Challenges and Strategies of Islamic Religious Education Teachers in the Implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum

Abstract

Implementing the Merdeka Curriculum requires teachers to translate national policy into workable classroom practices, a task that becomes more complex in resource-constrained rural schools. This study examined the challenges faced by Islamic Religious Education teachers, the strategies they developed, and the perceived implications of those strategies for learning at a public senior high school in Luwu Regency, Indonesia. An intrinsic qualitative case study was conducted using in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. Two certified Islamic Religious Education teachers served as the primary participants, while contextual information from school stakeholders and a student supported triangulation. The findings show that implementation challenges were systemic and interconnected, encompassing difficulties in differentiated instruction and formative assessment, unstable internet access, limited contextual teaching resources, administrative workload, and uneven family support. Teachers responded by modifying established teaching routines, adapting existing learning documents, mobilizing local cultural resources, collaborating with colleagues, and positively reframing recurring constraints. These practices reflected iterative, practical-evaluative, and projective forms of teacher agency. The strategies were associated with greater classroom participation, stronger communication and collaboration skills, and more meaningful value learning, although the evidence remains qualitative and context-specific. The study concludes that successful curriculum implementation in rural settings depends on organizational support that protects teacher agency, strengthens professional learning communities, reduces avoidable administrative burdens, and permits context-sensitive adaptation.