Implementation of Deep Learning Pedagogy in Curriculum Reform: Primary School: Teachers’ Perspectives in Indonesia

Authors

  • Sudirman Sudirman
  • Abdullah Pandang

Keywords:

: curriculum reform; professional development; deep learning pedagogy

Abstract

Curriculum reform in Indonesia is increasingly emphasizing the integration of deep learning pedagogy. However, its practical implementation in primary schools remains underexplored. This study investigated curriculum reform in Indonesia in relation to a national policy that mandates the integration of deep learning pedagogy in the curriculum delivery. Using a qualitative case study design, this study explored the challenges experienced, capacities demonstrated, and strategies adopted by teachers to facilitate effective implementation. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with eight purposively selected teachers, supplemented by snowball sampling, which were triangulated through focus group discussions. A thematic analysis conducted using NVivo 12 identified three interrelated themes: implementation challenges, teacher preparedness, and pedagogical strategies. The findings indicate that teachers face substantial constraints, possess limited capacity to operationalize deep learning pedagogy, and require sustained professional development to enhance implementation. The collaborative engagement of primary school teachers constitutes a critical factor in the successful implementation of curriculum reform. These findings underscore that the success of curriculum innovation depends on not only policy directives but also on comprehensive education reform and continuous professional growth of educators, which would enable them to prepare students for future challenges. This study contributes to the literature by presenting empirically grounded and contextually relevant strategies for the Indonesian education system and offering a comparative perspective that has important implications for educators, academic supervisors, and policymakers engaged in curriculum reform.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.11.29

References

Ajani, O. A. (2023). The role of experiential learning in teachers’ professional development for enhanced classroom practices. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 12(4), 143–155. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v12n4p143

Alisaari, J., Bergroth, M., & Heikkola, L. M. (2025). Teachers’ views on students’ multilingual resources—tracking the impact of curriculum reform. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2025.2560843

Allsop, D. B., Chelladurai, J. M., Kimball, E. R., Marks, L. D., & Hendricks, J. J. (2022). Qualitative methods with NVivo software: A practical guide for analyzing qualitative data. Psych, 4(2), 142–159. https://doi.org/10.3390/psych4020013

Alshammari, S. H., Almankory, A. Z., & Alrashidi, M. E. (2025). The effects of awareness and trust on students’ willingness to use ChatGPT: An integrated TAM-ECM model. RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 28(2), 155–180. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.28.2.43476

Alshwayat, D., Elrehail, H., Shehadeh, E., Alsalhi, N., Shamout, M. D., & Rehman, S. U. (2023). An exploratory examination of the barriers to innovation and change as perceived by senior management. International Journal of Innovation Studies, 7(2), 159–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijis.2022.12.005

Amemasor, S. K., Oppong, S. O., Ghansah, B., Benuwa, B. B., & Essel, D. D. (2025). A systematic review on the impact of teacher professional development on digital instructional integration and teaching practices. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1541031. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1541031

Ammar, M., Al-Thani, N. J., & Ahmad, Z. (2024). Role of pedagogical approaches in fostering innovation among K-12 students in STEM education. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 9, Article 100839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.100839

Ampo, W. M., Ayuban, A. R., Avellaneda, S. L. A., & Go, D. T. (2025). Exploring teachers’ lived experiences in integrating ChatGPT in classroom practices. International Journal of Education and Emerging Practices, 1(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.63236/injeep.1.1.2

Aravantinos, S., Lavidas, K., Voulgari, I., Papadakis, S., Karalis, T., & Komis, V. (2024). Educational approaches with AI in primary school settings: A systematic review of the literature available in Scopus. Education Sciences, 14(7), Article 744. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070744

Baharuddin & Burhan. (2025). Urban and rural teacher perspectives on Indonesian educational reform: Challenges and policy implications. Cogent Education, 12(1), Article 2497142. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2497142

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). A worked example of reflexive thematic analysis. Quality & Quantity, 56(3), 1391–1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01182-y

Chang, C.-H., Chen, Y.-L., & Wang, M.-H. (2024). Conditional professional development and teacher learning in digital pedagogy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 136, Article 104428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104428

Chen, L. (2022). Facilitating teacher learning in professional learning communities through collaborative action research: A qualitative case study in China. Teaching and Teacher Education, 119, Article 103875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103875

Christou, P. A. (2022). How to use thematic analysis in qualitative research. Journal of Qualitative Research in Tourism, 3(2), 79–95. https://doi.org/10.4337/jqrt.2023.0006

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge.

Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2023). Revisiting mixed methods research designs twenty years later. In C. Poth (Ed.), Handbook of mixed methods research designs (pp. 623–635). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529614572.n6

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Darling-Hammond, L., DiNapoli, M. A. Jr., & Kini, T. (2023). The federal role in ending teacher shortages. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/649.892

Durden-Myers, E. J., Evans, E., Davies, M., Campbell, J., & Swaithes, W. (2024). Evaluating the implementation of curriculum reform: The perspectives of Welsh teachers navigating the new health and wellbeing area of learning experience. Journal of Education for Teaching, 51(1), 6–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2024.2371308

El-Hamamsy, L., Monnier, E. C., Avry, S., Chessel-Lazzarotto, F., Liégeois, G., Bruno, B., Dehler Zufferey, J., & Mondada, F. (2024). An adapted cascade model to scale primary school digital education curricular reforms and teacher professional development programs. Education and Information Technologies, 29(9), 10391–10436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12043-6

Fangestu, I. W. F., & Marpuah, S. (2025). Perubahan dan inovasi kurikulum pendidikan di berbagai negara [Changes and innovations in educational curricula in various countries]. Southeast Asian Journal of Islamic Education Management, 6(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.21154/sajiem.v6i1.357

Fixsen, D. L. (2025). Fixsen, D. L. (2025). Fidelity, not adaptation, is essential for implementation. Frontiers in Health Services, 5, Article 1575179. https://doi.org/10.3389/frhs.2025.1575179

Fullan, M. (2025). The new meaning of educational change (6th ed.). Teachers College Press.

Fullan, M., Azorín, C., Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2023). Artificial intelligence and school leadership: challenges, opportunities and implications. School Leadership & Management, 44(4), 339–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2023.2246856

Gao, L. X., & Zhang, L. J. (2020). Teacher learning in difficult times: Examining foreign language teachers’ cognitions about online teaching to tide over COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 549653. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.549653

Gordon, D., Blundell, C., Mills, R., & Bourke, T. (2022). Teacher self-efficacy and reform: A systematic literature review. The Australian Educational Researcher, 50(6), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-022-00526-3

Gore, J. M., Miller, A., Fray, L., Harris, J., & Prieto, E. (2021). Improving student achievement through professional development: Results from a randomised controlled trial of quality teaching rounds. Teaching and Teacher Education, 101, Article 103297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103297

Grimm, F. (2024). Teacher leadership for teaching improvement in professional learning communities. Professional Development in Education, 50(6), 1135–1147. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2023.2264286

Guest, G., Namey, E., & Chen, M. (2020). A simple method to assess and report thematic saturation in qualitative research. PLoS One, 15(5), Article e0232076. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232076

Hasanah, E., Suyatno, S., Maryani, I., Badar, M. I. A., Fitria, Y., & Patmasari, L. (2022). Conceptual model of differentiated-instruction (DI) based on teachers’ experiences in Indonesia. Education Sciences, 12(10), Article 650. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100650

Hidayah, R., Wangid, M. N., & Wuryandani, W. (2022). Elementary school teacher perception of curriculum changes in Indonesia. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 12(2), 77– 88. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog

Husin, M., Usmeldi U., Masdi, H., Simatupang, W., Fadhilah, F., & Hendriyani, Y. (2025). Project-based problem learning: Improving problem-solving skills in higher education engineering students. International Journal of Sociology of Education, 14(1), 62–84. https://doi.org/10.17583/rise.15125

Jackson, K., & Bazeley, P. (2019). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo. SAGE Publications.

