The Profile of Indonesian Children Authors and Its Implication
Towards Literacy Affirmation
Seni Apriliya, Hodidjah Hodidjah, Yajid Nur Salim and Rizki Siddiq Nugraha
Primary Teacher Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dadaha No 18 Kota Tasikmalaya, Indonesia
Keywords: Profile, Indonesian Children Authors, Literacy Affirmation.
Abstract: This study aims to describe the profile of Indonesian children authors. The data source in this study were the
five best of children story writing works entitled NT LMCA (Naskah Terbaik Lomba Menulis Cerita Anak)
which are selected purposively. This study employs document analysis consisting of repetitive reading,
categorizing, tabulating, and data inferencing. From the results, it is found that (1) there are more female
authors in comparison with male, (2) ones ranging from ten to eleven years old; (3) all the authors have
reading and writing interests; (3) most of them come of Java; (4) most of them go to public schools; and (5)
they have father with a variety of professions. The implication of this study is that there are needs to
optimize children literacy for male authors, for students in MI (Madrasah Ibtidaiyah)/Islamic Primary
School, and for those living outside Java Island.
1 INTRODUCTION
Literary appreciation in learning requires not only
educators and learners to have knowledge of literary
content, but also context. That is, in addition to
understanding the work of literature, it is important
to understand the author's figure. As Resmini et al.
(2009) said that the teacher must master the
knowledge of story forms, story elements and
knowledge of the author. Based on preliminary
study results, a large number of elementary students
(86 %) in Tasikmalaya did not know about the
author of the child so that almost all (97%) claimed
that want to know more about children authors.
Authors are often identified with writers. Even
within the KBBI provides mutual information, that
writer is author, and author is writer. However, there
is a significant difference between an author and a
writer. An author may often be known as a writer.
However, any writer may not be categorized as
author. Writers often compose their papers based on
existing materials, which are processed in certain
perspective or a new and/or different perspective.
While an author relies more on imagination and
cultivate the results of contemplation in a paper. As
Suhadi (2007) notes that the author is the creator of
something that did not exist into existence; the
authors make up empty stuff to be contained because
the essay is result of reflection or result of
imagination.
In general, author moves in the field of fiction.
The terminology of children is a human being is still
small, is a stage or period from one age to
adulthood. According to Hasanudin (2015) on the
basis of a general sense, the word "child" in this case
is more accurately called the term "childhood,"
addressed to humans aged 6 to 12, which is age
parameters have not been classified teenager,
moreover adult. Thus, female author is an author
category of childhood and female sex that composed
a fictional story (child literature).
Literary, children literature has specific
characteristics. Pragmatically, Hunt (1993) suggests
children literature is a book deliberately provided for
children to read. Based on the content, children's
literature is limited to images or images of life that
reflect the feelings and experiences of today's
children, which can be seen and understood through
children’s eye and according to their level of
experience and maturity (Tarigan, 2011; Silva, 2014;
Benton, 1994). In addition to the intrinsic elements
that make up the story, children's literature also has
extrinsic elements that have many benefits for
children’s lives, including stimulating cognitive,
personality, and social development; enriching
children’s experience; develop visual literacy;
improve language experience; and improve global
654
Apriliya, S., Hodidjah, H., Salim, Y. and Nugraha, R.
The Profile of Indonesian Children Authors and Its Implication Towards Literacy Affirmation.
DOI: 10.5220/0007172706540657
In Proceedings of the Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference
on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017) - Literacy, Culture, and Technology in Language Pedagogy and Use, pages 654-657
ISBN: 978-989-758-332-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

understanding (Tarigan, 2011; Pritchard and
Buchanan, 2005).
One of children literary forms is children story
compiled in five books of the LMCA Best Script
(NT LMCA) written by children authors. Children
story in the book is the best script as the winner of
Children Writing Competition (LMCA) competition
for elementary/MI students held by Directorate
General of Primary Education Ministry of Education
and Culture since 2011.
