Primary School English Language Policy: Assessing Islamic School Teacher Readiness in Indonesia

Abstract

The reintroduction of English as a compulsory subject in Indonesian primary education, including in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI), places teacher readiness at the center of successful policy implementation. This qualitative study examines Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) teachers' readiness to respond to the English learning policy, focusing on teachers serving in Wajo Regency, South Sulawesi. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 purposively selected MI teachers and analyzed using thematic analysis guided by a multidimensional readiness framework encompassing cognitive, pedagogical, professional, psychological, and institutional dimensions. Findings show that teachers hold moderate to high cognitive readiness and generally positive attitudes toward the policy, yet report significant systemic constraints, including insufficient teaching materials, limited institutional support, inadequate professional development, and low baseline English proficiency among students. A discrepancy between teachers' positive change commitment and their uncertain change efficacy indicates that willingness alone does not translate into implementation capacity. The study concludes that policy success requires not merely a shift in teacher perspective but a comprehensive institutional infrastructure that addresses resource constraints, provides pedagogical support, and enables context-sensitive implementation within Islamic educational settings. The findings contribute to language policy and planning scholarships by illuminating the interplay among teacher agencies, institutional capacity, and systemic conditions in implementing curriculum policy in developing educational contexts, and they offer recommendations for policymakers, teacher-education institutions, and future research.