LEARNING PROCESS 1

THE NATURE OF THE CURRICULUM

In Learning Activity 1 you will learn the nature of the curriculum which are related
to the definition of the curriculum, the elements involved in the development of the
curriculum, and the curricula applied in the Indonesian education system. The provision of
the definitions of the curriculum from various experts deepens learners understanding of
why the curriculum is important in the education program. The discussion of the elements
or factors involve in the curriculum development open up a vision of learners in defining
more feasible goals to achieve, and the presentation of the applied curriculum in
Indonesian education system provides learners with opportunities to develop appropriate
curriculum to meet needs of various characteristics of education program in different parts
of Indonesia. By thoroughly knowing and learning these topics, learners can focus their
attention on why the curriculum has to be developed.

1.1 The Definition of Curriculum

The curriculum is often mentioned as the heart of education. Many educational
experts (Candlin, 1984; Richards, Pratt, and Pratt, 1993; White, 1993; Richard, 2001;
Moore, 2005; Hamalik, 2010; Sanjaya, 2010) have defined the curriculum according to
their experiences in implementing teaching-learning activities. Although various
curriculum definitions have already been forwarded almost all of them emphasize the
achievement of three domains after the curriculum has been used, namely the aspects of
attitude, knowledge, and skills which are known as affective, cognitive, and psychomotor
domains in Bloom Taxonomy. The following are definitions of the curriculum by various
experts indicating the importance of developing the curriculum at any education system
and levels.
Candlin defines curriculum as “concerned with making general statements about
language learning, learning purpose and experience, evaluation, and the role relationships
of teachers and learners” (Candlin,1984, in Nunan, 1988: 3). This definition emphasizes
the relationships of the components in the teaching-learning process which are the ability
to state the goals of the teaching and learning, what is to achieve and to improve in the
teaching and learning process, and the activities between a teacher and students.
Richards, Pratt, and Pratt define curriculum "as an education program containing
purpose and means. They proposed the definition of curriculum as an educational program

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which states; a) “The educational purpose of the program (the ends); b) The content
teaching procedures and learning experience which will be necessary to achieve this
purpose (the means); and c) Some means for assessing whether or not the educational ends
have been achieved” (1993:94). Richards, Pratt and Pratt's definition of curriculum is still
emphasized three components that can be separated from each other as has been
highlighted by Candlin (1984).
White defines "Curriculum theory encompasses philosophy and value systems; the
main components of the curriculum: purposes, content, methodology and evaluation; and
the process whereby curricula are developed, implemented and evaluated" (1993:19). In
addition to the previous two stated definition of curriculum, White adds up methodology.
Methodology in this definition might relate to the way the instructional materials are
implemented and evaluated in the teaching and learning process. In some education terms,
they are called teaching-learning procedures or activities.
The curriculum is defined through government laws and regulations in the
Indonesian education system. This is because the government has guaranteed the education
of Indonesian citizens that has been stated in the national education goals in the 1945
Constitution which is to “educate the nation's life”. The Government of the Republic of
Indonesia defines the curriculum in the form of decree. According to Undang-Undang
Republik Indonesia No. 2 in 1989 regarding the National Education System (Sistem
Pendidikan Nasional/sisdiknas), the curriculum is defined as "seperangkat rencana dan
pengaturan mengenai isi dan bahan pelajaran serta cara yang digunakan sebagai
pedoman penyelenggaraan kegiatan belajar mengajar”. Furthermore, According to
Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia No. 20 in 2003 regarding the National Education
System, the curriculum is defined as “seperangkat rencana dan pengaturan mengenai
tujuan, isi, dan bahan pelajaran, serta cara yang digunakan sebagai pedoman
penyelenggaraan kegiatan pembelajaran untuk mencapai tujuan pendidikan nasional”.
The definition of the curriculum in the 2003 decree broadens the definition that has been
defined in the 1989 by adding a goal and the achievement of the objective of the national
education to the definition.
In addition, according to Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (2002:617) which is
published by the department of National Education (Departemen Pendidikan
Nasional/Depdiknas), curriculum is defined as ”perangkat mata pelajaran yang diajarkan

