An Analysis of Poetry Writing Skills of Fifth-Grade Elementary School Students

Abstract

Low Indonesian student literacy based on 2022 PISA results with a 359 reading score impacts elementary creative writing abilities, including poetry. This study describes the poetry writing skill profile of fifth-grade students in Kartasura District across content relevance, diction, imagery, figurative language, and typography. A descriptive quantitative method was used with cluster random sampling on 108 students from four public schools. Free poetry writing test data were evaluated using an analytic rubric. Results showed an average score of 70.51, yet 38% had not reached minimum completeness. Figurative language was the most significant weakness (48.5%); 72.2% used only one type. Diction reached 65.4% and imagery 65.0%. These findings indicate that students' poetry writing ability is in the sufficient category with fundamental weaknesses in figurative language mastery and limited poetic vocabulary. Thus, an instructional model integrating vocabulary development through visual stimuli with poetry writing skills is needed.