The effectiveness of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum to improve learning achievement in SMP 1 Mataram

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The effectiveness of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum to improve

learning achievement in SMP 1 Mataram
Miad Chandra Putry1, Nathaza Emilda Zain 2
Universitas Islam Negeri Mataram, Jln.Gajah Mada Pagesangan.100, Jempong Baru, Kec, Sekarbela, Kota
Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara 1 2
E-mail: miadcp4@gmail.com, nathazaemildazain@gmail.com

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to obtain information about the implementation of the
Freedom to Learn curriculum at SMP Negeri 1 Mataram. The method used in this study is a
qualitative descriptive method, which collects data obtained during observations and
questions so that it becomes useful information and is easily understood by readers. This
study explains and provides an overview of the implementation of the merdeka belajar
curriculum in junior high schools. The results of this study indicate that the implementation
of the curriculum at SMP 1 Mataram has been carried out optimally and can be sustainable,
although there may still be many deficiencies and obstacles in its implementation, namely the
lack of teachers in implementing this merdeka belajar curriculum. The key to successful
curriculum implementation in driving schools is that principals and teachers must have the
will to make changes. The principal as a leader must be able to change the mindset of the
Human Resources in the school to want to make changes so that the Free Learning
curriculum can be implemented.
Keywords: Implementasi Kurikulum Merdeka; Junior High Schools; Merdeka Belajar

Introduction

Education is one of the most important factors in determining the quality of human
resources and the progress of the country. The educational process is able to give birth to
creative and innovative ideas in the dynamics of the times. Curriculum development is an
instrument to improve the quality of education. The correct education policy will be seen
through the implementation of the curriculum that is applied because (Munandar, n.d.).
According to Law no. 20 of (2003) "curriculum is a set of learning plans related to the

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objectives, content, teaching materials, and methods used and used as guidelines in the
implementation of learning activities to achieve national education goals".
The curriculum in Indonesia has undergone various changes and improvements,
namely in 1947, 1964, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1994, 1997 (revised 1994 curriculum), 2004
(Competency-Based Curriculum), and 2006 curriculum. (Ulinniam et al., 2021). In this new
era, a new curriculum has been introduced, namely the Merdeka Belajar curriculum. Merdeka
Curriculum is defined as a learning design that provides opportunities for students to study in
a calm, relaxed, fun, stress-free and pressure-free manner, to show their natural talents. The
Merdeka Belajar curriculum focuses on freedom and creative thinking. One of the programs
presented by the Ministry of Education and Culture in the launch of Merdeka Belajar is the
start of the driving school program. This school program is designed to support each school
in creating a generation of lifelong learners who have personality as Pancasila students. For
the success of all that requires the role of a teacher. Teachers as a tool in helping students are
expected to be able to become a driving force to take actions that give positive things to
students. The existence of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum is a realignment in the national
education system in Indonesia which (Yamin & Syahrir, 2020) "said that” the statement is in
order to meet the changes and progress of the nation so that it can adapt to changing times.
Likewise, the Minister of Education 2022, Nadiem Makarim, stated that education reform
cannot be carried out solely with an administrative approach, but must carry out cultural
transformation. (Sibagariang et al., 2021). With the Merdeka Belajar curriculum, it is hoped
that students can develop according to their potential and abilities because with the Merdeka
Belajar curriculum they get critical, quality, expressive, applicable, varied and progressive
learning. And this new curriculum change requires cooperation, strong commitment,
intentness and rational implementation from all sides so that Pancasila's student profile can be
embedded in the students. (Sari and Amini, 2020).
Regarding the existence of a Merdeka Belajar curriculum at SMP 1 Mataram at this
time researchers are motivated to conduct research. For this reason, the purpose of this study
is to identify and obtain information about the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar
curriculum at SMP 1 Mataram so that it will describe and provide an overview of the
implementation of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum at SMP 1 Mataram.

