The Perspective of Pre-Service English Teachers' to the Independent Curriculum at
Universitas PGRI Jombang
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of study
In teaching English, there are essential components that support its process,
namely teachers, students, curriculum, materials, etc. Bahumaid (2008) claimed there
are several important components in EFL, namely curriculum, syllabus, teachers, and
students. For learning to be supported, these elements must be fulfilled. The curriculum,
which uses rules and a learning system to communicate learning objectives, is one of
the most important elements. The curriculum has a significant impact on the system of
education's quality and ability to accomplish objectives. the curriculum encompasses
educational policies, strategies, priorities, and ideas that shape an education system
(Inayati & et all, 2024). It can argue that the curriculum consists of a variety of
components, such as rules, guidelines, tactics, and priorities, all of which work together
to improve the standard of education. Rather, the core of teaching and learning activities
is the curriculum. It functions similarly to a system that arranges and establishes the
correct methods for educational teaching and learning in order to reach and accomplish
its goals.
Nowadays, the curriculum has been updated and modified in recent years. The
curriculum designers and creators have taken into account and investigated a number
of elements, including demands, developments in technology, and worldwide trends.
Therefore, both optimism and scepticism are always a result of change. The curriculum
must be updated and improved in order to reflect the times and the state of community
development. The main tenet of Indonesian education is the curriculum, which serves
as a tool for optimizing the learning process and is suitable for directing actual learning
(Dewanta, Sutama, & Wisudariani, 2019). One of them is that, given the learning loss
brought on by COVID-19, the curriculum needs to be adjusted to better fit the
circumstances of the post-pandemic learning system. To solve the learning crisis caused
by learning loss in Indonesia, several kinds of extensive and related initiatives are
required.
From 1947 until now, in Indonesia has undergone curriculum changes 14 times.
The details are Old Order Era (Orla), 1947 Lesson Plan Curriculum, the 1964
Elementary School Education Plan Curriculum, 1968 Elementary School Curriculum,
the 1973 Development School Pioneer Project Curriculum, 1975 SD Curriculum, 1975
Curriculum, 1984 Curriculum, 1994 Curriculum, 1994 Curriculum Revision in 1997,
2004 Competency-Based Curriculum (KBK), 2006 Study Unit Level Curriculum
(KTSP), curriculum 2013, and the last is Merdeka Curriculum. The Merdeka
Curriculum policy is being implemented by the Indonesian Ministry of Education,
Culture, Research, and Technology in an effort to solve curriculum flaws. Mr. Nadiem
Makarim as Minister of Education in Indonesia has launched a new curriculum named
Independent Curriculum. Independent Curriculum is a new achievement after the K-13
Curriculum which has changed and new achievements for Indonesian Education. The
implementation of the independent learning curriculum ideally has characteristics that
are different from the curriculum that has been applied before in Indonesia.
Hidayati (2024) The Merdeka Curriculum is a variety of educational initiatives
supported by the Indonesian government is the Merdeka curriculum, which provides
educational institutions the freedom and flexibility to design a curriculum that is
relevant according to the specific circumstances, the requirements of the students, and
the issues faced by the world currently. therefore, A more flexible competences
approach is strongly emphasized in the Merdeka Curriculum, which should make it
easier for instructors to develop the lessons that will be taught. In addition, element of
the Merdeka curriculum is contextual learning which takes into account students' needs
and personal development (Vebrianto & et all, 2024). As a result, implementing a
Merdeka curriculum that is in line with 21st-century education calls for pupils to
develop into genuinely flexible and self-sufficient learners.
Based on data submitted by the Minister, it can be seen that the implementation
of the 2013 Curriculum has gone well. The Merdeka Curriculum resulted in a reduction
in learning loss for one month, while the implementation of the 2013 Curriculum
resulted in a reduction in learning loss for six months. These results encouraged the
Minister to begin developing a curriculum known as the Merdeka Curriculum. Merdeka
Curriculum is a curriculum with various extracurricular activities, where the subject
matter is optimized so that students have enough time to explore their concepts and
strengthen their competencies. Teachers can choose various teaching tools so that
learning can be adjusted to students' learning needs and interests. The existence of the
Merdeka (independent) curriculum is a restructuring of the Indonesian national
education system. This declaration was welcomed in the framework of the nation's
transformation and progress to adapt to changing times (Vebrianto & et all, 2024).
