STATUS AND FUNCTIONS OF LEARNING SOCIAL SCIENCES

IN 2013 CURRICULUM AND MERDEKA CURRICULUM

Submitted to Fulfill the Assignments of Elementary School Social Science Learning

Subjects

Supporting Lecturer:

I Kadek Edi Yudiana,S.Pd.,M.Pd.

Arranged by:

Group 2

Flower Nicanta (2111031149)

Ni Wayan Astri Antari (2111031159)

4 IKI

GANESHA UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION

FACULTY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

BASIC EDUCATION

PRIMARY TEACHER EDUCATION

2023

i
 FOREWORD

Om Swastyastu,

Praise the authors pray to the presence of God Almighty for the blessings and mercy
and always given the ease in completing the preparation of this paper, namely about "Status
and Functions Of Learning Social Sciences In 2013 Curriculum and Merdeka Curriculum"

We also thank Mr. I Kadek Edi Yudiana, S.Pd., M.Pd. as a lecturer in the Elementary
Social Science Learning Subject who has given this assignment so that it can add knowledge
and insight according to the field of study that the author is engaged in.

In preparing this paper, the author has tried as much as possible, which has taken
invaluable time and sacrifice from all parties who have contributed both in the form of
thoughts and materials. Therefore, the author expresses his deepest gratitude to all parties who
have helped and participated in the preparation of this paper. This paper is designed to fulfill a
group assignment in the Elementary Social Science Learning course. Therefore, the authors
hope that this report can provide benefits for readers in general and writers in particular.

The author realizes that this paper is far from perfect, both in terms of presentation of
the material and in terms of language. Therefore, suggestions and constructive criticism are
always expected for the sake of completing and perfecting this paper.

Om Santih, Santih, Santih, Om

Singaraja, 23 March 2023

Authors

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 LIST OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE ...................................................................................................................... i

FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................ ii
LIST OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1
1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Formulation Of The Problem ........................................................................................... 2
1.3 Purposes ............................................................................................................................ 2
CHAPTER II. DISCUSSION .............................................................................................. 3
2.1 Elementary Social Studies Learning In The 2013 Curriculum......................................... 3
2.2 Elementary Social Studies Learning In The Merdeka Curriculum .................................. 6
2.3 Status and Functions Of Elementary Social Sciences In The 2013 Curriculum .............. 7
2.4 Status and Functions Of Elementary Social Sciences In The Merdeka Curriculum ....... 8
CHAPTER III. CLOSING .................................................................................................. 9
3.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 9
3.2 Suggestion ........................................................................................................................ 9
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................. 10

iii
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
Education is very important for human life. Education is said to be a life process to
develop all the potential of individuals to be able to live life as a whole so that they become
educated human beings, both cognitively, affectively, and psychomotor. Education plays a
major role in preparing and developing human resources (HR) who are skilled and able to
compete at the global level.
Furthermore, education itself cannot be carried out without a curriculum. The curriculum
is an integral part of the educational process (Insani, 2019). It is said so, because the
curriculum is the basis for implementing the learning process in schools. In line with this, the
curriculum certainly cannot be underestimated as just a document but rather as a tool and
reference for educational implementers to carry out the best educational process in order to
achieve national education goals. If the curriculum is used as a strong foundation in the
implementation of education, then of course the guidance of educational implementers from
the elementary level to the higher education level will be directed in carrying out their
education.
Nasution (in Angga, et al., 2022) states that the curriculum is constantly being updated but
of course the improvement of the curriculum is influenced by various factors, one of which is
to offset the rapid progress of science and technology which is so massive in the field of
education. Like it or not, the curriculum must continue to be perfected. Both from the level of
elementary education to higher education.
Among our people, it is often heard "change the minister to change the curriculum"
because maybe they think that every change of government will change the curriculum as if it
were a tradition that is continuously being preserved. However, if examined further, changes
or improvements to the curriculum are the government's way of adapting education to the
demands of the times in the 21st century, where science and technology are developing very
quickly without being able to control it. Therefore, there is no other option to compensate for
this, namely by perfecting the tool that will continue to be used, namely the curriculum.
Currently, the 2013 Curriculum will be changed again or refined with a new curriculum,
namely the Merdeka Curriculum. The Merdeka Curriculum is an idea in the transformation of
Indonesian education to produce superior future generations. This is in line with what was
stated by Saleh (2020) that Merdeka Learning is a program to explore the potential of
educators and students in innovating to improve the quality of learning in the classroom. The
Merdeka Curriculum is implemented in several Mobilization Schools from the results of the
previous selection. Then for now, the Merdeka Curriculum is developed to be implemented in
all schools according to the readiness and conditions of each school.
The Merdeka Curriculum was born and initiated by the new government with the current
Minister of Education and Culture. The Merdeka Curriculum is here to perfect the
implementation of the 2013 Curriculum. There have been many changes that occurred from
the transition of the 2013 Curriculum to the Merdeka Curriculum, one of which occurred in
social studies subjects at the elementary school level.