Methods

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Qualitative descriptive method used in this research method. Sugiyono (2020) states
that Qualitative techniques are categorized as creative techniques due to the fact the studies
method is unstructured, and interpretive techniques due to the fact the records generated
withinside the studies are interpreted as records gathered withinside the field. Qualitative
research is the process of collecting data in a natural way to direct and analyze phenomena
when the researcher can use primary tools. (Anggito & Setiawan, 2018)Likewise, the
descriptive method according to Sugiyono, (2020) A method used to analyze or explain
results but not to reach general conclusions. This qualitative description method is a research
method that describes, describes, and analyzes objects from certain situations from all data
obtained during field activities. Interviews and observations are the techniques used in this
study. In this study, it is explained what the roles of principals and teachers are to make the
Merdeka Belajar curriculum successful in junior high schools. Also review whether this
Merdeka Belajar curriculum can be applied. And are there any obstacles or obstacles that are
felt during the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum. The application of this
design is achieved by collecting data, processing the data, and then presenting the data with
useful information that is easily understood by the reader. The elements that become the
subject of qualitative research with observation techniques are places, actors, and activities.
This research was conducted at SMPN 1 Mataram. The target groups of this research are
teachers and school principals. This research was conducted through direct observation and
interviews.

Literature Review

As far as the knowledge that the author reads relating to this research is about the
effectiveness of learning by using a Merdeka Belajar curriculum to improve learning
achievement in students of SMP 1 Mataram, to support research so that it is relevant, the
authors propose as a literature review, among others:
Based on research conducted by Iqbal, Anwar, Maliki and Sari with the title curriculum
and education (Merdeka Belajar according states that the application of the Merdeka Belajar
curriculum is a movement that can improve education in Indonesia, with a focus on freedom
and democracy, for both educators and students, so that they can adapt to the latest
conditions, but return to the comparison of progressive and humanist perspectives, have

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similarities in expectations of freedom and democracy, only the point of view With a slightly
different view of freedom, as a closing statement on this study, the Merdeka Belajar
curriculum is not Merdeka Belajar enough for a humanist view, it can be seen how students
still have to learn all the material that has been determined by educational institutions, so they
have the right to choose and determine what they need and don't need to learn. by students
cannot be applied.
Based on research conducted by Jojor and Sihotang regarding an analysis of Merdeka
Belajar curriculum in overcoming learning loss in the time of the covid-19 policy (case study
analysis of education policy) in her research, it is stated that students consider the meaning in
learning and the uniqueness of each student. For this reason, it is necessary for the Education
and Educator Units to welcome the spirit of change so that the goals of national education as
stated in Law No. 20 year 2003 can be achieved for all students in Indonesia with the
uniqueness and diversity of learning styles and the needs of each student respectively.

Findings and Discussions

Merdeka Belajar curriculum at SMP 1 Mataram

The results of observations and interviews in research at SMP 1 Mataram, one of the
schools that implement the Merdeka Belajar curriculum in the city of Mataram, according to
sources who have interviewed researchers explained that the Merdeka Belajar curriculum is a
curriculum whose learning method is more relaxed and freer of expression and is one of the
important elements in learning. implementing the Merdeka Belajar curriculum, namely the
principal who has high fighting values to advance the school. The principal must be able to
guide, direct, and inspire all elements of the school to want to move towards a better
education in order to produce quality graduates. The implementation of the Merdeka Belajar
curriculum does not have to be a big school with complete infrastructure, but a school led by
a school principal who has passed driving school training and of course the principal is
willing to make changes in the field of education. Under the leadership of a good principal,
small schools will progress, even the schools that the researcher visited are small schools
with limited facilities and infrastructure and do not have large areas of land, but these schools
are able to become agents of change which of course encourage parents to send their children
to school. His son goes to school. Supervision and discussion as well as mentoring are carried

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out periodically to monitor the progress of the learning process if there are obstacles in its
implementation.