The competition is one form of government
literacy affirmation to motivate the growth of next
generation literacy. In 2012, NT LMCA book
contains 15 stories, in 2012 NT LMCA book
contains 13 stories, in 2013 NT LMCA book
contains 13 stories, in 2014 NT LMCA book
contains 15 stories, then in 2015 NT LMCA book
contains 10 stories. In addition to the best stories,
each volume of NT LMCA also includes the profiles
of authors, in this case is children author.
A profile in this context is description or
overview about thing. As Septiana (2015) said that a
profile is a description of a person or group in
description a data state of a person or group. In this
study, the profile in question research is a
description or overview of facts about Indonesian
children authors who produce works, namely NT
LMCA. More specifically on the description or
circumstances data of children authors include age,
passion, parent occupation, residence, and school.
This profile is important, especially to obtain authors
data in terms of interests and literacy activities.
Literacy is a complex ability, encompassing
individual skills in thinking as well as using
knowledge resources in various forms (print, visual,
digital, and auditory) to improve the quality of life.
Literacy affirmation refers to any form of literacy
start from conceptual to procedural level,
individually, community groups or governments to
improve literacy skills (Apriliya, 2016). Literacy
affirmations are born from the assumption that even
though our nation has a low literacy rate, it does not
mean without literacy competence at all. At the very
least, a large number of our societies have basic
literacy capabilities. So the affirmation of literacy in
this context, more oriented on how to make people
"willing" to do literacy activities, regardless of what
his profession, what gender, and no matter what age.
This legacy affirmation needs to be done, especially
in elementary school because basic education is a
crucial site of practice where at this time the children
formed the first relationship with school in formal
learning process (Comber in Roche, 2015).
2 METHODS
This research aims to describe the profile of authors.
Therefore, it used a qualitative approach with
descriptive method. Documentation studies were
conducted on the child's author's text profiles
contained in the book NT LMCA, with repetitive
reading techniques, categorizing, tabulating, and
compiling data inference based on research question.
The data source of this research is five volumes of
NT LMCA Year 2011-2015.
3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
NT LMCA from 2011-2015 consist of 66 children
authors. In the NT LMCA there are data on children
authors called profiles. Septiana (2015) states that
profile is a description of person or group in form of
a data state person. To find out the data of
Indonesian children authors, the 66 children authors
were identified based on the profile indicator,
including age, gender, passion, parent occupation,
residence, school, ideals, and achievement.
3.1 Male Authors
The profile of male in NT LMCA had diversity in
terms of age, passion, parent occupation, residence,
and school. In terms of ideals and achievements is
difficult to identify. By age, the male profile consists
of 33.33% of the authors’ 10-year-old and 66.67%
of the 11-year-old authors.
Based on the passion, profile of male authors had
a diverse avidity. Overall, male profiles have various
types of passions such as 47.37% of reading authors,
36.84% of writing authors, and 15.79% of authors
who enjoy sports.
The profile of male authors are based on their
parents job are dominated as a teacher. It was
identified that 42.86% of authors had a father as a
teacher, 28.57% of authors had an employee's father,
14.29% of authors had a principal's father and
14.29% of authors had father as a civil servant.
Whereas 42.86% of authors had mother as a teacher,
28.57% of authors had mother as a housewife,
14.29% of authors had mothers as a lecturer, and
14,29% of authors had an employee's mother.
The profile of male authors come from different
regions and is spread from different provinces.
Detailed data show that 33.33% of the authors’ lives
in Central Java, 33.33% of the authors’ lives in East
Java, 11.11% of the authors’ lives in North
Sulawesi, and 22.22 authors reside in West Papua.
The Profile of Indonesian Children Authors and Its Implication Towards Literacy Affirmation
655

Male authors are elementary school students who
attend public and private schools. Of the nine male
authors, 77.78% of authors attend private elementary
schools and 22.22% of authors attend primary
school.
The profile of female authors in the LMCA Best
Manuscript had a diversity in terms of age, passion,
parent occupation, residence, school, ideals, and
achievements.
3.2 Female Authors
By age, the profile of the female authors consists of
2.08% of 8-year-old authors, 12.5% of 9-year-old
authors, 22.92% of 10-year-old authors, 39.58% of
11-year-old authors, 18.75% of authors 12 years old,
and 4.17% of 13-year-old authors.
