The Effectiveness of Storytelling in Teaching Islamic Concepts on Academic Engagement and Achievement among Middle School Students in Iraq
Keywords:
Storytelling, Islamic Concepts Instruction, Academic Engagement, Academic Achievement, Middle School StudentsAbstract
This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of storytelling in teaching Islamic concepts on academic engagement and academic achievement among ninth-grade middle school students in Iraq. This applied study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The study population comprised ninth-grade students attending secondary schools in Kirkuk Governorate during the 2025–2026 academic year. Forty students were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, with 20 students in each group. The experimental group received Islamic concepts instruction through structured storytelling in ten 60-minute sessions, whereas the control group received conventional instruction. Data were collected using the 33-item Student Engagement Instrument developed by Appleton et al. and a researcher-developed 35-item multiple-choice Islamic concepts achievement test. Following assessment of the statistical assumptions, the data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and univariate analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs). The MANCOVA results indicated a statistically significant overall group effect on the combined dependent variables of academic engagement and academic achievement after controlling for pretest scores (Wilks’ λ=.42, F(2,35)=29.18, p=.001, η²=.68). Subsequent ANCOVAs showed that storytelling-based instruction produced significantly greater academic engagement (F(1,37)=22.68, p<.001, η²=.38) and academic achievement (F(1,37)=18.22, p<.001, η²=.33) than conventional instruction. Comparisons of adjusted means also indicated significant differences in favor of the experimental group for both outcomes. Storytelling appears to be an effective active and meaning-oriented instructional strategy for enhancing both academic engagement and achievement in Islamic education. Integrating structured narratives with guided questioning, discussion, reflection, and interactive learning activities may therefore provide a useful complementary approach to conventional instruction in middle school Islamic education.
Downloads
References
Abdullah, Q. N. A. (2022). Teaching simultaneous thinking through the teaching of the Noble Qur'an and Islamic education and its impact on the literary achievement of fourth-grade students and the development of their thinking. Journal of the Iraqi University, 53(2), 508-522.
Alrashidi, O., Phan, H. P., & Ngu, B. H. (2016). Academic engagement: An overview of its definitions, dimensions, and major conceptualisations. International Education Studies, 9(12), 41-52. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v9n12p41
Baig, M. I., & Yadegaridehkordi, E. (2023). Flipped classroom in higher education: A systematic literature review and research challenges. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20, 61. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00430-5
Bond, M. (2020). Facilitating student engagement through the flipped learning approach in K-12: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 151, 103819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103819
Costa, A., Moreira, D., Casanova, J., Azevedo, A., Gonçalves, A., Oliveira, I., Azevedo, R., & Dias, P. C. (2024). Determinants of academic achievement from middle to secondary school education: A systematic review. Social Psychology of Education, 27, 3533-3572. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-024-09941-z
Fadhil, A. (2021). The challenges and difficulties facing the process of teaching human rights and democracy in Iraqi universities. Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences, 60(3), 361-378. https://doi.org/10.36473/ujhss.v60i3.1723
Fathi, M. R. (2019). Theory of social constructivism and its implications for the learning and teaching process. Pouyesh in Humanities Education, 5(15), 86-100.
Hamadameen, I. Q., & Mohammed, T. S. (2021). The Islamic educational curriculum and its development in Islamic schools in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Study and analysis. Zanco Journal of Human Sciences, 25(1), 194-214. https://doi.org/10.21271/zjhs.25.1.11
Kapur, M., Hattie, J., Grossman, I., & Sinha, T. (2022). Fail, flip, fix, and feed-Rethinking flipped learning: A review of meta-analyses and a subsequent meta-analysis. Frontiers in Education, 7, 956416. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.956416
Li, S., Fu, W., Liu, X., & Hwang, G. J. (2025). Effectiveness of flipped classrooms for K-12 students: Evidence from a three-level meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 95(5), 929-971. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543241261732
Mahmoodi, F., Ostadhasanloo, H., & Barqi, I. (2025). Analyzing the Barriers to Achieving the Goals and the Challenges Facing Student Research Centers from the Perspectives of Administrators and Teachers: Implications for Improving Educational Planning. Journal of Educational Planning Studies, 14(27), 90-112.
McLeod, S. (2019). Constructivism as a Theory for Teaching and Learning. Simply Psychology.
