Pre-service teachers’ beliefs on the urgency of English as a mandatory subject in primary schools within the Merdeka Curriculum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22437/proca.v1i3.50610Keywords:
English Education, Merdeka Curiculum, Pre-service Teachers, Primary School, Teacher BeliefsAbstract
The reimplementation of English as a subject in Indonesian primary schools has become a key topic of discussion following the introduction of the Merdeka Curriculum. This study explores pre-service English teachers’ beliefs regarding the urgency of English as a mandatory subject in primary schools (SD/MI). It focuses on their perceptions of the importance of English, their support for the reimplementation policy, and their personal as well as institutional readiness for its application. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and written reflections from five pre-service teachers enrolled in the English Education Program at Universitas Jambi. The data were analyzed thematically to identify emerging patterns and underlying reasons behind the participants’ beliefs. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights for teacher education programs, curriculum designers, and policymakers, emphasizing the need to align teacher preparation with the objectives of the Merdeka Curriculum and the broader goal of strengthening English education at the primary level.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Nely Arif, Robi Soma, Reny Heryanti, Habizar Habizar
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