Important factors in implementing merdeka belajar curriculum

In addition to the principal, teachers in schools are also an important factor in the
successful implementation of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum in schools that encourage
teachers to become tutors, facilitators, and inspirations for their students so that they can
motivate students to become active, creative and innovative students. In the Merdeka Belajar
curriculum, there are things that are different from Curriculum 13, namely the Pancasila
Youth Profile Strengthening Project (P5) P5 stands for the Project to Strengthen Pancasila
Student Profiles. This project is part of the Merdeka Curriculum.
Such as the P5 stage which begins with understanding P5, then preparing the school
ecosystem, designing the P5 project, managing the P5, documenting and reporting the results
of the P5, and the last is the evaluation and follow-up of the P5. The following is an
explanation of the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project as summarized from the
official article belonging to the Ministry of Education and Culture Pancasila Student Profile
Strengthening Project (P5) P5 is a project that will find answers to questions about students
with what kind of competencies the Indonesian education system wants to produce.
The project is carried out by instilling personal character in students based on
Pancasila values. P5 competence pays attention to several factors that can have an influence,
both internal factors and external factors. The examples of internal factors that are considered
are ideology, while examples of external factors are challenges in the digital era. P5 seeks to
make students the successors of a superior and productive nation. and can participate in
sustainable global development. The vision of Indonesian Education is to create an advanced
Indonesia that is sovereign, merdeka belajar and has personality through the creation of
Pancasila students.
While the Pancasila Student Profile supports this vision by making Indonesian
Students as lifelong students who are competent, have character, and behave according to
Pancasila values. In addition, it is expected that students can participate in sustainable global
development.

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Learning plan and learning concept

The learning implementation plan or what is often referred to as RPP is a plan that
describes the procedures and organization of learning to achieve a set of basic competencies
and content standards, which are then described in the syllabus A lesson plan, or lesson plan
for short, is a teacher's guide to teaching in the classroom. The lesson plan is made by the
teacher to assist him in teaching so that it is in accordance with the Competency Standards
and Basic Competences on that day. The Learning Implementation Plan (RPP) contains
arrangements regarding estimates or projections of what will be carried out when teaching
and learning activities take place, the possibility of implementing learning according to the
planned learning implementation plan or not because the learning process is situational, if the
planning is prepared carefully then the process and learning outcomes will not be far from
estimates. How to make this RPP itself is regulated in Permendikbud Number 22 of 2016
concerning Standards for Primary and Secondary Education Processes and what was
mentioned by the resource persons who had interviewed researchers was that in SMP 1
Mataram, even though they had used the merdeka belajar curriculum, they still used the RPP
13 curriculum and used the concept of and the learning model applied in the Merdeka Belajar
curriculum is discovery learning, namely learning that allows students at SMP 1 MATARAM
to think critically in doing skills and problem-based learning (PBL) Problem Based Learning
is defined as Problem Based Learning, which is a type of learning model that involves
students in an activity (project) to produce a product. Student involvement starts from
planning, designing, implementing, and reporting the results of activities in the form of
products and implementation reports. This learning model places more emphasis on long-
term learning processes, students are directly involved with various issues and problems of
everyday life, learn how to understand and solve real problems, are interdisciplinary, and
involve students as the main actors in designing, implementing and reporting the results of
activities (student centered).
This learning model aims to encourage students to learn through various real
problems in everyday life associated with the knowledge they have learned or will learn. The
problems raised in the Problem Based Learning model are not "ordinary" problems or not just
"practice". Problems in PBL demand an explanation of a phenomenon. The focus is on how
students identify learning issues and then look for alternative solutions or problem-based
learning to achieve this, teachers must have skills process teaching materials in a pleasant

