EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 69 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH CURRICULUM: TEACHERS’ VOICES AT ONE PRIVATE SCHOOL IN PALEMBANG MUHAMAD HOLANDYAH Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fatah Palembang Corresponding Author: muhammadholandyah_uin@radenfatah.ac.id DIAN ERLINA Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fatah Palembang LENNY MARZULINA Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fatah Palembang DIAH YULIANTI Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fatah Palembang Abstract The Cambridge curriculum is one of the international curricula. In Indonesia, Cambridge curriculum has been implemented, especially for teaching English. This study was aimed at finding out English teachers' perceptions toward the implementation of the Cambridge Lower Secondary English Curriculum at one private school in Palembang, Indonesia. A qualitative design with a case study was employed for this study. The data were gathered through in-depth interviews with two English teachers. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the research data. The results of the study revealed the three stages of implementing the curriculum: (1) program development, (2) implementation of learning, and (3) evaluation. Keywords: Cambridge Lower Secondary English Curriculum, curriculum implementation, and teachers’ perceptions Manuscript submitted: April 7, 2022 Manuscript revised: June 03, 2022 Accepted for publication: June 30, 2022 Introduction English has become a subject that is taught to the students at school. Johnson (2017) defined that there are various reasons for learning a foreign language, which are; for study purposes, adapting to the new culture of the country in which someone lives; for international communication (with people from different countries), and for international communication (with people from within their country). The learning process consists of supporting materials and strategy (included in mailto:muhammadholandyah_uin@radenfatah.ac.id EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 70 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi the activity) during the learning process take place. According to Lismina (2017), the components of the curriculum consist of; aim, material, learning strategy, and evaluation. Moreover, a study conducted by Sukmawati (2021) showed that a curriculum has components such as; development of objectives, materials/contents, strategies/methods, also tools and resources (which consists of evaluation). In short, a curriculum is one of the elements in teaching that consist of components involved which will achieve the aim or objectives of a curriculum itself. Concerning English as a subject, it is related to the curriculum used. Over time, a curriculum is always changed or updated. There are national and international curricula that have their own purpose and competencies that want to be achieved in education. According to Sudarman (2019), there are competencies by using an international curriculum to face globalization. They are related to communication skills, the ability to think clearly and critically, the ability to consider moral issues as a problem, the ability to be a good citizen responsibility, the ability to try to understand and be tolerant of different points of view, and the ability to live in a globalized society. Aside from that, the Indonesian generation must have a broad range of interests in life, be willing to work, be intelligent under their talents/interests, and have a sense of environmental responsibility. The relation between English subject and the curriculum here is for teaching English subject by using Cambridge Lower English Secondary. Cambridge Lower Secondary is one of Cambridge Pathways for level in Cambridge education. Sullivan (2019) defined that Cambridge Lower Secondary expands on what students learned in Cambridge Primary and prepares them for studies in Cambridge Upper Secondary. By using Cambridge Lower Secondary English, students improve their comprehension and use of language elements, as well as their ability to use language effectively in a variety of oral and written contexts. They are also improving their literary analysis and critical reading skills. This program equips students with the language and literacy skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Several kinds of research on the implementation of Cambridge curriculum have been conducted. One of the studies was conducted by Pratiwi (2018) which entitled The Practice of English Language Teaching Using Cambridge Primary Curriculum in Sekolah Dasar Kristen Kalam Kudus Surakarta. The findings revealed the difference with this study was that teaching and learning approaches followed the principle of metacognition and active learning, in which a student-centered classroom was emphasized, while the teacher was autonomous to design the teaching approach. Also, the study did not conduct the stages of implementing a curriculum. However, the similarity between the study and our study was in the classroom activities in which the interaction between teacher and students was positive. Students demonstrated eager learning and participation, as well as a highly competitive atmosphere. However, the similarity between the study and our study was in the classroom activities in which the interaction between teacher and students was positive. Students demonstrated eager learning and participation, as well as a highly competitive atmosphere. As the preliminary study which was conducted, for that, we interviewed a teacher of English at SIS, we found that in primary school, Cambridge only used for the test of the end the level of the stage which is called as Cambridge Primary checkpoint. However, SIS has been used Cambridge Curriculum in teaching English because Cambridge is a great curriculum in the world. Therefore, students were expected to be ready for facing the world by competencies they had. Second, for implementing Cambridge Primary English, SIS prepared teachers in order to take part in training from Cambridge because, by following the training, teachers’ proficiency and competency could not be doubted and follow the Cambridge Lower Secondary English instruction and framework in teaching. Third, by implementing Cambridge curriculum, students were interested in learning EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 71 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi English by using Cambridge Lower Secondary English. The last, SIS also prepared students to have Cambridge Checkpoint so that students can continue their study to the next level; it was called Cambridge Lower Secondary (personal communication, FK, April 19, 2021). After the preliminary study was conducted, we decided to conduct the study at SIS Lower Secondary because the study would like to know the implementation of the