THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF IMPLEMENTING A CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY CURRICULUM IN LOCAL SCHOOLS: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY OF LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL NEGOTIATION AT SD MUHAMMADIYAH 3 ICP SUMBERREJO

This study explores the dynamics of implementing an Cambridge Primary Curriculum in a faith-based primary school through a qualitative case study using a critical ethnographic approach at Muhammadiyah Primary School 3 ICP Sumberrejo, Bojonegoro. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, document analysis, and focus group discussions. The findings reveal that the integration of the Cambridge Primary Curriculum with Muhammadiyah Islamic values and Javanese local wisdom has produced a hybrid educational model that is not merely structural but pedagogically transformative. Importantly, the study uncovers how English-medium instruction (EMI) becomes a critical site of linguistic and cultural negotiation, where teachers act as cultural and linguistic mediators through strategic code-switching, bilingual scaffolding, and contextual material adaptation. These practices reflect uneven distributions of linguistic capital among students and highlight the role of adaptive bilingual pedagogy in sustaining inclusive internationalization. Nevertheless, challenges related to cultural capital and unequal access continue to hinder equitable implementation. This study extends the notion of “glocalization capital” by foregrounding the linguistic dimension of curriculum hybridity and recommends culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum policies, context-based teacher training, and stronger school–community collaboration as essential pathways toward inclusive and globally competitive education.