The Curriculum Change in Indonesian Junior High Schools: The ‘Copy Paste’ Phenomenon

Abstract

The Indonesian government defines the curriculum as a set of plans, programs, and rules that outline the objectives, contents, methods, and materials in teaching and learning. These serve as guidelines for conducting instructional activities, with the aim of achieving the national education standards. Along with the spirit of decentralization that began in the early 2000s through the implementation of school-based management, schools now control the school-based curriculum, which should be tailored to the unique characteristics of both the school and the student. This research evaluates the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesian junior high schools, using various instruments across 12 case study schools. Most schools experienced a "copy and paste" effect in their curriculum. One could perceive this as mere decoration instead of actively engaging with the pedagogical and structured content. The actual implementation in class was mostly different from the school documentation. In other words, what teachers do and what they write in the lesson plans are different. Despite the document's effectiveness, schools rarely implement it. To make matters worse, principals appeared to accept school documentation without a critical review of practice. One could perceive this as an endorsement of the document.