curriculum itself, not only the evaluation. In relation to the previous related study, facts, and preliminary study that we had conducted, we were interested in conducting a study entitled: “The Implementation of Cambridge Lower Secondary English: Teachers’ Perceptions at Singapore Indonesian School (SIS) Palembang”. Literature Review Teachers’ perceptions, the nature of curriculum, the importance of curriculum The teachers’ perceptions are important to this study. Perception is an emotional or intellectual reaction to or regarding something or someone. Consciously or unconsciously, we judge persons, things, or events throughout our lives. In curriculum, there are so many things that must be considered in order to be the direction and purpose of the curriculum itself. The components consist of objectives or aims, teaching method, the activity in the learning process, and assessment for students. Richards (2001) defined curriculum as something that includes the processes that are used to determine the needs of a group of learners, to develop aims or objectives for a program to address those needs, to determine appropriate syllabus, course structure, teaching methods, and teaching materials, and to evaluate the language program that results from these processes. A Curriculum is an essential part of the education system because it is a tool to achieve educational aims and goals. Therefore, there are some points of the importance of a curriculum. According to Rohmawati (2017), good impacts of this importance are as follows: Impact on administrators, teachers, and students A curriculum allows administrators to provide a dynamic educational program for current and prospective students. Schools, colleges, and universities attract students with a variety of quality, competitive and flexible program curricula. A curriculum offers teachers provides ideas and strategies for teachers to use in assessing students’ progress. A student must meet certain academic requirements to go to the next level. Without the guidance of a curriculum, Teachers cannot be assured that they have supplied the necessary knowledge or the opportunity for students at the next level, whether that level involves a high school, college, or career. A curriculum gives students an understanding of what must be accomplished to obtain a degree. Without such knowledge, Students will be lost in a maze of academic courses that appear to lead nowhere if they do not have such knowledge. They would have no assurance that they are taking the proper subjects toward a diploma or a degree. A curriculum promotes a sense of order and structure in the pursuit of academic success. Apart from the above, a curriculum is also important for students’ environment and the purpose it. Tedesco, Opertti, and Amadio (2014) found that curriculum ideas would need to define what is meant by "excellent education for all?”. What are the conditions and processes required to ensure that justice, equity, and inclusion are the main organizing principles of curriculum development? Quality is the outcome of a process. It cannot be promulgated only on the basis of EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 72 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi national and international assessments. School curricula must seek the complex but necessary balance between integrating universal values and respecting the diversity that characterizes national societies. The curriculum proposal must recognize that universal values are critical for people to live according to their beliefs and lifestyles while respecting those of others. The Cambridge curriculum in lower secondary school Cambridge lower secondary means that the Cambridge curriculum is for students who are still in 12-15 year. For English subject, his subject fosters a lifetime love of reading, writing, and speaking. It gives students transferable language abilities for analyzing and generating spoken and written materials, as well as collaborative work. It also increases students' confidence, creativity, and intellectual curiosity (Cambridge Assessment International Education, 2021). The implementation of Cambridge lower secondary english curriculum There are some stages in implementing Cambridge Lowers English Curriculum. The first is program development. The curriculum, on the other hand, can be chosen then developed by school stakeholders. It means that the school can develop the program in the curriculum. Program development consists of annual years which consist of the material, learning time, and activity that will be taught to the students. This part is included in a syllabus and it arranges into a lesson plan. As defined by Singh (2008), creating a lesson plan includes defining the objectives, selecting and organizing the subject material, and deciding on the method and procedure. The second is the implementation of learning. Implementation of learning means the running of curriculum itself during the learning process. The materials of learning are the important one which is taught to the student in order to achieve the goals of curriculum itself. The study conducted by Diocolano and Nafiah (2019) revealed that in implementing Cambridge English, the teacher carries out learning in accordance with the material and skills being taught. The teacher also considers the learning media and textbooks used for students. For the textbook, it is made in Cambridge. By using the Cambridge book, it is also expected can sharpen students’ skills in English in speaking and writing. The material from the book is also interesting so that students are able to express their opinions. In addition, the teacher guide and teach students to achieve learner attributes that are become the aim of the Cambridge curriculum. Third, after having a learning process, it has an evaluation. In this stage can be seen how the progress of using a curriculum. To evaluate the implementation in English subjects, a teacher can measure students’ potential for the end as the result of students’ learning process by assessment. Moreover, the kind of assessment in the Cambridge curriculum is a little bit different from the curriculum in Indonesia. There are some kinds of assessments. According to Sullivan (2019), there is an assessment at the end of the lower secondary level, that is called Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint. The teachers’ attributes in Cambridge lower secondary English curriculum There are competencies that should behave for teachers and students in using the Cambridge curriculum. According to Sullivan (2019), the Cambridge learner and teacher attributes are designed to help students establish five powerful and highly desired learning habits that will encourage them EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 73 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi to enjoy studying and help them lead fulfilling and successful