Aligning Student Needs with English Curriculum in Indonesian Junior High School
Keywords:
Curriculum Alignment; Learning Needs Analysis; English Teaching Practices; Junior High School; Communicative Learning.Abstract
The alignment between students’ learning needs and the English curriculum in an Indonesian junior high school context. This response concerns the degree to which students’ target needs and learning needs match with the teacher’s views, she said, followed by debate on how this aligns to actual practices of English in classroom settings. This study uses a descriptive qualitative design involving an English teacher and a group of junior high school students. Three instruments were used for data collection: a student questionnaire on necessities, lacks, wants and activities; a semi-structured teacher interview and classroom observation. The data were systematically categorized, interpreted to identify patterns and mismatches. The results reveal that students’ competence in English is still at a low level, especially in vocabulary mastery and speaking confidence, whilst the majority of students have strong proclivities to interactive, communicative and technology-supported learning activities. The study also finds a partial misalignment between the goals of lesson plans overall and actual classroom practices. This reminds us that relevant implementation of a curriculum should be based on the actual learning needs of students—it realistically allows: enhanced vocabulary support, use of language in practice and engaging methods being implemented – leading to more responsive and student-focused English teaching practices as a whole.
References
Aydan, S., & Sarıdemir, H. (2025). Bridging Theory and Practice: Exploring Bellon and Handler’s Curriculum Evaluation Model and its Use in Literature. Turkish Academic Research Review - Türk Akademik Araştırmalar Dergisi [TARR], 10(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.30622/tarr.1584068
Buacokrung, U., Tanunchaibutra, P., & Pinagalung, S. (2025). A Needs Analysis for Developing a Blended Learning–Driven Communicative Language Teaching Instructional Model to Enhance Primary Students’ English Communication Skills. Journal of Education and Learning, 15(1), 373. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v15n1p373
Celeste, R. J., & Osias, N. (2024). Challenges and Implementation of Technology Integration: Basis for Enhanced Instructional Program. American Journal of Arts and Human Science, 3(2), 106. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajahs.v3i2.2656
Chen, S., Nimehchisalem, V., & Abdullah, A. N. (2024). Assessing English Poetry: A Curriculum-Centric Examination of Assessment Beliefs and Practices of Lecturers. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 14(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2024.141003
Daar, G. F. (2024). Meeting Educational Demands: Teacher and Student Voices on Language Focus Needs Analysis in English Material Design for Nursing Education. Lingual Journal of Language and Culture, 17(2), 90. https://doi.org/10.24843/ljlc.2024.v17.i02.p11
Dhuli, R., & Guduru, R. (2025). The Impact of High-Frequency Vocabulary Activation Strategies in Improving Speaking Skills and Vocabulary Knowledge of Rural ESL Learners. Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language--TESL-EJ, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.29114a2
Fang, L. (2025). The Impact of AI Tools on ESL Learners’ Engagement and Language Learning Motivation. Journal of Education and Educational Research, 12(3), 111. https://doi.org/10.54097/hvm6w044
Feng, H. (2025). Enhancing University Students’ Oral English: A Mixed-Methods Study. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(10), 4958. https://doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.910000408
Hu, K., & AlSaqqaf, A. (2024). NEEDS ANALYSIS FOR DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING AN EFL TEACHING-SPEAKING MODULE FOR THE UNIQUE LINGUISTIC TAPESTRY OF CHINESE BUSINESS ENGLISH UNDERGRADUATES. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 82(4), 456. https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/24.82.456
Indrayadi, S., & Alta, A. (2025). Harnessing Student-Centered Learning for Effective Learning Recovery. https://doi.org/10.35497/619298
Karim, S., & Harwood, N. (2025). Alignment between intended and enacted pedagogies: A study of ELT curriculum innovation implementation in Pakistan. System, 136, 103872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103872
Khodabandelou, R., Yousef, A. M. F., & Elhaj, A. (2025). Affordances and Core Features of Successful Digital Courses Design in Higher Education. Open Praxis, 17(3), 544. https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.17.3.890
Kresin, S., Kremer, K., Nehring, A., & Büssing, A. G. (2024). Students’ awareness and conceptions of science‐related communication mechanisms on social media. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 62(3), 756. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21973
Kurejšepi, E., Jusufi, J., Mujo, D., Dilji, A., Pupe, E., & Skenderi, N. (2025). Misalignment of Inter-Curricular Areas in the Second Stage of Education in Kosovo. Journal Human Research in Rehabilitation, 15(2), 360. https://doi.org/10.21554/hrr.092510
Maftuna, D. (2025). Approaches To Needs Analysis In Teaching English For Specific Purposes. European International Journal of Pedagogics, 5(11), 166. https://doi.org/10.55640/eijp-05-11-39
Muslimin, A. I., & Khan, A. (2024). Indonesian EFL teachers’ attitudes toward the differentiated curriculum in junior high schools and factors contributing to their attitudes. Journal on English as a Foreign Language, 14(1), 97. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v14i1.7286
Muthusamy, P., Farashaiyan, A., Nasek, A., Zhang, H., Sun, C., Xu, H., Li, J., Du, J., & Mu, Q. (2025). Games Preferences for Vocabulary Learning Opportunities among Young ESL Learners in Secondary School Education in Malaysia. World Journal of English Language, 15(8), 369. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v15n8p369
Nabilah, N., & Suyanto, S. (2025). A CIPP-based evaluation of critical thinking in science: Implementation of the Merdeka curriculum in Mataram public junior high schools. STEM Education, 5(4), 587. https://doi.org/10.3934/steme.2025028
Pomat, N., Jannok, A., Buripakdi, A., & Wilang, J. D. (2024). Exploring Needs, Challenges, and Teaching Norms in English-Medium Instruction Programs: Perspectives from University Students and Teachers. International Journal of Instruction, 17(3), 177. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2024.17310a
Rahman, Md. M., Jamila, M., & Yeasmin, F. (2024). Exploring English Teaching Materials and Methods at the HSC Level: An Empirical Study. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n2.10g
Saefurrohman, Balinas, E. S., Rosadi, A., Nafisah, S. L., & Pascarina, H. (2024). Innovative Approaches to English Language Teaching in Indonesian Public Islamic Schools: Insights and Challenges. Script Journal Journal of Linguistic and English Teaching, 9(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.24903/sj.v9i1.1611
Tasneem, N. T. (2022). The Impact of Technology-Enhanced EFL Reading Classes on Learners’ Performances and Participations. International Journal of English Learning and Applied Linguistics (IJELAL), 3(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.21111/ijelal.v3i1.8492
Wiklund-Engblom, A., Bergström, P., & Lindfors, M. (2025). Exploring Teaching Practices in an Innovative Learning Environment: A Pragmatic View on the Student-Centred Ideal in Future Classrooms. Postdigital Science and Education, 7(3), 834. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-025-00570-z
Yusof, M. S., & Sulaiman, N. A. (2024). Incorporating Teaching-Learning Materials in the English Language Classroom: A Narrative Inquiry on Edufluencers’ Textual Cycles. SHS Web of Conferences, 182, 1009. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202418201009
Zhang, H., Du, L., Luo, S., Xun, H., Yang, A., & Tang, Y. (2025). Unlocking EFL achievement through informal digital learning: the mediating roles of anxiety and enjoyment among school-age students in the Chinese mainland. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-025-00352-x
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fadhliyah Rahmah Muin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access)
