The Tunglanta Model for Enhancing Creativity in Poetry Writing

Abstract

Poetry writing is a form of creative literacy that requires students to transform experience, vocabulary, imagination, diction, figurative language, and imagery into aesthetically meaningful texts. This classroom action research examined the implementation of the Bunglanta model (Sambung Silang Kata, or cross-linking words) and its contribution to students’ engagement and creativity in poetry writing. The study was conducted in Class X IPA-2 of SMA Negeri 1 Gunungsari during the second semester of the 2021/2022 academic year. The action consisted of two cycles, each comprising planning, action, observation, and reflection, with two face-to-face meetings per cycle. Data were obtained from classroom observations, students’ poems, and documentation and were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. Cycle I focused on students’ understanding of the physical and inner structures of poetry. Cycle II implemented Bunglanta through modeling, word collection, theme selection, diction selection, collaborative composition, individual poetry writing, presentation, evaluation, and appreciation. Comparison of pre-action and post-action poems indicated qualitative development in four assessed dimensions: novelty of theme and meaning, strength of imagination, diction and word combination, and use of figurative language and imagery. Classroom observations also indicated broader student participation during the second cycle. The findings suggest that Bunglanta can serve as a structured lexical-combinational scaffold for poetry writing; however, because the original study did not report numerical pretest-posttest scores or a comparison group, the improvement should be interpreted as descriptive classroom evidence rather than a quantified causal effect.