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pada lembaga pendidikan/perangkat mata kuliah mengenai bidang keahlian khusus”. The
definition forwarded in the dictionary is quite broad because it relates to learning packages
Considering the importance of the curriculum in any education system, Indonesian
practitioners (for examples, Hamalik, 2010; Sanjaya, 2010) have also defined the
curriculum based on their best practices. Hamalik (2010:91) defines curriculum as
“rencana tertulis tentang kemampuan yang harus dimiliki berdasarkan standar nasional,
materi yang perlu dipelajari dan pengalaman belajar yang harus dijalani untuk mencapai
tujuan tersebut, dan evaluasi yang perlu dilakukan untuk menentukan tingkat pencapaian
kemampuan peserta didik, serta seperangkat peraturan yang berkenaan dengan
pengalaman belajar peserta didik dalam mengembangkan potensi dirinya pada satuan
pendidikan tertentu. Hamalik (2010) emphasizes the existence of the curriculum as written
plan of what competencies to be acquired based on the national standard. Furthermore,
Sanjaya (2010; 6) defines curriculum as “seluruh kegiatan yang dilakukan siswa baik di
dalam maupun di luar sekolah asal kegiatan tersebut di bawah tanggungjawab
guru/sekolah.” This definition is in line with Moore (2005) that all of the activities of the
learners under the supervision of a teacher or school are considered as curriculum.
In the history of the Indonesian Education System, the national education system and
the national objective of the education are formulated by the Minister of National
Education which is named as Menteri Pendidikan nasional/Mendiknas in the Indonesian
education system and therefore, the curriculum is defined by the Minister of National
Education for the whole level of education. However, in line with the development in
science and technology and the need of the development in the education system in
Indonesia, since 2015 the education system is divided into two education ministry; 1)
Ministry of Education and Culture which is named as Menteri Pendidikan dan
Kebudayaan/medikbud that manages education system from primary education level to
senior high school education level, and 2) Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher
Education which is named as Kementerian Riset, Teknologi, dan Pendidikan
Tingg/Ristekditi that manages education system in tertiary education level.
Due to the division in the educational management system, the Ministry of Research,
Technology, and Higher Education defines curriculum to satisfy the needs of the higher
education system through government regulation which is named Peraturan Pemerintah
Riset, Teknologi, dan Pendidikan Tinggi/Permenristekdikti. According to
Permenristekdikti No. 44 in 2015, curriculum is defined as “seperangkat rencana dan

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pengaturan mengenai capaian pembelajaran lulusan, bahan kajian, proses, dan penilaian
yang digunakan sebagai pedoman penyelenggaraan program studi.” The definition clearly
states that the curriculum is guidelines for organizing programs. It implies that the
curriculum is not only related to the teaching and learning packages but also containing
rules in managing the conduct of the teaching and learning process, learning outcomes,
instructional packages, the process, as well the evaluation.

1.2 Factors in the Curriculum Development

The various definitions of the curriculum that have been previously discussed
indicate that the education system needs a curriculum. The curriculum is not only related to
the conduct of the teaching and learning in the face to face teaching but it also deals with
the formulation of the teaching and learning goals, contents, methods, and evaluation as the
components of the curriculum. More importantly, the curriculum does not only concern
about the school activities and experiences but also out of school activities concerning the
improvement of competencies of learners that are considered as the responsibility of both
teachers and schools. In other words, it can be said that the curriculum is a guideline for
providing education in or out of school to achieve the formulated education goals
generated from the institution's vision and missions.
The curriculum in the education system requires improvement or development. The
development of the curriculum is conducted so that the implemented curriculum in the
education system can meet the demands of the advancement of science and technology. By
improving or developing the curriculum, the contents, learning materials, and methods of
learning can be adjusted to the needs of learners, schools, societies, and other related
stakeholders. Therefore, in developing the curriculum it is necessary to consider the vision
and mission or the goals of the school or the institution.
Curriculum development is an activity carried out continuously by the curriculum
development center. The curriculum development is also carried out considering the
advancement of science and technology, social changes outside the education system,
needs of learners, advances in education, and the changes in the education system itself
(Richards, 2001).
The development of a curriculum in the education system requires the involvement
of many parties. The involvement of several parties in the development of a curriculum is
intended to obtain comprehensive input on the targets that will be outlined in the contents

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of the curriculum. In general, the development of a curriculum needs to involve experts in
the field of study, instructors, curriculum experts, instructional and media design experts,
representatives of parents, community users of graduates, people who care about
education, and representatives of industries. In addition to involving several components
that have been mentioned before, the development of the curriculum also requires deep
insight into the elements or components of the previously implemented curriculum (goals,
content, methods, and evaluation).