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atmosphere and utilize technology as a learning resource. In schools with the Merdeka
Belajar curriculum, students are more relaxed, freer to move, but the weakness of the
Merdeka Belajar curriculum is the lack of teachers who are good at IT cause The existence of
technology becomes an especially influential part in the world of education. (Triwiyanto,
2021) learning experiences in the form of formal, non-formal, and education informal
activities in school, and outside of school, last a lifetime and have a purpose optimizing
individual abilities, so that in the future they can play a role in life properly. Law No. 20 of
2003 article 1 paragraph 2 explained that "National education is education based on Pancasila
and the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia rooted in religious values, Indonesian
national culture and responsiveness against the demands of the times. Thus, (Nurdi.Pdf,
n.d.)Therefore, educational/learning technology is a process with a certain system in making
it easier for students to learn and be able to examine learning problems, thus making learning
more (Asiba, 2021)
Technology in education is very important to create a sense student enthusiasm in
learning. In fact, the use of technology in education can also increase students' interest in
learning, because in this case students do not feel bored while following the lesson. Thus, that
technology education can expedite the learning process that is being implemented and the
challenges of teachers in implementing the Merdeka Belajar curriculum in driving schools,
one of which is the teacher must take the time to prepare good learning. creative, (Alsubaie,
2016)

Weaknesses in SMP 1 Mataram in implementing the merdeka belajar curriculum

The first obstacles faced related to Human Resources (HR) are that there are still very
few teachers who can use technology such as laptops and there are still many students who do
not have cellphones or have cellphones but do not have a quota to surf the internet to find
material in the classroom and then including those related to literacy, reference, digital
access, teacher competence, and time management.
It is known that some teachers still rely on textbooks, both student books and teacher
books as the only source of learning. While other learning resources are considered not
important. This is what makes teachers do less activities to increase literacy. Even though
reading activities are actually not only aimed at students. The teacher must also be active in
literacy. Whatever subject is taught, literacy activities for teachers are not something special.

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As an educator, carrying out literacy activities is a must. Teachers are required to always
update with the times. Like it or not, like it or not, teachers must be diligent in reading,
especially with regard to the material being taught to students.
Lack of literacy is sometimes accompanied by a lack of references. There are still
textbooks for students and teachers which are currently being published by the bookkeeping
center, but the quality is not as expected. The case of withdrawing one of the Merdeka
Curriculum books that has been circulating in electronic format shows that the book is
considered unable to provide a reference that can assist teachers in obtaining references
regarding how to facilitate student-centered learning effectively. Limitations of teachers in
obtaining references to the implementation of merdeka belajarcan be an obstacle for teachers
to create learning activities that suit the needs of students.
The difficulty of digital or internet access is also an obstacle for teachers to apply the
merdeka belajar Curriculum. An unstable internet network will make it difficult for teachers
to access material that is a source of learning. In fact, some schools still do not have adequate
digital and internet facilities.
In the digital era like now, schools must race to carry out digital-based learning.
Several schools that have implemented this system require teachers in the learning process to
always be connected to the internet network. On the other hand, schools do provide internet
facilities. However, a number of teachers sometimes still encounter difficulties in accessing
technology. An aspect that is no less important is the inadequate competence of teachers. In
Law Number 14 of 2005 it is stated that teacher competence consists of professional
competence, pedagogical competence, social competence, and personal competence. These
four competencies are competency standards that must be possessed by teachers so that they
can transfer their knowledge to students correctly. In practice, not all teachers master the
various aspects contained in the four teacher competencies. One of them is in mastering
professional competence, there are still teachers who have not been able to utilize information
and communication technology in the process of learning and self-development. They have
difficulty using the Microsoft Word program and other applications, all of which can actually
help teachers in the learning process.
Apart from their duties and responsibilities as educators, teachers are also asked to be
active in various school activities. This situation makes the teacher must be good at managing
time well. However, not all teachers are able to manage their time for existing activities.

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Especially if suddenly the teacher is faced with other problems that are not related to learning
and school.
To overcome all of the above problems in order to be able to apply the merdeka
belajar Curriculum properly, teachers are required to increase their reading literacy, increase
references, and improve the quality of teacher competence, and be able to manage their time
well. Teachers must also have easy access to digital and the internet.
If all these efforts are taken, it is hoped that it will be a solution for teachers to face
various obstacles in implementing the merdeka belajar Curriculum.
The second weakness is undercooked in preparation Considering that the Merdeka
belajar Curriculum was only inaugurated and launched by the Minister of Education and
Research and Technology a few months ago. Of course, a more in-depth study and evaluation
is needed so that its implementation is effective and appropriate.

