Role Playing Supported by Picture Cards and Fourth-Grade Indonesian Language Achievement: A Classroom Action Study

Abstract

Indonesian language instruction requires students to listen, speak, read, and write in meaningful contexts, yet teacher-centred lessons can restrict participation and achievement. This classroom action study examined achievement changes among 28 fourth-grade students at SDN 02 Tilamuta, Indonesia, after role playing was combined with picture cards. The study comprised a baseline assessment and two iterative cycles of planning, action, observation, and reflection. Students studied the unit "Look Around" through traffic-safety dialogues, visual prompts, group role allocation, rehearsal, performance, peer observation, and teacher feedback. Achievement was measured using teacher-developed 10-item multiple-choice tests scored from 0 to 100, with mastery defined as at least 75. Student-level records were reanalysed using descriptive statistics, the Friedman test, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Holm correction, Kendall effect size, Cochran Q, and exact McNemar tests. Mean scores increased from 35.36 at baseline to 67.14 in Cycle I and 78.93 in Cycle II. The overall change was significant, chi-square(2) = 30.58, p < .001, Kendall W = .546. Mastery rose from 17.9% to 50.0% and 85.7%, Cochran Q(2) = 25.81, p < .001. Cycle I gains were heterogeneous, with five students declining, whereas Cycle II produced no score decline and ten additional mastery transitions. The findings support role playing with picture cards as a promising classroom-improvement strategy. Causal claims remain limited by the absence of a comparison group, uncertain test equivalence, and unreported measurement reliability.