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1.2 Formulation Of The Problem
From the background above, several problem formulations are obtained, including:
1. How is social studies in elementary school taught in the 2013 curriculum?
2. How is social studies in elementary school taught in the merdeka curriculum?
3. What are the status and functions of elementary social sciences in the 2013 curriculum?
4. What are the status and functions of elementary social sciences in the merdeka
curriculum?

1.3 Purposes
Based on the formulation of the problem above, the objectives of this paper can be drawn
as follows:
1. To find out social studies learning in elementary school taught in the 2013 curriculum.
2. To find out social studies learning in elementary school taught in the merdeka curriculum.
3. To find out the status and function of elementary social sciences in the 2013 curriculum.
4. To find out the status and function of elementary social sciences in the merdeka
curriculum.

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 CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION

2.1 Elementary Social Studies Learning In The 2013 Curriculum

In the 2013 curriculum, social studies learning is integrated into the basic competencies of
other disciplines which are linked through topic or meaning attachments. Social Science has
the same place as other disciplines. Even though the learning concept is carried out
thematically, the basic competencies for social studies remain separate from other basic
competencies. (Meldina, Agustin, & Harahap, 2020). The specific goals for students to study
social studies in the 2013 curriculum are to equip students who are useful for people's lives,
then equip students to be able to solve social problems that occur in their social life, in this
case it is necessary to hone student's critical thinking, equip students students to be able to
have a positive mental attitude, and equip students to have good creativity. In the 2013
curriculum, KI must have the same quality between the achievement of hard skills and soft
skills.
Social Studies in elementary curriculum 2013, is carried out by integrating the context of
the 2013 curriculum, according to research (Setiana, 2014) which suggests that in the 2013
curriculum learning approach, social studies learning is composed of various social science
disciplines. Social Studies learning in elementary school in the 2013 curriculum is thematic-
integrative, in this case there are four types of integrated approaches. An integrated thematic
approach is a learning approach that integrates a variety of subject competencies into a theme
(Prastowo, 2015). Development in thematic learning, can adapt a topic from a particular
discipline, then packaged, studied until it is expanded by other disciplines. The components of
the 2013 curriculum for learning social studies in elementary schools include:
1. Scientific Structure
Social Science is an adjustment of various scientific structures or branches of social
science, such as anthropology, geography, sociology, law, politics, economics, history, and so
on (Siska, 2016). This branch of science has appropriate integration, for example geography
provides insight into the location of the region, history discusses events that occurred in the
past, economics discusses various human needs, and so on. So the basic competencies of
Social Studies are part of various scientific structures or branches of social science which are
then packaged in certain themes.
In essence, Social Science learning in elementary does not examine social sciences as a
branch of knowledge, but rather as the essence of various social sciences. Social Studies as
teaching materials in general consists of three traditions, namely: (1) Citizenship Transmitters.
Where social studies learning is based on knowledge, good behavior. (2) Social Science
Position, namely social sciences that are intended to create individuals with character in the
future. (3) Reflective Inquires, students can develop rational, correct thinking in making