The advantages of SMP 1 Mataram in implementing the merdeka belajar curriculum

According to the informant, the advantages that exist in this merdeka belajar
curriculum are that students at SMP 1 Mataram can be more relaxed, freer in learning, do not
need to feel monitored or pressured, to choose subjects according to their interests, talents,
and aspirations. So, both students and teachers can teach according to the stage of
achievement and development and for the results that have been achieved at SMP 1 Mataram
According to sources who have interviewed the results of the existence of the Merdeka
belajar curriculum is the same as the learning outcomes using the previous curriculum.
The Merdeka curriculum also introduces various learning methods that teachers can
choose according to the capacity of their students. One of them is through project-based
learning. This method provides opportunities for students to explore issues related to subjects,
such as environmental, health, and other issues.

Conclusions

SMP 1 Mataram is a school that has the spirit of moving to make a change. SMP 1
Mataram is required to build a digital school concept in the implementation of the teaching
and learning process. The curriculum used in SMP 1 Mataram is a Merdeka Belajar

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curriculum which is a curriculum created by our Minister of Education Nadiem Makarim

where the Merdeka Belajar curriculum gives students the freedom to export their abilities and
interests. By using a Merdeka Belajar curriculum, changes are felt in schools, teachers are
more flexible to be creative in teaching as much as possible, and are more aware of the
interests, talents, needs and abilities of students. The Merdeka Belajar curriculum learning
process at SMP 1 Mataram refers to the profile of Pancasila students which aims to produce
graduates who are competent and uphold character values. In implementing the Merdeka
Belajar curriculum at SMP 1 Mataram, it is not as easy as turning the palm of the hand, there
are many obstacles to be overcome, especially instilling the interest of school members to
want to move forward towards change. The principal as a school leader must be able to move,
direct, and inspire teachers to want to change towards a better education. In addition, good
cooperation is needed between teachers, principals, offices, parents and related parties so that
the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum at SMP 1 Mataram can be realized
optimally.

Acknowledgements

First of all, allow us to say thank you and a big thank you to our lecturer Mr.
Jeelani as the best lecturer in this session and who guided us in making this work so
that it can be finished to the end. And also want to express special thanks to the
English teachers at SMP 1 MATARAM who have been willing to accept us for the
time and opportunity to conduct research and complete this project.

And from us this group would like to thank all friends who have helped us
complete this task or project so that it can be structured perfectly which also helps me
to do a lot of research and to find out about many new things. And also made the
atmosphere of working on this assignment a pleasant moment, to our classmates in
class 5d tadris english as well as comments and suggestions, thank you.

Finally, we want to thank God, because he has given us a lot of strength to

solve all the difficulties that exist and the twists and turns of the struggle in making
this task. We also thank our parents who are always patient and caring about us, who

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always support us in any way so that we become strong and great children in facing
the obstacles and challenges that are in front of us. And to all of our friends, we thank
you for being entertainment when we are tired in preparing this task, you are there as
entertainment and encouragement for us when we are tired.

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Publisher).

Asiba, W. P. (2021). Pentingnya Teknologi Bagi Guru Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19.

Munandar, A. (n.d.). KURIKULUM SEBAGAI JANTUNG PENDIDIKAN. . . ISSN, 10.

http://ejournal.mandalanursa.org/index.php/Semnas/article/view/299

Nurdi.pdf. (n.d.).

Sibagariang, D., Sihotang, H., & Murniarti, E. (2021). PERAN GURU PENGGERAK

DALAM PENDIDIKAN MERDEKA BELAJAR DI INDONESIA. 12.

Triwiyanto, T. (2021). Pengantar pendidikan. Bumi Aksara.

Ulinniam, Hidayat, Ujang Cepi Barlian, & Yosal Iriantara. (2021). Penerapan Kurikulum

2013 Revisi di Masa Pandemi pada SMK IBS Tathmainul Quluub Indramayu. Jurnal

Pendidikan Indonesia, 2(1), 118–126. https://doi.org/10.36418/japendi.v2i1.74

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