Analysis of the Need for Developing Creative Dice Media in Teaching Fantasy Story Writing to Junior High School Students

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS ISSN(print): 2643-9840, ISSN(online): 2643-9875 Volume 08 Issue 12 December 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijmra/v8-i12-35, Impact Factor: 8.266 Page No. 6888-6891 IJMRA, Volume 08 Issue 12 December 2025 www.ijmra.in Page 6888 Analysis of the Need for Developing Creative Dice Media in Teaching Fantasy Story Writing to Junior High School Students Lia Metha Sevita Ika Sulistiyarini1, Ika Septiana2, Harjito3 1,2,3 Graduate Program in Indonesian Language and Literature Education. PGRI University Semarang ABSTRACT: This study aims to describe the analysis of the needs of students and teachers regarding the development of Creative Dice as a medium for teaching seventh-grade junior high school students to write fantasy stories. The needs analysis was conducted through written interviews with 58 students from two schools: SMP Daarul Qur'an Ungaran and SMP Negeri 3 Ungaran. The results of the study show that most respondents stated that the Indonesian language learning process is still dominated by conventional lecture and assignment methods. In addition, most students admitted to having difficulty finding story ideas and facing obstacles in developing characters, settings, and conflicts in fantasy stories. These findings indicate the need for innovative learning media that is visual, interactive, and capable of stimulating ideas. Creative Dice media has the potential to be a solution by providing an interesting and enjoyable learning experience that stimulates students' creativity in writing fantasy stories. KEYWORDS: Needs analysis, Creative dice, writing fantasy stories, Learning media. INTRODUCTION Indonesian language learning at the junior high school level in the Merdeka curriculum focuses on mastery of four main elements, namely listening, reading and viewing, writing, and speaking. Writing is a language skill that plays a strategic role in developing critical thinking, creativity, and the ability of students to convey ideas in a structured manner (Tarigan, 2008). Writing is not just a mechanical activity, but a creative process that transforms ideas, experiences, and feelings into meaningful written symbols (Semi, 2021). In literature classes, one type of writing that is important to develop in junior high school students is fantasy stories. Fantasy stories provide a broad imaginative space for students to express their creativity, expand their emotional horizons, and develop different ways of thinking. Fantasy stories include various forms of text such as fairy tales, fables, and imaginary stories that allow students to explore imaginary worlds through characters, conflicts, and settings that are not limited by reality (Sri Widayati, 2020). The activity of writing fantasy stories has significant benefits for the intellectual, social, and emotional development of students, including enriching their vocabulary and fostering creative thinking skills (Mohamad & Suparno, 2008). However, teaching fantasy writing in schools still faces various challenges. Previous studies show that many students have difficulty finding ideas, creating characters, developing plots, and organizing stories coherently (Fitriani & Mukh, 2021). These obstacles have an impact on students' interest and motivation to write. Observations in several schools also show that writing instruction tends to be conventional, where teachers more often use lecture methods and only give writing assignments without adequate creative stimuli. This makes the learning process monotonous and less interesting for students. One of the main factors contributing to the low level of fantasy writing skills is the lack of interesting, interactive learning media that is tailored to the characteristics of students. Various studies confirm that innovative learning media can increase students' motivation, participation, and writing skills (Hutagaol et al., 2024). However, writing lessons in the classroom still rarely involve visual media or educational games that can provide direct stimulus for ideas. As a result, students tend to experience writer's block when asked to write from scratch without the help of idea triggers. Seeing this need, the development of creative and enjoyable learning media has become very important to support fantasy story writing activities. One relevant innovative medium is creative dice, which is a learning medium modified from conventional dice games and arranged based on intrinsic story elements. Creative dice consist of three dice, each containing elements of characters, setting, and conflict, so that they can trigger ideas quickly and in a focused manner (Nurgiyantoro, 2018b). Analysis of the Need for Developing Creative Dice Media in Teaching Fantasy Story Writing to Junior High School Students IJMRA, Volume 08 Issue 12 December 2025 www.ijmra.in Page 6889 The use of creative dice has been proven to create a more interactive and enjoyable learning atmosphere, as well as increase the motivation and creativity of students (Sadiman et al., 2018). Based on these issues, a needs analysis is required to determine the actual learning conditions, the difficulties faced by students and teachers, and the need for relevant learning media. This needs analysis is an important basis for developing creative dice media as an alternative for teaching seventh-grade junior high school students how to write fantasy stories. Thus, this study aims to