Abstract Book of the 7th Global Conference on Education and Teaching
Year: 2025
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A study to explore the perception of the Indonesian EFL upper-secondary school teachers in relation to the integration of culture in the curriculum (Kurikulum Merdeka)
Nurhaeni Nurhaeni
ABSTRACT:
The sociological foundation of the Indonesian curriculum (Kurikulum Merdeka) expects learners to be part of global citizens who are not only empowered through their local culture but also acknowledge the global culture. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the perspectives of the Indonesian EFL upper-secondary school teachers regarding the integration of culture in the curriculum. An open-ended survey was distributed in this study to capture the general opinion of the EFL teachers, and 88 EFL teachers participated in the survey. The findings revealed that the majority of the EFL teachers claim to have awareness of the cultural approach in the curriculum to some extent. Their awareness was mostly related to the integration of local culture, and the biggest part of it was connected to P5 (the expected learner profiles) projects, as the mandated co-curricular program. The findings identified the lack of mention of global culture recognition, which is part of the sociological foundation of the curriculum. Further study is recommended to explore the underlying causes of partial recognition of cultural approach by the EFL teachers in relation to the curriculum.
Keywords: awareness, cultural, global, integration, local