| dc.description.abstract | The change to the new curriculum is one of the proofs that the world of education must keep up with the increasingly advanced times. However, there is also the impact of changing the curriculum, namely that teachers are required to adapt again to the new curriculum, namely the independent curriculum, due to changing concepts in the learning activities that must be achieved. Therefore, this encourages researcher to explore what challenges EFL teachers face in implementing the Independent Curriculum, especially at the planning, implementation, and assessment stages, and how to overcome challenges at these three stages. This research was conducted at one of the high school levels in East Java, Indonesia, namely SMA Negeri 8 Malang. The participant is one of the 10th-grade English teacher at the school. The teacher has implemented the Independent Curriculum in his learning.
Using a case study research design, this study used a qualitative approach with interviews and observation as research instruments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to answer two research questions, and observations were made directly by the researcher to find out whether the implementation of the lesson was following what was conveyed during the interviews. The analysis applied in this study contained three steps in the data collection process including data reduction, data presentation, and verification.
Based on the results that have been found, at the planning stage the teacher experiences problems with a lack of understanding of the independent curriculum because they do not have a guidebook in preparing planning. So the teacher tries to overcome this problem by looking for material references from the internet and YouTube as a support and information media. Then at the implementation stage, the teacher does not understand how to manage the class according to the provisions of the independent curriculum and finds it difficult to understand the differences in the abilities and characteristics of students from their family backgrounds. To overcome this, the teacher teaches material in the form of just the main points and then development is given to students directly so that students can adjust to their creativity. Finally, at the assessment stage, the teacher cannot determine the appropriate assessment for students which in the independent curriculum emphasizes an authentic and formative assessment approach. To overcome these problems the teacher does not only carry out paper-based assessments which are not only cognitive, but also involve activity values, creative values, and prepared attitudes. So it is recommended that teachers take part in professional training and development, improve personal skills, and conduct formative evaluation and feedback. Some of these problems can be suggestions for the Ministry of Education and Culture to carry out equal distribution of independent curriculum training and provide guidebooks for teachers in each school.
Keywords: Independent Curriculum, EFL teachers’, ELT. | en_US |
