The Talking Stick Model for Strengthening Students’ Speaking Skills in Phase A: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Speaking skills are a fundamental ability essential in Indonesian language learning in
elementary school as they support students in conveying ideas, feelings, and opinions orally;
however, empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of the Talking Stick model in Phase
A remains scattered and has not yet been integrated. This study aims to analyze the
contribution of the Talking Stick model to strengthening students’ speaking skills in Phase A
and to formulate implications for teaching practice and future research. The method used was
a systematic literature review following the PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-S guidelines through
a search on Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, DOAJ, and Garuda for publications from 2020 to
2025; from 406 initial records, 15 articles meeting the inclusion criteria were identified and
analyzed using thematic narrative synthesis. The results of the study indicate that the Talking
Stick model consistently enhances students’ oral participation, courage, self-confidence,
verbal responses, and speaking performance, particularly when supported by visual or
multimodal media such as pictures, pop-up books, mystery boxes, and audiovisual materials;
furthermore, structured turn-taking procedures help create an active and interactive learning
environment. In conclusion, the Talking Stick is relevant for strengthening students’ speaking
skills in Phase A of elementary school; however, generalizing these findings requires caution,
as most studies still focus on grades 3–5 and are dominated by action research and quasi-
experimental designs. Implications: future research needs to employ stronger designs, a
broader cross-school sample, and more detailed instrument reporting so that the
effectiveness of the Talking Stick in Phase A can be understood more convincingly