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Negotiating Pedagogical Change: Teacher Agency and the Policy-Practice Gap in Indonesia's Merdeka Curriculum History Classrooms

Indonesian Journal of History Education · Vol. 10 No. 2 (2026) · pp. 107–128

DOI
10.15294/ijhe.v10.i2.11751
ISSN
2549-0354, 2252-6641
Published
2026-09-15
Publisher
Universitas Negeri Semarang
Language
eng

Abstract

This qualitative case study critically examines challenges history teachers face implementing Indonesia’s Merdeka Curriculum at SMA Negeri 12 Semarang. Through interviews, observations, and document analysis, it explores teacher perceptions, practices, obstacles, and coping strategies. Findings indicate teachers value the curriculum’s flexibility and student-centered philosophy, yet implementation is hindered by limited understanding of new concepts, difficulty designing differentiated instruction, insufficient professional development, and inadequate resources. Teachers navigate these constraints via informal collegial sharing, self-directed learning, and gradual experimentation. The study contributes to international discourse on curriculum reform in post-colonial systems, highlighting policy innovation and teacher agency. It underscores the need for sustained, context-sensitive professional support, offering insights for policymakers and educators in the Global South.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

40 authors · 103 co-authorship links · showing the 40 most connected

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Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Bain BainAffiliation unknown2
Andriyanto AndriyantoAffiliation unknown2
Cahyo Budi UtomoAffiliation unknown2
Abdul MuntholibAffiliation unknown2
Ibnu SodiqAffiliation unknown2
Putri Agus WijayatiAffiliation unknown2
Astri YullianiAffiliation unknown1
Farida YusrinaAffiliation unknown1
Pipit WidayanaAffiliation unknown1
Rizka Cahyaning Arifin PutriAffiliation unknown1
Nurulasyikin Binti HassanAffiliation unknown1
Tazkia Kamila SofuanAffiliation unknown1
Amin NurohimAffiliation unknown1
Ba'in Ba'inAffiliation unknown1
Andi AmirudinAffiliation unknown1
Arif PurnomoAffiliation unknown1
Ardhian RamadhanyAffiliation unknown1
Aniza Oktarina WulandariAffiliation unknown1
Ainun MunawarAffiliation unknown1
Kurnia DewiAffiliation unknown1
Hutri LimahAffiliation unknown1
Muchamad SultonAffiliation unknown1
Aulia Nur Wihdlatil AiniAffiliation unknown1
Angga Novian PratamaAffiliation unknown1
Anis Nurul Chabibah AnisAffiliation unknown1
Syaiful AminAffiliation unknown1
Hany NurpratiwiAffiliation unknown1
Atno AtnoAffiliation unknown1
Dimas AnggoroAffiliation unknown1
Junaidi Fery LusiantoAffiliation unknown1
Eka Yudha WibowoAffiliation unknown1
Nyenyep Dwi ParasetyoAffiliation unknown1
Ganda Febri KurniawanAffiliation unknown1
R SoeharsoAffiliation unknown1
Nurul Asyikin Binti HassanAffiliation unknown1
Junaidy Fery LusiantoAffiliation unknown1
Fajri’ah Nur RahmaAffiliation unknown1
Arin Ngizzatul F.Affiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ijhe/oai, first harvested 5 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Negotiating Pedagogical Change: Teacher Agency and the Policy-Practice Gap in Indonesia's Merdeka Curriculum History Classrooms</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Rohmawati, Anis</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Suryadi, Andy</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Teacher Challenges, Merdeka Curriculum, History Education, Curriculum Implementation, Teacher Agency</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">This qualitative case study critically examines challenges history teachers face implementing Indonesia’s Merdeka Curriculum at SMA Negeri 12 Semarang. Through interviews, observations, and document analysis, it explores teacher perceptions, practices, obstacles, and coping strategies. Findings indicate teachers value the curriculum’s flexibility and student-centered philosophy, yet implementation is hindered by limited understanding of new concepts, difficulty designing differentiated instruction, insufficient professional development, and inadequate resources. Teachers navigate these constraints via informal collegial sharing, self-directed learning, and gradual experimentation. The study contributes to international discourse on curriculum reform in post-colonial systems, highlighting policy innovation and teacher agency. It underscores the need for sustained, context-sensitive professional support, offering insights for policymakers and educators in the Global South.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-09-15</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ijhe/article/view/11751</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/ijhe.v10.i2.11751</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Indonesian Journal of History Education; Vol. 10 No. 2 (2025): Digital History Pedagogy; 107-128</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2549-0354</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2252-6641</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/ijhe.v10.i2</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ijhe/article/view/11751/10472</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Indonesian Journal of History Education</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>