EFL TEACHERS' CURRICULUM LITERACY AND PEDAGOGICAL SKILLS IN MERDEKA CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY IN INDONESIA

Abstract

This study investigated EFL teachers’ curriculum literacy and pedagogical skills in implementing the Merdeka Curriculum, focusing on their levels, relationship, and translation into classroom practices. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed involving 150 senior high school English teachers in Palembang, Indonesia, in the quantitative phase and 10 purposively selected teachers in the qualitative phase. Quantitative data were collected using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire measuring curriculum literacy and pedagogical skills and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation. Semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted and analyzed thematically to explain the quantitative findings. The results revealed high levels of curriculum literacy (M = 4.02, SD = 0.48) and pedagogical skills (M = 4.00, SD = 0.46), with a significant positive correlation between the two constructs (r = .68, p < .001). The qualitative findings showed that curriculum understanding served as a foundation for instructional planning and pedagogical decision-making, while curriculum enactment required flexible translation into classroom practices. Teachers nevertheless encountered challenges related to differentiated instruction, assessment, contextual adaptation, and institutional support, indicating that pedagogical practices were influenced by classroom and school contexts. These findings demonstrate that curriculum literacy and pedagogical skills are interconnected dimensions of EFL teacher competence. Teacher professional development should therefore integrate curriculum understanding with practical pedagogical support, particularly in differentiation, assessment, and contextual adaptation, to strengthen Merdeka Curriculum enactment in EFL classrooms.