decisions based on knowledge (Anshori, 2016). Social Science learning is a structure that
develops cognitive, affective, and social abilities in forming good individuals (Surahman &
Mukminan., 2017).
2. Characteristics of Student Development
The individual development of students is marked by psychomotor physical development,
emotional social development, and spiritual moral development, intellectual cognitive
development. In understanding the characteristics of the development of students, the role of
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the educator is very important for the development process, not only the educator but the role
of the family environment and peers also influence its development. The developmental
characteristics that need to be understood by educators include; studying the characteristics of
students in learning so that educators can find out the learning styles of students, and know
the talents, interests and abilities that exist in students.
Then the characteristics in studying the physical and non-physical characteristics of
students, this has the goal of understanding the growth of students that lead to physical and
non-physical, because these characteristics affect the achievement of each student's learning
goals (Janawi, 2019). Based on this description, social studies material in elementary in the
2013 curriculum in understanding the characteristics of its development is related to the
development of students, for example teaching materials regarding social values will optimize
students' social-emotional development, besides that teaching material regarding character
values contained in every learning process can develop the spiritual moral development of
students.
3. HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skill)
Changes to the 2013 curriculum at the elementary level refer to the application of
thematic-integrative learning processes with the development of high-level skills (HOTS) for
students. High Order Thinking Skills or commonly referred to as HOTS are students' high-
level thinking skills at a high level of knowledge and are grown from various concepts such as
categorizing, manipulating, placing them in new contexts, and applying them to problem
solving (Rahayuningsih & Rani, 2019).
Based on Bloom's Taxonomy theory, there are different levels of thinking, namely low-
level thinking skills (LOTS) and high-order thinking skills (HOTS). LOTS in this case
includes things like just remembering, learning, and implementing. Whereas HOTS includes
analyzing (C4), evaluating (C5), and (C6) creating (Simamarta, Lidia, & Rahmi, 2020).
HOTS includes skills in solving problems, skills in critical, creative thinking, and making
decisions (Fanny, 2019). When it is related to the subject matter of Social Studies in
elementary, one example of this high-level thinking ability is in class IV in KD 3.4 semester 1
where there is a stimulus in the form of reading which then students are able to analyze and
conclude the contents of the reading. Because using the terms 'analyze' and 'conclude', in
operational verbs according to Bloom these words are included in C4 (analyze).
4. 4C Skills
The realization of the learning potential of students in elementary in the 21st century is
supported by the skills contained in the graduate competency standards (SKL) at the
elementary level. This measure is that students have skills in understanding and behaving
critically, innovatively and independently, collaboratively, and communicatively (Regulation
of the Minister of Cultural Education 2016 No. 16, n.d.).
Thus the enactment of the SKL shows that the subject matter in elementary, one of which
includes social studies, is a step in order to be able to pursue the potential and abilities of
students in optimizing learning in the 21st century.
a. Critical Thinking: The learning process invites students to develop critical thinking and
be able to solve complex problems. Students who have the ability to think critically can
understand and make good use of information (Indraswati, Marhayani, Sutisna,
Widodo, & Maulyda, 2020).

