Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate how narrative texts contribute to students’ cultural awareness and to explore students’ perceptions of their role in enriching cultural awareness. Employing a descriptive qualitative design, this study involved 23 tenth-grade students from a senior high school. Data were collected through interviews and document analysis and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that narrative texts contributed to the development of students’ cultural awareness through three main aspects: cultural values, beliefs and traditions, and moral and ethical lessons. The students were able to identify cultural elements presented in the stories, recognize cultural similarities and differences, understand cultural identities, and interpret cultural meanings embedded in the narratives. The findings also indicated that students developed greater awareness of cultural diversity and reflected on the values and perspectives represented in different cultural contexts. Furthermore, the students perceived narrative texts as an effective medium for learning culture because they enriched their understanding of cultural values, traditions, beliefs, and social life while encouraging them to appreciate cultural diversity and relate the messages conveyed in the stories to their everyday experiences. In conclusion, narrative texts function not only as reading materials but also as an effective pedagogical medium for fostering students’ cultural awareness by introducing cultural values, beliefs, traditions, and moral perspectives represented in diverse cultural contexts.
