 questionnaire items, 19 were valid; the retained instrument showed high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.923). The module received an overall practicality score of 84.51%, which is categorized as very practical. The findings show that the study produced a structured instructional product that guides students from idea mapping to story outlining and short-story writing. Because the study did not include the Implementation and Evaluation stages, the module's effectiveness in improving writing outcomes remains to be tested in future research.