Aligning Teachers’ Difficulty in Their Classroom Instruction with National Curriculum Standards

Abstract

This study examines the degree of alignment between teachers’ difficulty in their classroom instruction and national curriculum standards. This alignment may vary as a function of teacher characteristics. Using self-reports from teachers about their difficulty experiences in teaching the national curriculum standards, the study explores the extent to which teachers’ difficulty in their classroom instruction aligns with Indonesian national standards in the following nationally-assessed subjects: Indonesian, English, science, and mathematics. A mixed multilevel regression analyses was used to examine the relationships between alignments and teacher characteristics. The study involved 501 junior secondary school teachers from three western provinces in Indonesia (Lampung, Jakarta, and East Java). The findings showed accounted for 51.5% of the variance of teacher difficulty level as explained by teacher characteristics. Teacher characteristics did predict alignment in terms of teacher difficulty. Specifically, teachers with the most difficulty worked in government schools, did not have subject related majors, had more years of experience, lower levels of education and less adequate professional development regarding curriculum standards. In addition, teachers had more difficulty teaching math than English but they had more difficulty teaching science than math.