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 b. Creativity: The ability of students to develop, convey new ideas, and be creative.
Creativity is also interpreted as the creation of new ideas that have never existed before
(Budiarti, 2015). Be responsive to a new and different idea. In this case it also makes
students to innovate on new inventions in accordance with the creativity of each
student.
c. Communication: The ability of students to communicate a lesson both orally and in
writing. Students who have good communication skills are able to express their
opinions in clear sentences so that they can provide reinforcement to others through
their speaking skills (Septikasari & Frasandy, 2018).
d. Collaboration: The ability of students to work together, collaborate, synergize with
each other and be able to adapt in learning. Through collaboration skills, students are
able to build their cognitive development in gathering information and can optimize
students' mental skills (Funali, 2014).
5. Financial Literacy
Financial literacy is a series of activities to improve one's skills in managing finances
well. In this case financial literacy includes a person's knowledge and skills to manage their
finances wisely. Skill demands in the 21st century, every individual has at least six basic
literacy. One of them is the ability in financial literacy (Yukarista, 2019). Financial literacy is
closely related to individual well-being. Therefore it is very important to be taught from an
early age or from elementary school.
Financial literacy in elementary schools does not only introduce students to money, but
learns good financial management, learns entrepreneurship and is smart in financial
transactions (Laila & Hadi, 2019).
The relevance of financial literacy to Social Science in elementary is that Social Science
has a role in instilling financial literacy values and providing education to students. In
addition to this, as an example of small things, schools also instill financial literacy values
such as getting children to save, for example the teacher directs students to set aside their
pocket money for savings by writing it in each student's savings book. So in this case,
students are used to not spending their money, and are motivated to manage their finances.
6. Cultural Literacy and Citizenship
Cultural literacy and citizenship, namely the ability to recognize and understand
Indonesian culture as a national identity (Nugroho, 2020). Indonesia has a diversity of
cultures, ethnicities, languages, tribes and religions. Indonesia is also one of the world at
large, so Indonesia can be influenced by the culture of other countries, as a result of which the
existing diversity of each Indonesian ethnic group becomes increasingly diverse and complex.
Cultural literacy and citizenship are important to learn and socialize at the school and
community levels. In learning, cultural literacy and citizenship are a vehicle for imparting
knowledge to students to preserve Indonesian culture and provide an understanding of
responsibilities as citizens (Setiawan, 2020).
In social studies learning elementary, the application of cultural literacy and citizenship
can be provided through reading materials on the theme of culture and citizenship. This not
only fosters cultural and civic literacy, but also fosters students' literacy (Ministry of
Education and Culture, 2017). Apart from that, some social studies material in elementary
schools can also foster cultural and civic literacy, including material for class IV elementary
school on cultural diversity in Indonesia, such as various religions, ethnicities, languages in
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Indonesia. It can be seen that social studies material in elementary is expected to be able to
foster cultural literacy and citizenship in Indonesia, in addition to fostering a sense of
nationalism and tolerance for cultural diversity in Indonesia.
7. Digital Literacy
Digital literacy is a person's skills in operating digital media and communication media. In
relation to social studies learning, digital literacy is a means for cognitive development of
students in real social problems that exist in the surrounding environment (Ginanjar, Noviani,
Aisyah, Fredi, & Adila, 2019). In education, students must be equipped with digital literacy
from an early age, for example, every school provides local content with ICT subjects.
8. Character building
Character education is a process to form individuals who have character in the aspects of
mind, heart, and behavior. According to Lickona, there are reasons why character education in
students must be instilled, namely first, because character education is a strategy to shape
students to have good personalities in their lives. Second, the root of the common problems
related to moral and social problems, such as violence, immorality. Third, the teaching of
cultural values is an aspect of civilization. Fourth, character education is the best preparation
for adjustment in the workplace. Fifth, character education is the readiness of students to
respect other people, so they can live in a global society (Syamsunardi & Nur, 2019).
The relevance to social studies learning in the 2013 curriculum in elementary school that
social studies plays an important role in directing students to democratic behavioral values
and being responsible for themselves and others. The process of applying character values in
social studies is carried out by imitating educators through teaching and learning activities
(Utomo Eko, 2018). So in relation to values in social studies learning, an educator should
guide directing students to behave in accordance with prevailing values. Besides that,
educators need to motivate their students to behave well, because good character can create
experiences for themselves in class and their social environment in their daily lives.

2.2 Elementary Social Studies Learning In The Merdeka Curriculum

The Merdeka Curriculum was developed as a curriculum framework that is more flexible,
while also focusing on essential material and developing the character and competence of
students. The main characteristics of this curriculum that support learning recovery are (1)
Project-based learning for the development of soft skills and character according to the
Pancasila student profile (2) Focus on essential material so that there is sufficient time for in-
depth learning of basic competencies such as literacy and numeracy. In addition, there is
flexibility for teachers to carry out differentiated learning according to students' abilities and
make adjustments to the local context and content.
The policy for developing the Merdeka Curriculum is contained in the Decree of the
Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Number 958/P/2020
concerning Learning Outcomes in Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, and
Secondary Education. Where with the abilities and development of students, social sciences
or Social Sciences becomes an umbrella for the integration of various branches of social
sciences and humanities disciplines to strengthen the competence of students so that they have
insight and skills in thinking, acting, and having concern for the nation and society, where
subjects Social Science consists of history, sociology, economics and geography.