Based on the passion, the profile of female
authors had a diverse avidity. Overall, female
authors profiles have various types of passions such
as 40.16% of writing authors, 37.7% of reading
authors, 4.1% of painting authors, 3.28% of watch
writers, and 14.75% of authors have other hobbies.
The profile of the authors is based on their
parents job that 29.73% of authors had an employers'
father, 21.62% of authors had an employee's father,
13.51% of authors had a teacher's father, 5.41% of
authors had father as a civil servant, 5.41% of
authors had a lecturer's father, 5.41% of authors had
an architect father, 5.41% of authors had a soldier's
father, and 16.22% of authors had working fathers.
While 46.34% of the authors had a mother as a
housewife, 26.83% of the authors had a teacher's
mother, 9.76% of authors had a businesswoman's
mother, 7.32% of authors had mothers as a civil
servant, and 9.76% of authors had mothers who
works in other jobs.
The profile of female authors comes from
different areas and spread from different provinces.
28.89% of the authors’ life in West Java, 28.89% of
the authors stay in East Java, 17.78% of the authors’
life in Central Java, 11.11% of the authors stay in
Yogyakarta, 4, 44% of authors’ life in West
Kalimantan, and 8.89% of authors stay in other
provinces.
Female authors are elementary and junior high
school students who attend public and private
schools. From 57 female authors, 50% of the authors
attended elementary school, 43.75% of the authors
attended private elementary schools, 4.17% of the
authors attended state MI, and 2.08% of the authors
went to private MI.
Based on the ideals, the authors of girls 60% of
authors want to become a writers, 20% of authors
want to make books, and 20% authors have other
dreams.
The achievements of female authors are
dominated in writing, with 70.97% of authors have
achievements in writing, 6.45% of authors have
achievements in oration, 6.45% of authors have
achievements in painting, 6.45% authors have
achievements in Science Competition, and 9.68% of
authors have achievements in other fields.
As well as appreciation of children's literature, as
a valuable source for understanding societies,
teaching practices, and ourselves (Lo, 2012),
appreciation of children's authors is also expected to
enrich our perspective.
The results show that, in accordance with the
opinion of Tarigan (2011), and Pritchard and
Buchanan (2005) children's literature has many
benefits for children, even those benefits can be
obtained from the profile of the author who has good
character and achievement. In addition, the results of
the study also strengthened the opinion Apriliya
(2016) on the affirmation of literacy for elementary
school students by following the profile of children
authors in NT LMCA who likes to read and love to
write. This is also relevant to the opinion of Comber
(Roche, 2015) that affirmation of literacy needs to
be cultivated since the elementary school is the
crucial site of practice where the children formed the
first relationship with the school in formal learning
process.
4 CONCLUSIONS
Most of the Indonesian children authors' profiles on
NT LMCA can be identified, based on indicators of
age, gender, passion, residence, school, ideals, and
achievement. Indicators of ideals and achievements
profiles in male authors’ cannot be fully identified,
because of the limited text that indicates the ideals
and achievements of it.
The dominant indicator on the profile of a male
authors’ are 11 years old, likes to read, had parents
who work as a teacher, life in Central and East Java,
and goes to private elementary school.
The dominant indicator on the profile of female
authors’ are 10 years old, had a housewife mother,
goes to a public elementary school, aspires to be a
writer, and had achievements in writing.
CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology
Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education
656

5 IMPLICATIONS
At least, there are two important implications of the
research findings, namely appreciations, and
affirmations.
The author of Indonesian children has positive
characteristics, especially on aspects of hobbies,
ideals, and achievements. Therefore, in addition to
teaching the story of their work, teachers need to
inform the authors of the child, as a source of
inspiration and motivation for other children. So,
appreciation is not only given to the work, but also
to the author.
The distribution of children's authors is not
evenly distributed. Therefore, affirmation of literacy,
(in the form of learning, mentoring, or training
programs), need to be more optimized and focused
on male students, students in MI (Madrasah
Ibtidaiyah)/Islamic Primary School, and for those
living outside Java island. As well as children who
live outside the island of Java.
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