describe the needs of teachers and students in developing creative dice media for teaching fantasy story writing. METHOD Research Approaches and Types This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach within the framework of research and development (R&D). In R&D studies, needs analysis is a very important initial stage for identifying learning conditions, student difficulties, and teachers' needs for learning media (Sugiyono, 2015). In the context of this article, the research focuses on the needs analysis stage as the basis for developing creative dice media for learning to write fantasy stories. Needs analysis is conducted to determine the relevance, urgency, and potential use of media in improving students' writing skills. A qualitative approach is used to describe the learning phenomenon in depth, while quantitative data (percentage of questionnaire responses) is used to support the description of needs. This is in line with Borg and Gall's (1989) view that user needs are the main basis for the development of an educational product. Research Location and Subject: 1. Research Location The research was conducted at two schools in Semarang Regency, namely: SMP Daarul Qur'an Ungaran and SMP Negeri 3 Ungaran. The selection of two schools with different characteristics was carried out using purposive sampling so that the description of learning media needs would be more comprehensive. 2. Subject Location The research subjects consisted of two Indonesian language teachers and 58 seventh-grade students, comprising 26 students from Daarul Qur'an Ungaran Junior High School and 32 students from Ungaran 3 Public Junior High School. These subjects were selected based on their direct involvement in the process of learning to write fantasy stories, enabling them to provide valid data regarding media development needs (Sukmadinata, 2017). Data Collection Techniques Written interviews with teachers were used to explore the learning methods used, the media employed, the difficulties faced by students, and teachers' views on the need for new learning media. Written interviews with students were conducted to obtain information about their learning experiences, interests and motivation towards writing, difficulties in finding ideas, and interest in creative dice media. RESULTS This study describes the results of an analysis of the needs of teachers and students regarding the development of creative dice media in teaching fantasy story writing in junior high schools. The findings from the field were compared with theoretical studies and previous research results to provide a comprehensive picture of the urgency and relevance of developing such media. 1. The teaching of fantasy writing is still conventional. The results of the written interviews showed that 50 of the 58 students (86.2%) stated that writing instruction was still dominated by the lecture method. Teachers explained the material and then assigned students to write without any variation in strategies or visual media to support the creative process. This condition is in line with the findings of Fitriani & Mukh (2021), who noted that writing instruction in junior high schools is often carried out traditionally, making it less able to stimulate students' imagination. In addition, Hayati Futri & Supriatna (2020) found that monotonous methods result in low motivation and creativity among students in writing fantasy stories. The findings of this study confirm that the use of lecture methods alone is not sufficient to produce an interesting and creative learning process, especially for fantasy story writing material, which requires strong stimuli. 2. Difficulties Students Face in Finding Story Ideas Most students from both schools admitted to having difficulty finding initial ideas for writing fantasy stories. Students said they often felt “confused,” “ran out of ideas,” or “didn't know where to start.” The dominant difficulties that arose included: Analysis of the Need for Developing Creative Dice Media in Teaching Fantasy Story Writing to Junior High School Students IJMRA, Volume 08 Issue 12 December 2025 www.ijmra.in Page 6890 1. Finding story ideas 2. Designing characters and personalities 3. Establishing an imaginative setting and time period 4. Developing conflicts or problems in the story. These findings are consistent with Mohamad & Suparno (2008) who argue that writing requires creative and divergent thinking skills, so students need ideas to stimulate the writing process. Difficulties in writing fantasy stories have also been reported by Sri Widayati (2020) as a major obstacle for students because the fantasy genre requires a high level of imagination and a well-planned story structure. Thus, learning media that can provide visual stimuli to generate ideas quickly and purposefully is needed. 3. Minimum Learning Media that Supports Student Creativity Teachers from both schools said that the use of learning media in writing materials was not optimal. Supporting media such as pictures, videos, or educational games were rarely used. Students also admitted that during lessons, teachers only used textbooks or blackboards. However, according to Arsyad (2019), interesting learning media can increase attention, motivation, and learning retention. Sadiman et al. (2018) also stated that interactive media can help students build concepts more easily and effectively. The lack of creative media makes writing lessons feel monotonous, so that students do not get a learning experience that stimulates creativity. 