Teachers’ Strategies in Teaching Vocabulary to Young Learners Through Short Stories as Literary Media in ELT at SDN 163 Pekanbaru

Cut Raudhatul Miski (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Indonesia)
Indah Yohana (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Indonesia)
Irma Aulia (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Indonesia)
Nurliana Nurliana (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Indonesia)
Sari Khomariah (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Indonesia)

ANTHOR: Education and Learning Journal
Vol 5 No 3 (2026): Anthor 2026

This study investigates the strategies employed by an English teacher in teaching vocabulary to young learners through short stories as a literary medium at SDN 163 Pekanbaru. A descriptive qualitative design was applied, involving one Class V English teacher as the participant. Data were collected through classroom observation conducted on April 28, May 5, and May 8, 2026, a semi-structured teacher interview, and an observation checklist comprising 27 indicators across four lesson stages. The findings reveal that the teacher consistently applied multi-stage vocabulary teaching strategies encompassing schema activation during lesson opening, multi-modal vocabulary introduction through visual and gestural scaffolding, interactive and communicative practice activities, and structured lesson closure with formative assessment. A total of 26 out of 27 indicators were observed across three sessions. The only unobserved indicator was dramatic role-playing. This study concludes that short stories serve as an effective literary medium for vocabulary teaching when supported by systematic, learner-centered strategies that align with the cognitive and affective needs of young learners.