Contextualizing Literacy Instruction in Elementary Schools: Enhancing Student Engagement through Real-World Engaged Active Learning (REAL)

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of Real-World Engaged Active Learning (REAL) in enhancing literacy comprehension and student engagement in a rural Indonesian elementary school. Employing a one-group pretest and posttest design, the research involved 22 fifth-grade students from SD Negeri 60 Tondon, South Sulawesi. The intervention was implemented over eight weeks through contextual reading materials, authentic tasks, collaborative activities, and teacher scaffolding. Reading comprehension was assessed across five aspects literal, inferential, critical, applicative, and creative, while engagement was measured through behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. Paired-samples t-test results revealed significant improvements in all comprehension aspects (p < 0.001), with very large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 2.74–6.82). Notably, literal and inferential comprehension achieved exceptionally high gains, while critical, applicative, and creative skills also improved substantially. Student engagement rose to moderately high, high levels across dimensions, with cognitive engagement showing the strongest growth. The findings indicate that REAL fosters both deep understanding and multidimensional engagement by linking literacy tasks to students’ cultural and real-life contexts. This study contributes to the theory of contextualized literacy and active learning by evidencing that sustained, culturally grounded inquiry can simultaneously elevate comprehension and behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement in resource-limited settings. Practically, the results provide actionable steps for teachers to implement REAL, including adapting local texts, designing authentic community-based tasks, facilitating collaboration, and scaffolding higher-order thinking. These insights support policy efforts such as the Merdeka Belajar reform and offer a scalable model to address literacy gaps in underserved areas.