Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Merdeka Belajar Challenges in Junior High Schools: A Descriptive Survey in Pandeglang District

Abstract

Merdeka Belajar has become a major curriculum reform in Indonesia that emphasizes flexibility, student-centered learning, character development, and teacher autonomy. In Physical Education, Sports, and Health learning, this reform requires teachers to adapt movement-based instruction to students’ needs, school facilities, and contextual learning conditions. This study aimed to describe Physical Education, Sports, and Health teachers’ perceptions of the challenges of Merdeka Belajar in junior high schools in Pandeglang District. A quantitative descriptive survey design was employed. The participants were 15 Physical Education, Sports, and Health teachers selected using total sampling. Data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 37 items covering three dimensions: the concept of Merdeka Belajar, the content of Merdeka Belajar policy, and its implementation in learning practice. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, median, mode, standard deviation, minimum score, and maximum score. The results showed that teachers’ overall perception was categorized as good, with 60.00% of teachers in the good category and 40.00% in the fairly good category. The concept and implementation dimensions were categorized as good, while the content dimension was categorized as fairly good. These findings indicate that teachers generally accept Merdeka Belajar, but further support is needed to strengthen curriculum literacy, assessment literacy, and practical implementation in Physical Education learning.