Assessing Teachers’ Understanding and Readiness for Implementing Deep Learning in Pancasila Education: A Descriptive Study in Ponorogo, Indonesia

Abstract

The shift toward the Merdeka Curriculum in Indonesia positions deep learning — an approach emphasising cognitive, emotional, and metacognitive engagement through exploration, reflection, and meaning-making — as central to classroom practice. In Pancasila Education, this approach carries particular strategic importance because learning outcomes extend beyond civic knowledge to the internalisation and reflective application of Pancasila values in everyday life. Prior studies indicate that teachers’ conceptual grasp of curriculum reform often outpaces their capacity to translate it consistently into differentiated, exploratory, and reflective classroom practice, revealing a persistent gap between understanding and readiness. This study aimed to describe the level of Pancasila Education teachers’ understanding of, and readiness to implement, deep learning at the senior high school level in Ponorogo Regency, Indonesia. A quantitative approach with a descriptive survey design was employed. Respondents comprised 16 Pancasila Education teachers drawn from eight public senior high schools representing the western, eastern, northern, and southern regions of Ponorogo Regency. Data were collected using a 24-item, four-point Likert-scale questionnaire measuring understanding and readiness across four deep learning dimensions: pedagogical practices, learning partnerships, learning environments, and leveraging digital. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The overall level of teachers’ understanding and readiness fell into the moderate category, with a mean score of 62.82. The understanding variable obtained a mean of 23.82, with 56.25% of respondents in the moderate category, while the readiness variable obtained a mean of 24.18, with 56.25% of respondents likewise in the moderate category. Teachers already possess a conceptual foundation and an initial readiness to implement deep learning, but this foundation has not yet developed into strong and evenly distributed practice. Contextual, practice-oriented, and sustained professional development is therefore needed to strengthen implementation.