Old Tales, New Skills: Exploring the Influence of Fables on EFL Writing Performance

Abstract

This quasi-experimental mixed-methods study investigated the efficacy of integrating fables into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction to enhance high school students’ writing proficiency and critical thinking. Conducted with 65 A1-level learners aged 15–16, this research employed pre- and post-tests to evaluate improvements in paragraph structure, grammatical accuracy, vocabulary range, and critical problem-solving skills. At the outset, participants demonstrated difficulties with verb tense consistency, sentence construction, and the logical organization of ideas. Thus, an eight-week intervention was implemented, using a series of fable-based activities that included moral interpretation, character analysis, and narrative reconstruction, providing repetitive and contextualized input and opportunities for meaningful writing practice. Results showed that this scaffolded approach significantly softened initial problems, leading to marked gains in writing coherence, cohesion, lexical diversity, syntactical precision, and expansion of vocabulary. Furthermore, the tasks were effective in enhancing critical thinking, students learned to formulate and justify arguments, interpret implicit messages, analyze narrative structures, and consider alternative perspectives. Students also strengthened their ability to evaluate information and recognize biases, producing more well-supported written responses. These findings affirmed fables as a powerful tool that effectively harmonizes linguistic development with critical reasoning. The study suggests further research into integrating AI with story-based writing activities to promote creativity and differentiated instruction.