<![CDATA[ Speaking skills are an essential competency for students, in the Indonesian Language and Literature Education Study Program (PBSI) at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, particularly in preparing them to become future educators. Contextual instruction in speaking skills requires strategies that go beyond technical training to integrate traditional values and literature. This study aims to describe the thematic classification of student-composed *pantun* (traditional Malay poetic quatrains) and analyze their functional effectiveness in developing speaking skills within a higher education setting. A quantitative approach with descriptive interpretation and content analysis was employed to examine 247 *pantun* created during *pantun* exchange exercises in a speaking skills course. The results indicate that romantic/love-themed *pantun* were the most prevalent (38.9%), followed by humorous (25.5%), advisory (16.6%), friendship and learning motivation (12.6%), religious (4.9%), and riddle-based (1.5%) themes. These findings demonstrate that student *pantun* serve not only as a medium for expression but also fulfill recreational and educational functions. From a pedagogical perspective, *pantun* exchange exercises effectively engage cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions through dialogic learning interactions that foster speaking confidence, improvisation, and student academic engagement (specifically in *pantun* composition). The study’s novelty lies in its analysis of student *pantun* as an empirical corpus within the context of speaking instruction in higher education. The findings can serve as a foundation for developing communicative, participatory, and contextually relevant instructional strategies based on oral traditions.]]>
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