Ecopoetry-Based Instructional Model for Enhancing High School Students’ Creative Writing Skills in Indonesia

Abstract

In a time of increasing environmental challenges, it is essential to incorporate ecological literacy into education, especially through subjects that involve both cognitive and emotional engagement, such as literature. In the setting of Indonesian high schools, poetry education frequently lacks relevance to students' lived experiences and environmental issues, hence constraining its transformative capacity. Current methodologies rarely use ecological issues as a stimulus for creative writing, resulting in a deficiency in educational frameworks that connect ecological consciousness with literary creation. This study presents and analyzes an Ecopoetry-Based Instructional Model, based on Garrard’s six ecological categories, aimed at improving students’ creative writing abilities while promoting ecological awareness. The model was designed, verified, and evaluated using a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology across three public high schools in Parepare, Indonesia, engaging 180 Grade X students. Results demonstrate considerable enhancement in poetic components like imagery, metaphor, and emotional tone, as well as heightened student motivation and engagement. The validation results affirmed the model's educational clarity and practical viability. The research emphasizes the value of incorporating local knowledge and personal experiences into poetry expression, hence enhancing ecocritical theory within effective classroom practices. These results indicate that ecopoetry can function as an effective medium for environmental teaching and provide scalable applications across many educational settings.