Schools’ support in the implementation of the Emancipated Curriculum in secondary schools in Indonesia

Abstract

In the context of Indonesian secondary schools, the transition to the Emancipated Curriculum, known as Kurikulum Merdeka, represents a profound shift in teaching paradigms necessitated by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper investigates the extent and nature of support offered by secondary schools to English teachers in implementing the Emancipated Curriculum, a critical yet underexplored facet of educational reform. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, data was gathered through a questionnaire responded by 170 English teachers across Indonesia. The study examined demographic information, school policies, teacher training, financial assistance, resource allocation, and community involvement in the context of the Emancipated Curriculum. Additionally, focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with teachers and school leaders in East Java and West Nusa Tenggara. The findings revealed that while some schools did not implement the Emancipated Curriculum, the majority of participating teachers experienced confusion despite accessing government-provided platforms and external seminars. Furthermore, schools often had to self-finance curriculum changes, placing significant stress on school management and teachers. Emotional support systems for teachers during this transition also remained unexplored. This study underscores the importance of government funding and targeted training to ease the transition and improve educational outcomes. Future research should explore stakeholder engagement and emotional support mechanisms to further enhance curriculum implementation in Indonesian schools.

Keywords:

• Emancipated curriculum (Kurikulum Merdeka)
• English teachers
• ELT
• school’s support
• secondary school

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• John Chiang, Communication and Media, State University of New York, Oneonta, NY, USA

SUBJECTS:

• Teaching & Learning; English; Curriculum Studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia, under Professor Grant No. [1749.1/UN10.F12/PN/2023].

Notes on contributors

Zuliati Rohmah

Zuliati Rohmah is a professor of English Language Studies at Universitas Brawijaya. She is the past President of the Linguistics and Literature Association (LITA, 2019-2021), and is currently a Regional Coordinator of East Java for TEFLIN Association. Her research interests are linguistic landscape, materials development, teacher professional development, and multimodal literacy.

Hamamah Hamamah

Hamamah Hamamah is an Associate Professor of English Language Studies at Universitas Brawijaya. Her research interest are Applied Linguistics, Academic Writing, English as Foreign Language and Academic Publishing, English and Internalization of Higher Education. Hamamah is currently the Vice Coordinator of TEFLIN in East Java Region.

Esti Junining

Esti Junining is a lecturer at Universitas Brawijaya has specialist in English Language Teaching, and interest in Applied Linguistics, Translation and Critical Thinking Skills.

Agnia Ilma

Agnia Ilma is a Master of Linguistics student at Universitas Brawijaya. Her research interests are English language teaching, teacher competency development, and educational linguistics.

Laras Ati Rochastuti

Laras Ati Rochastuti is a Master of Linguistics student at Universitas Brawijaya. Her research interests include EFL Teaching and Applied Linguistics in Education.