Consequently, Merdeka Curriculum is defined as a lesson plan that offers opportunities
for students to learn in a calm, relaxed, enjoyable, stress-free, and pressure-free manner
to demonstrate their natural abilities. The Merdeka Curriculum focuses on freedom and
creative thinking.
The advantages of the Independent Curriculum explained by the Ministry of
Education and Culture (2021) are the focus on core material and the gradual
development of student competencies so that students can learn more deeply,
meaningfully, and enjoyably, without rushing. Learning becomes more relevant and
interactive through project activities that provide students with wider opportunities to
actively explore current issues such as the environment, health, and other issues to
support the development of character and competency profiles of Pancasila Students.
According to him, the Merdeka Curriculum carries the concept of "Independent
Learning" which is different from the 2013 Curriculum. Sherly et al., (2020) Merdeka
Curriculum means giving freedom to schools, teachers, and students to freely innovate,
learn independently, and be creative, where this freedom starts from the teacher as the
driving force. In addition, Merdeka Curriculum also gives teachers the freedom to
design learning according to the needs and conditions of students in the classroom.
According to Muin, Abdul et al. (2022) the Merdeka Curriculum has also been
applied to various subjects, including English. The goal of studying English is to
improve proficiency in the six language skills—speaking, listening, reading, writing,
and integrating different kinds of texts. The general method for learning English is a
text-based method (sometimes known as a genre-based method), which stresses texts
in a variety of formats, including written, spoken, visual, audio, and multimedia.
Furthermore, the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum has a major impact on the
learning process, not only for students, but also for teachers, including pre-service
teachers. Pre-service teacher program students or perspective e teachers at the
undergraduate level are required to not only understand the contents of the curriculum
theoretically, but also be able to apply the principles of the Merdeka Curriculum in real
learning practices in schools. In practice, the Merdeka Curriculum requires pre-service
teachers to be able to design differentiated learning, prepare authentic assessments, and
integrate the values of the Pancasila Student Profile into every learning activity. This
has a direct impact on the perspective of pre-service teachers who are just getting to
know the dynamics of the world of education in the field. They not only need to
understand the structure of the new curriculum, but also have to adapt to a more flexible,
creative, and contextual learning approach.
The Pre-Service English Teacher is an English Department student who carries
out practical learning in class as a form of training prior to the teaching profession as a
form of the process of maturation and experience of becoming a teacher (Adita, 2024).
Before becoming a competent English teacher, an English Teacher Pre-service teacher
must be carried out in order to improve understanding of classroom. Pre-service
teachers, especially prospective English teachers, face additional challenges because
they must be able to link global teaching materials with local contexts and national
character values as mandated in the Pancasila profile. The approach used in English
learning in general is a text-based approach (genre-based approach), which emphasizes
texts in various modes, both oral, written, visual, audio, and multimedia.
In addition, Ashfihana (2021) said that Pre-service teachers are defined as
students enrolled in a teacher preparation program who must successfully complete
degree requirements including special assignments and field experiences before being
granted a teaching license. In recent years, a new field of study in our country has
focused on the perspective Prospective teachers must go through several steps before
they can start leading their classes. One of the requirements to become a teacher is that
they must have at least a bachelor's degree (Permendiknas, 2007). Before becoming a
teacher, prospective teachers must also complete two teaching programs, namely
micro-teaching and teaching practice/PLP study (Center for Development and
Education). These programs are the culmination assigned by universities or colleges for
prospective teachers (Teaching Practice Guidebook, Universitas PGRI Jombang).
In this research, researcher wants to explore How do the Pre-Service English
Teachers implement teaching and learning process in Merdeka Curriculum. What are
the challenges and obstacles of Pre-Service English Teachers in implementing of
Merdeka Curriculum because they have different ways to see it. Thus, this research is
only intended for Pre-Service English Teachers who implement Merdeka Curriculum
at the Senior High School level. There are many phenomena that explain the many
challenges and obstacles experienced based on the experience of Pre-Service English
Teachers.