Megayanti, V. A., & Anwar, N. (2024). Efektivitas Penggunaan Metode Story Telling terhadap Maharah Al-Kalam Siswa Kelas X MAN Sidoarjo. Emergent Journal of Educational Discoveries and Lifelong Learning (EJEDL), 1(4), 12. https://doi.org/10.47134/emergent.v1i4.35
Mirmehdipour, S., Zeinali, S., & Asgarizad Naghadeh, M. H. (2024). Effectiveness of teaching religious concepts through the stories on anger control and student's moral development. qaiie, 9(4), 121-140. https://doi.org/10.22034/qaiie.9.4.121
Nugroho, A. M. A., Meriyati, M., & Fitriani, F. (2026). Implementation of the storytelling method in Islamic religious education learning in senior high school. At-Ta'dib: Jurnal Ilmiah Prodi Pendidikan Agama Islam, 18(1), 55-70. https://doi.org/10.47498/tadib.v18i1.6457
Obaid, F. K., & Mhawes, G. M. (2022). The impact of using an educational program based on blended learning in Islamic education on the achievement of first intermediate-grade students in Salah al-Din Governorate. Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities, 29(8), 437-462. https://doi.org/10.25130/jtuh.29.8.1.2022.22
Odhaib, B. S. (2017). A proposal for a book of Islamic education project for primary classes: The stories specimen/3. Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences, 222(2), 357-382. https://doi.org/10.36473/ujhss.v222i2.407
Perkmann, M., Salandra, R., Tartari, V., McKelvey, M., & Hughes, A. (2021). Academic engagement: A review of the literature 2011-2019. Research Policy, 50(1), 104114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.104114
Peymanfar, M. (2026). Comparative evaluation of two approaches of traditional teaching and flipped learning on the dimensions of competence (knowledge, skill, and attitude) in teaching accounting course. Yafteh-ha-ye Pishravan-e Olum-e Tarbiati va Amuzeshi, 3(3), 1-10.
Ramadhania, J., & Kristiantari, M. R. (2021). Paired storytelling learning model assisted by paper puppet media on students' speaking skills. Journal of Education Technology, 4(4), 524-530. https://doi.org/10.23887/jet.v4i4.27108
Roehe, M. A., Trost, C., Grundnig, J. S., Anvari-Pirsch, A., & Holzinger, A. (2024). Evaluating the dynamics of learning approaches: A systematic review investigating the nexus between teaching methods and academic performance in medical and dental education. Educational psychology review, 36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09952-4
Sarıca, H. C. (2023). Emotions and digital storytelling in the educational context: A systematic review. Review of Education, 11(3), e3430. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3430
Sartania, N., Sneddon, S., Boyle, J., McQuarrie, E., & De Koning, H. P. (2022). Increasing collaborative discussion in case-based learning improves student engagement and knowledge acquisition. Medical Science Educator, 32, 1055-1064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-022-01614-w
Siregar, I. S., Arwin, A., Siregar, E., & Siregar, L. (2026). The existence of Islamic boarding schools in shaping the character of students: Between tradition and modernization (Case studies of Mushtofawiyah Islamic Boarding School and Darul Mursyid Islamic Boarding School). Al-Hikmah: Jurnal Agama dan Ilmu Pengetahuan, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.25299/ajaip.2026.vol23(1).25948
Soares, M. M. (2023). Narrating science: Can it benefit science learning, and how? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 60(9), 2042-2075. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21851
Strelan, P., Osborn, A., & Palmer, E. (2020). The flipped classroom: A meta-analysis of effects on student performance across disciplines and education levels. Educational Research Review, 30, 100314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100314
van Alten, D. C. D., Phielix, C., Janssen, J. J. H. M., & Kester, L. (2019). Effects of flipping the classroom on learning outcomes and satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 28, 100281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.05.003
Xiong, X. (2025). Influence of teaching styles of higher education teachers on students' engagement in learning: The mediating role of learning motivation. Education for Chemical Engineers, 51, 87-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2025.02.005
Downloads
Publication Timeline
- Submitted
- Revised
- Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 1404 Sami Mohammed Abdullah Abdullah (Author); Firooz Mahmoodi (Corresponding author); Ali Imanzadeh, Kiumars Taghipour (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