Jones, D. A. (2023). A review and critical analysis of qualitative methodologies and data-collection techniques used for code-switching research. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(2), 53–72. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12988

Jowsey, T., Deng, C., & Weller, J. (2021). General-purpose thematic analysis: a useful qualitative method for anaesthesia research. BJA Education, 21(12), 472–478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjae.2021.07.006

Kaur, T., Kersting, M., Adams, K., Blair, D., Treagust, D., Popkova, A., Boublil, S., Santoso, J., Ju, L., Zadnik, M., Wood, D., Horne, E., McGoran, D., Scott, S., & Venville, G. (2023). Developing and implementing an Einsteinian science curriculum from Years 3 to 10: Part B teacher upskilling: response to training and teacher's classroom experience. arXiv, 2306, Article 17344. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2306.17344

König, J., Santagata, R., Scheiner, T., Adleff, A.-K., Yang, X., & Kaiser, G. (2022). Teacher noticing: A systematic literature review of conceptualisations, research designs, and findings on learning to notice. Educational Research Review, 36, Article 100453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100453

Köpeczi-Bócz, T. (2025). Cognitive-dissonance-based educational methodological innovation for a conceptual change to increase institutional confidence and learning motivation. Education Sciences, 15(3), Article 378. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030378

Kumayas, T., Luntungan, G. S., Arsai, A. N., & Tatipang, D. P. (2025). Curriculum reform meets classroom realities: Selected Indonesian teachers’ perspectives on the Merdeka Curriculum. REiLA: Journal of Research and Innovation in Language, 7(1), 97–110.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393528356

Leshabane, E. T., Mokgosi, P. N., & Maile, S. (2025). Teachers’ perspectives on the implementation of e-learning in secondary schools of Gauteng province, South Africa. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(7), 776–797. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.7.38

López-Pérez, B., Polias, S., Zuffianò, A., & Gummerum,M. (2024). Social dynamics in interpersonal emotion regulation: A theoretical framework for understanding direct and indirect other-based processes. Motivation and Emotion, 48, 449–463. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-024-10065-2

Lynch, J., Auld, G., O’Mara, J., & Cloonan, A. (2024). Teachers’ everyday work-for-change: Implementing curriculum policy in ‘disadvantaged’ schools. Journal of Education Policy, 39(4), 564–582. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2023.2245794

Mabanag, R. M., Delicana, A., Igot, P. E., Sitoy, R., Tandag, J., & Mangubat, R. (2024). Teacher readiness and challenges in inclusive classrooms. World Journal on Education and Humanities Research, 4(4), 180–192. https://doi.org/10.30076/wjher.4.4

Martinez, L., Gimenes, M., & Lambert, E. (2023). Video games and board games: Effects of playing practice on cognition. PLoS ONE, 18, Article e0283654. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283654

McLeod, S. (2024). Thematic analysis: A step-by-step guide. Simply Psychology. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13084.71048

McLure, F., Savage, G. C., & Lingard, B. (2023). Recontextualising “high performance”: Policy mobility, education reform and the OECD’s High Performing Systems for Tomorrow. Journal of Education Administration and History, 55(1–2), 72–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2023.2171012

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Morina, F., Futterer, T., Huebner, N., Zitzmann, S., & Fischer, C. (2025). Effects of online teacher professional development on teacher-, classroom-, and student-level outcomes: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 228, 105247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105247

Mustafa, B., & Lleshi, S. (2024). The impact of lifelong learning and investments in employee development on employee productivity and performance. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7(8), Article e2024175. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024175

Naderifar, M., Goli, H., & Ghaljaie, F. (2017). Snowball sampling: A purposeful method of sampling in qualitative research. Strides in Development of Medical Education, 14(3), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.5812/sdme.67670

Neale, J. (2016). Iterative categorization (IC): A systematic technique for analysing qualitative textual data. Addiction, 111(6), 1096–1106. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13216

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2020). Curriculum (re)design: A series of thematic reports from the OECD Education 2030 project. OECD Publishing.

Parker, C., Scott, S., & Geddes, A. (2019). Snowball sampling. In P. Atkinson, S. Delamont, A. Cernat, J. W. Sakshaug, & R. A. Williams (Eds.), SAGE research methods foundations. SAGE Publications.