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 In accordance with the mandate of the SISDIKNAS Law number 20 of 2003, one of the
objectives of social studies learning in the framework of developing a sense of nationalism is
to strengthen nationalism insights, namely the sensitivity and awareness of students regarding
physical and social environmental phenomena in accordance with Pancasila values where the
character of Indonesian students should be developed as stated in the Pancasila Student
Profile.
Pancasila Student Profile consisting of faith and piety to God Almighty and noble
character, Global Diversity, Mutual Cooperation, independent, creative, and able to reason
critically. The Pancasila Student Profile is one of the standard criteria for graduation in
educational units, so the achievement of the six profiles must be integrated into the learning
process in social studies subjects.
The great hope in social studies learning in the independent curriculum is to be able to
contribute solutions to various problems related to humans, society and the environment.

2.3 Status and Functions of Elementary Social Sciences In The 2013 Curriculum
The structure of the 2013 curriculum in elementary is essentially a "curriculum-synthesis"
that synergizes various fields of study into a number of subjects as "content organizing
elements". This is a logical consequence of the views of Gestalt and reconstructionism which
emphasize the nature of "the complete integration of every element" (as a whole). That "every
one of these seven areas...each one is suffering from tension between forces that tend to
stabilize traditional patterns, and forces that tend to move toward more or less drastic
modifications of those patterns" (Brameld, 1965:15); and that actually "no one viewpoint will
do but that it is desirable to mix many viewpoints together—is eclecticism" (p. 23).
In line with this paradigm, in the lower grades (grades 1-3) social studies status in
elementary school is no longer an "stand-alone" or "autonomous" subject using the label
"social studies subject". The Social Science label as a subject is only used in high grades
(grades 4-6). However, both in the low/high grades, the content and competencies of Social
Science in elementary were not developed specifically for social studies curricular purposes
or for scientific purposes (social sciences) which have been the source so far. Social Science
in elementary content also no longer has structural-functional links with social science
disciplines, except as a thematic unit or integrity in the framework of forming KI and KD.
In the lower grades, Social Science content is integrated into subjects such as Civics,
Indonesian Language, Mathematics, and Cultural Arts, and in the higher grades, only then
does IPS content remain fully integrated into the Social Science subject. However, at the two
elementary levels, the Social Science function changed. Social Science is no longer a "source
of content", but rather an "organizer of content", either in the form of "themes" or
"competencies". Themes have a central role in the curricular content integration process. The
theme gives meaning to each content that is integrated, so that students are able to learn it
more meaningfully, because the content is directly related to real life. While Social Science
competence has an important role as a binder and developer of KD in other subjects.
Thus, the Gestalt and Reconstructionist paradigms have provided a strong basis for Social
Science as giving substantial meaning to Language, Civics, Mathematics and Cultural Arts,
because IPS provides a real context in which students and society live. This is where the basic
skills/KD of Science and Social Sciences are organized into other subjects which have an
important role as binders and KD developers of other subjects.
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2.4 The Status and Functions of Elementary Social Studies In The Merdeka Curriculum
In the Merdeka Curriculum, science and social studies subjects are combined into natural
and social sciences (IPAS) subjects, because elementary school-age children tend to see
everything as a whole and integrated. In addition, they are still in the concrete/simple, holistic,
and comprehensive thinking stage, but not in detail. It is hoped that the combination of
science and social studies lessons will trigger children to be able to manage the natural and
social environment in one unit. Science learning is not thematic learning, in science subjects
there are two elements, namely 1) elements of understanding science (science and social
studies) and 2). process skill elements.
Natural and Social Sciences (IPAS) at the elementary level is a subject aimed at building
basic scientific literacy skills. When studying the surrounding environment, students at the
elementary level see natural and social phenomena as an integrated phenomenon, and they
begin to practice getting used to observing or observing, exploring, and carrying out activities
that encourage other inquiry abilities which are very important to become the foundation
before them. learn more specific concepts and topics in science and social studies subjects that
they will learn at the junior high school level.
As for the objectives of the Natural and Social Sciences Subject (IPAS) are students
developing themselves so that they are in accordance with the Pancasila Student Profile and
can:
 First, developing interest and curiosity so that students are triggered to examine
phenomena that exist around humans, understand the universe and its relation to human
life;
 Second, playing an active role in maintaining, protecting, preserving the natural
environment, managing natural resources and the environment wisely;
 Third, developing inquiry skills to identify, formulate and solve problems through real
action;
 Fourth, understanding who he is, understanding how the social environment he is in,
interpreting how human life and society change from time to time;
 Fifth, understand the requirements needed by students to become members of a
community and nation group and understand the meaning of being a member of the nation
and world community, so that they can contribute to solving problems related to
themselves and the environment around them; And
 Sixth, developing knowledge and understanding of concepts in science and technology
and applying them in everyday life.

