From Symbolic Compliance to Teacher Agency: Pedagogical Frictions under Indonesia’s Kurikulum Merdeka
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62730/syaikhuna.v17i2.7870Keywords:
differentiated instruction, human-in-the-loop, Kurikulum Merdeka, pedagogical barriers, symbolic compliance, teacher agencyAbstract
While Indonesia’s Kurikulum Merdeka articulates an emancipatory vision of pedagogical decentralization, empirical realities indicate that uncalibrated autonomy often induces acute instructional paralysis. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, this systematic literature review synthesizes 18 peer-reviewed empirical field studies across primary, secondary, and faith-based schooling (madrasahs) to diagnose the structural and cognitive roots of teacher implementation frictions. Qualitative thematic synthesis reveals that classroom barriers coalesce around four systemic crisis points: conceptual design ambiguity, digital mediation strain on the Platform Merdeka Mengajar, differentiated formative assessment burdens, and entrenched compliance mindsets culminating in "symbolic compliance." Rather than reflecting individual deficits, these frictions stem from technocratic delivery models that bypass situated educator sensemaking. To resolve this impasse, this study operationalizes the Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) socio-technical framework as an emancipatory pedagogical paradigm, repositioning the educator as an indispensable reflective mediator within local classroom ecologies. Sustainable transformation requires institutional interoperability between civil-service audits and pedagogical platforms, restructuring school learning communities (Kombel) into psychologically safe clinical spaces, and integrating faith-based cultural values.
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