Puad, L. M. A. Z., & Ashton, K. (2023). A critical analysis of Indonesia’s 2013 national curriculum: Tensions between global and local concerns. The Curriculum Journal, 34(3), 521–535. https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.194

Puspitasari, M. (2024). Navigating classroom challenges and curriculum changes: Teacher adaptation in Indonesian primary schools. Power and Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/17577438241275799

Rehman, N., Huang, X., Mahmood, A., Zafeer, H. M. I., & Mohammad, N. K. (2025). Emerging trends and effective strategies in STEM teacher professional development: A systematic review. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04272-y

Revina, S. (2023). Replacing the old with the new: Long-term issues of curriculum reform in Indonesia. Asian Education and Development Studies, 12(4–5), 262–278. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-11-2021-0250

Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Sandgren, O., Andersson, K., Lyberg Åhlander, V., Rosqvist, I., Hansson, K., & Sahlén, B. (2023). A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of teacher continued professional development on student language outcomes. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 58(3), 879–891. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12829

Sinnema, C., Nieveen, N., & Priestley, M. (2020). Successful futures, successful curriculum: What can Wales learn from international curriculum reforms? The Curriculum Journal, 31(2), 81–201. https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.17

Stavermann, K. (2025). Online teacher professional development: A research synthesis on effectiveness and evaluation. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 30(1), 203–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-024-09792-9

Stevens, T. M., Day, I. N. Z., den Brok, P. J., Prins, F. J., Assen, H. J. H. E., Ter Beek, M., Bombaerts, G., Coppoolse, R., Cremers, P. H., Engbers, R., & Hulsen, M. (2024). Teacher professional learning and development in the context of educational innovations in higher education: A typology of practices. Higher Education Research & Development, 43(2), 437–454. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2023.2246412

Subandiyah, H., Nasrullah, R., Ramadhan, R., Supratno, H., Raharjo, R. P., & Lukman, F. (2025). The impact of differentiated instruction on student engagement and achievement in Indonesian language learning. Cogent Education, 12(1), Article 2516378. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2516378

Subiyantoro, S., Musa, M. Z., & Efendi, A. (2024). Preparing Indonesian primary school teachers for deep learning: Readiness, challenges, and institutional support. Cognitive Development Journal, 2(2), 77–86. https://doi.org/10.32585/cognitive.v2i2.44

Taherdoost, H. (2022). Designing a questionnaire for a research paper: A comprehensive guide to design and develop an effective questionnaire. Asian Journal of Managerial Science, 11(1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.51983/ajms-2022.11.1.3087

Talafian, H., Lundsgaard, M., Mahmood, M., Shafer, D., Stelzer, T., & Kuo, E. (2025). Responsive professional development: A facilitation approach for teachers’ development in a physics teaching community of practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 153, Article 104812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104812

Tangney, B., Girvan, C., Ní Chorcora, E., & Bray, A. (2023). Overcoming barriers to teaching 21C skills: the Bridge21 approach. Irish Educational Studies, 44(2), 301–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2023.2270564

Tatik, T., Nguyen, H. T. M., & Loughland, T. (2025). Exploring factors influencing Indonesian novice teachers’ achievement of teacher professional standards during induction: A cultural-historical activity theory perspective. Teaching and Teacher Education, 159, Article 105013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105013

Tobin, B., Farren, M., & Crotty, Y. (2024). Impacting teaching and learning through collaborative reflective practice. Educational Action Research, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2024.2394933

Trust, T., & Whalen, J. (2020). Should teachers be trained in emergency remote teaching? Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(2), 189–199. https://doi.org/10.70725/307718pkpjuu

Wiyono, B. B., Imron, A., Sumarsono, R. B., & Mohd Saat, R. (2025). The effect of constructivist learning and project-based learning model on students’ entrepreneurial competence in higher education. Cogent Education, 12(1), Article 2557606. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2557606

Zhou, T., Bubnys, R., Grajauskas, L., Cañabate, D., & Colomer, J. (2025). Modes of self-reflection in physical education instruction. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1645817. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1645817

Downloads

Published

2025-11-30