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 CHAPTER III
CLOSING

3.1 Conclusion
Education cannot be carried out without a curriculum. The curriculum becomes an integral
part of the educational process. It is said so, because the curriculum is the basis for
implementing the learning process in schools. The curriculum has changed according to the
times. These changes can be seen from the transition from the 2013 Curriculum to the
Merdeka Curriculum, especially in social studies subjects at the elementary school level.
In the 2013 curriculum, social studies learning is integrated into the basic competencies of
other disciplines which are linked through topic or meaning attachments. Social Science in
elementary content no longer has structural-functional links with social science disciplines,
except as a thematic unit or integrity in the framework of forming KI and KD. In low grades,
Social Science content is integrated into subjects such as Civics, Indonesian Language,
Mathematics, and Cultural Arts, and in high grades, only then does Social Science content
remain fully integrated in Social Science subjects.
Whereas in the merdeka curriculum, science and social studies subjects are combined into
natural and social sciences (IPAS) subjects, because elementary school-age children tend to
see everything as a whole and integrated. In addition, they are still in the concrete/simple,
holistic, and comprehensive thinking stage, but not in detail. It is hoped that the combination
of science and social studies lessons will trigger children to be able to manage the natural and
social environment in one unit. Science learning is not thematic learning, in science subjects
there are two elements, namely 1) elements of understanding science (science and social
studies) and 2). elements of process skills as well as in accordance with the Pancasila Student
Profile.

3.2 Suggestion
As prospective educators in the future and in providing Social Studies learning, they
should be aware of the changes that have occurred to the applicable curriculum so that they
can make adjustments.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Implementasi Kurikulum 2013 dan Kurikulum Merdeka di Sekolah Dasar Kabupaten
Garut. Jurnal Basicedu, 6(4), 5877-5889.

Anna, J. (2022). Mapel IPA dan IPS Digabung, Begini Gambaran Tentang Penerapan
Kurikulum Merdeka Jenjang SD.[Online] .https://adjar.grid.id/read/543374970/mapel-
ipa-dan-ips-digabung-begini-gambaran-tentang-penerapan-kurikulum-merdeka-
jenjang-sd?page=all [Accessed on 25 March 2023].

Azizah, A. A. M. (2021). Analisis Pembelajaran IPS di SD/MI Dalam Kurikulum 2013. JMIE
(Journal of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Education), 5(1), 1.

Farisi, I. (2013, September). Status dan Fungsi Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial dalam Kurikulum
Sekolah Dasar 2013. In UPBJJ UT Surabaya. Seminar Akademik FKIP–UT (Vol. 30).

Matal. (2022). Perubahan Status Mata Pelajaran, Ciri Stuktur Kurikulum Merdeka. [Online]
https://madrasahdigital.net/perubahan-status-mata-pelajaran-ciri-stuktur-kurikulum-
merdeka/#2_Penggabungan_IPA_dan_IPS_jadi_IPAS_di_SD [Accessed on 25 March
2023].

Sunendar, T. (2022). Merancang Pembelajaran IPAS di SD. [Online].

https://bpiedu.id/yayasanbpi/index.php/blog/merancang-pembelajaran-ipas-di-sd.
[Accessed on 25 March 2023].

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