This study was conducted on students of Universitas PGRI Jombang, English
Education study program 2020 who carried out teaching practice (PPL) using the
Merdeka Curriculum in academic year 2023/2024. Pre-service teachers 2023/2024 are
second-year pre-service teachers who carry out teaching practice using the independent
curriculum that has been implemented depending on the policies of each school.
Therefore, the researcher took a study entitled “The Perspective of Pre-Service English
Teachers' to the Independent Curriculum at Universitas PGRI Jombang”.
B. Problem statement
Based on the research background above, the researcher formulated the problem
formulation is how are the perspective of English teachers perceive in implementing
Merdeka curriculum as a new curriculum?
C. Research purposes
Based on the formulation of the problem, the research objective is to find out
the perspective of pre-service English teachers towards the independent curriculum.
D. Significance of the research
1. Theoretically
The Researcher hopes to provide some information related to the perception of
the Pre-service English teachers’ about applying the Merdeka Curriculum that
focuses on ELT who have carried out teaching practices using the Merdeka
Curriculum as a new learning process, it can be used as a reference in improving
the next learning process with the same or different methods and methods.
2. In practical terms
The researcher aims that this study will aid teachers with their education and
give useful information to students, teachers, and other researchers, among other
stakeholders. The finest learning methodologies for the Merdeka Curriculum and
other curricula can be supervised and provided by teachers. in order for learning
tasks to be completed successfully. Additionally, the researcher expects that the
findings of this study will provide information for comparison and consideration by
the parties involved regarding whether curriculum adjustments at this time are the
best course of action for resolving teaching issues and raising the standard of
instruction in Indonesia.
E. Scope and Limitations
This research focused on pre-service teachers’ perceptions of English Language
Teaching (ELT) in the Merdeka Curriculum. In this teaching case, the Researcher
examined pre-service teachers’ perceptions of implementing teaching tools in the
Merdeka Curriculum. The teaching tool referred to the teaching module and P5 (Projek
Penguatan Profil Pelajar Pancasila). The teaching module discussed General
information, Core components, and appendices in the teaching module. Furthermore,
the P5 discusses six elements P5 namely: Having faith, devotion to the one and only
god, and having a noble character; Global diversity; Working together; Self-sufficient;
Critical thinking; Creative. The Researcher carried out this study at Universitas PGRI
Jombang where they are students of English Education study program in 2020 who
carried out teaching practice (PPL) using the Merdeka Curriculum in academic year
2023/2024.
F. Definition of key terms
1. Merdeka Curriculum
Since 2021, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology
has been creating the Merdeka Curriculum, which emphasizes character
development through the Pancasila Student Profile and promotes flexible, studentcentered learning. Teachers can modify lessons to fit the needs of their students and
the school environment thanks to this curriculum. In line, Chipa, et al (2023)
Merdeka curriculum is focusing on their interests and what they have mastered in a
subject outside of their hobbies and skills, children are encouraged to learn as freely
as possible in a calm, relaxed, and joyful manner without being burdened by certain
pressures. This way, each child's portfolio reflects their passion at school.
2. English Pre-Service Teacher
Pre-service teachers are the education and training provided to teacher students
before they undertake any teaching. According to Hidayati (2024) Pre-service
English teachers are students who take courses directly in the English education
department of the Faculty of Education. They are preparing to become professional
teachers at school They are usually in their final semester and have or are
undergoing Field Experience Practice (PPL).
3. Perception
According to the Oxford Dictionary, perception in language is the ability to observe
or comprehend something. In the limited definition, perception refers to sight, or
how someone sees things, whereas in the wider sense, perception refers to a view
or understanding, or how someone sees or interprets something (Azizah, 2023). It
can be concluded that teacher perception is the perspective, interpretation, or voice
of educators that arises about the knowledge or experience they gain from what they
see or hear, and they then translate it into an assumption based on their
comprehension.