DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION OF MERDEKA CURRICULUM: A CASE STUDY AT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN MADIUN

The existence of Indonesia's Merdeka curriculum, also known as Kurikulum Merdeka, offers diverse intra-curricular learning and project-based learning to equip students with skills for global survival. This curriculum adapts to changing student needs and adapts to changes in students' needs. The Merdeka curriculum includes differentiated learning, which aims to maximize students' uniqueness and accommodate their learning styles, needs, readiness level, and interests. However, the implementation of this approach in Indonesia is not comprehensive, particularly in urban villages. Employing a qualitative method, specifically a case study design, this study aims to examine the implementation of Differentiated Instruction (DI) in teaching English in urban villages in Madiun and analyse whether any factors cause difficulties in its implementation. This study focuses on three junior high school teachers in urban villages that have already implemented DI in their classrooms. The teachers have over five years of experience teaching English and have professional certification. They have expertise in instructing with various curricula and have consented to participate in the study. The research instruments used include classroom observations, documentation, and interviews. Classroom observations aim to obtain data on the actual context of DI implementation in English classrooms, while documentation includes photographs, videos, and teaching documents. Interviews are conducted to gather data on how teachers' insights toward DI, the impact of DI on students' English skills, and the obstacles teachers face. The open-ended and semi-structured interviews enable participants to share their views and experiences regarding the implementation of DI in their respective contexts. The study reveals that English teachers in the observed settings have a fundamental understanding of differentiated instruction principles, which involve adapting learning processes, materials, and outcomes to accommodate students' diverse needs. The implementation of DI follows a systematic thirteen-step process, including pre-assessment, material differentiation, flexible grouping, and multiple assessment strategies. However, time management is identified as the most significant obstacle in DI implementation. The study's small sample size may limit the comprehensiveness of insights into DI implementation practices, suggesting future research should use mixed-methods approaches with larger sample sizes.