4. Teachers' and Students' Needs for Creative Learning Media The written interview results show that teachers and students have a high need for learning media that is: 1. Fun, 2. Easy to use, 3. Interactive, 4. Generates ideas spontaneously, 5. Encourages creativity, 6. Suitable for junior high school students. In addition, students stated that they preferred learning through visual media or game activities that made the classroom more lively. This supports the constructivist view that students learn more effectively when they are actively involved in activities. This need shows that creative learning media such as creative dice are highly relevant to facilitate a more lively and meaningful learning process. 5. Creative Dice Media as an Important Solution in Learning to Write Fantasy Stories Creative dice contain the intrinsic elements of fantasy stories, namely characters, settings, and conflicts. When used in learning, students will shake the dice and get three different elements that must be arranged into a story. This process directly stimulates creative thinking skills, encourages active participation, and makes it easier for them to start the writing process. Nurgiyantoro (2018a) states that characters, setting, and conflict are the core elements in constructing a story. Thus, creative dice media actually function as idea generators that help students visualize story elements spontaneously. In addition, positive responses from teachers indicate that this media is easy to use, flexible, and can be applied in individual and group learning. This reinforces the urgency of developing creative dice media as a potential alternative media for improving fantasy story writing skills. 6. The Urgency of Media Development Based on Findings from Needs Analysis Overall, the results of the needs analysis at the two schools show that: 1. Conventional learning methods are no longer adequate to stimulate students' creativity in writing. 2. Students need visual and contextual stimuli to help them find ideas. 3. Creative learning media are not yet optimally available in schools. 4. Teachers and students show a high level of interest in game-based learning media. 5. Creative dice have great potential to meet these needs. These findings are in line with the initial principles of research and development (Borg et al., 1989), which state that the development of educational products must begin with a strong and empirical needs analysis. Therefore, the results of this study provide a valid basis for further development in the form of the design, validation, and testing of creative dice as a medium for learning to write fantasy stories. Analysis of the Need for Developing Creative Dice Media in Teaching Fantasy Story Writing to Junior High School Students IJMRA, Volume 08 Issue 12 December 2025 www.ijmra.in Page 6891 DISCUSSION The results of the study indicate that there is a high need for the development of innovative learning media for teaching junior high school students how to write fantasy stories. Based on a needs analysis conducted on 58 students from Daarul Qur'an Ungaran Junior High School and Ungaran 3 Public Junior High School, it was found that 50 students (86.2%) stated that writing lessons still used lecture-based or conventional methods. The dominance of these methods resulted in lessons that were less interactive and did not provide sufficient stimulus for students to imagine creatively. In addition, it was found that most students had difficulty finding and developing ideas for fantasy stories. The most common difficulties included choosing characters, determining the setting, and developing the conflict in the story. The lack of interesting learning media that was suitable for the characteristics of the students was a major factor contributing to their low ability to write fantasy stories. Teachers from both schools also emphasized the need for learning media that can help students visualize story elements and encourage their creativity. This shows that conventional learning has not met the needs of students in writing fantasy stories. CONCLUSION Thus, this needs analysis confirms that the development of Creative Dice Media is highly relevant and urgent. This media has the potential to provide concrete, interactive, and enjoyable ideas, thereby enhancing students' creativity, motivation, and ability to write fantasy stories. These findings provide a strong basis for continuing research into the design, development, and feasibility testing of this media. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We would like to express our gratitude to the Graduate Program in Indonesian Language and Literature Education, PGRI University Semarang for their support and facilities during this research. We also appreciate the lecturers who contributed their knowledge in the preparation and guidance of this research. We hope that the results of this research will be beneficial for Indonesian language education. REFERENCES 1) Arsyad, A. (2019). Media Pembelajaran. Rajawali Pers. 2) Borg, Walter, R., & Gall. (1989). Educational Research: An Introduction, Fifth Edition. Instructor’s manual. Longman. 3) Fitriani, A. S., & Mukh, D. (2021). Peningkatan Keterampilan Menulis Teks Cerita Imajinasi Bermuatan Kearifan Lokal Menggunakan Model Scaffolded Writing Berbantuan Media Gambar Berkata Kunci Pada Peserta Didik Kelas VII. JPBSI: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia, 10(1), 52–60. https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/jpbsi 4) Hayati Futri, A., & Supriatna, E. (2020). 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