Study of ``Merdeka Belajar'' Curriculum for Cultivating Student Character: Evidence from Indonesia

Abstract

The curriculum is a tool that will never be separated from the educational process. In Indonesia, there have been several curriculum changes to support the implementation of education to run smoothly, and curriculum improvements in supporting the learning process have been carried out until now. The last curriculum improvement was carried out in 2020 under the name “Merdeka Belajar”, and its implementation was carried out in stages. In order to find out the effectiveness of the implementation of this curriculum in formal educational institutions, this study focuses on highlighting Merdeka Belajar curriculum to bring out the characters in students for independent learning. To solve this problem, the researcher used qualitative research methods with case study techniques, while the data collection method used were observation in the form of non participatory observations and interviews. The results of the study stated that the implementation of the independent learning curriculum has not been fully implemented, and still limited to Projek Penguatan Profil Pelajar Pancasila (P5) so it was categorized as a school “Mandiri Belajar”. Keywords: Merdeka Belajar curriculum, implementation, cultivating student character