lives. There are five teachers’ attributes, they are: confident, responsible, reflective, innovative, and engaged. Previous related Studies In this point, some previous studies are described. The first study was conducted by Kusumawati (2019) entitled Implementasi Kurikulum Cambridge dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris which has similarity that focused on describing implementation learning English at Sekolah Dasar Kristen Kalam Kudus Surakarta. The study has result that the implementation of the Cambridge curriculum is carried out through planning, implementing, and evaluating learning activities by teacher competence. Another pertinent point is evaluation of Cambridge curriculum implementation is carried out through internal evaluation and student evaluation. The difference to the study that we conducted is about supporting also obstacle factor. The obstacles found were; limited English skills, limited time, and limited facilities have been overcome with various efforts. For the limited English skills, the teachers joined English course and attend training seminars held by Cambridge. Then, the school also held English day program at the end of learning program. Second, for the limited time, the teachers made a summary made a summary or summary of the material so that students were able to learn independently. Last, for the limited facilities, the school tried to add a computer or laptop in learning English Second, the previous related study, a study was conducted by Fitria, Suyono, and Rokhman M (2021) on the implementation of the Cambridge curriculum at SD Islam Kreatif Mutiara Anak Soleh, has similar stages implemented to our study. It can be concluded that the implementation of the curriculum was divided into 3 stages, namely: a) planning; b) implementation; and c) evaluation. The results of the planning stage could be seen in the preparation of the framework (syllabus) and lesson plans (RPP). Then, the implementation stage can be seen from the learning facilities and resources that support learning activities, such as learning media such as textbooks and carrying out active learning in learning activities. The difference was about the Cambridge Checkpoint, whose implementation at the school has gone through a check progress test (CPT), and a checkpoint, which is held once a year at the end of the year and is held by Cambridge sixth graders. Our study, on the other hand, explained how the Cambridge English checkpoint for Cambridge Lower Secondary was implemented. Methodology Research design, site, and respondents Qualitative research with a case study approach was selected in order to know such a phenomenon dealing with the teachers’ perceptions towards the implementation of Cambridge Lower Secondary English Curriculum at one private school in Palembang. A case study means that we can explore and understand an issue or problem by using a case. Case means process, activity, or program in real life. According to Hamilton and Whittier (2013), a case study emerges as a positive proponent capable of deepening comprehension in real-world contexts rather than just presenting contextualized facts. Furthermore, qualitative research with a case study was used to find out the teacher’s perceptions (Erlina et al., 2019; Habibi et al., 2018, Marzulina et al., 2019; Mukminin et al., EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 74 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi 2017) toward the implementation of Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum through interviews. In this study, we chose the teachers to be the participants because we would like to know how the teacher ran the curriculum for the students throughout the learning process. We used purposeful sampling techniques for choosing the participants of this study. Total sampling was selected from several types of purposeful sampling. According to Dhivyadeepa (2015), the total population is a type of purposive sampling in which a researcher uses total sampling when a researcher selects the entire population. There were two teachers who taught in SIS secondary. Therefore, we chose all of the teachers who taught English for lower secondary to be our participants. Data collection and analysis In collecting the data, we used interviews for obtaining information from teachers of English that aim to know their perceptions about the implementation of Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum at Singapore Indonesian School (SIS) Palembang. To gain the data in this research, we used interviews with an appointment. An interview is one of the techniques in gaining data in qualitative research. The interview was done between the interviewers and interviewees. To find the teachers’ perceptions, we applied a semi-structured interview. We asked semi-structured questions which asked listed questions then explored the questions in obtaining more perspective information on the teacher’s view about Cambridge Lower Secondary English Curriculum. The questions consist of twenty-two questions to be asked to the interviewees. While interviewing the teachers, we recorded the meeting by using the tool from the zoom and took notes for the teachers’ views. The interview was done by virtual meeting through Zoom application. We used English fully in the interview session. The first interview was done with the FS teacher. Next week was continued by the teacher E. The same steps were done for the both teachers. For the data analysis, we used thematic analysis in this study. Creswell (2009) defined there are six steps in thematic analysis. The steps consist of; organize and prepare the data, read through all the data, analyze in detailed with a coding process, generate a description of the data, represent themes into qualitative narrative, and interpret the data. In analyzing the teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of Cambridge Lower Secondary English, the researcher followed some steps. They were: First, we prepared information about the interview, transcribed it, and then took notes of interview material. Second, the researcher read all the data carefully so that the researcher could find a general meaning. Third, the researcher analyzed the data and labeled the categories. In other words, it was called coding. Fourth, we generated the description through coding, and then it was categorized into themes. Next, we represented themes in the qualitative narrative. In other words, the researcher described the information that had been analyzed. It was related to the research question. Finally, we interpreted teachers’ perceptions about the Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum. Findings The interview was conducted to find out the teachers’ perceptions on the Implementation of Cambridge Lower Secondary English Curriculum. After gaining the data from the interview, the data was analyzed by using thematic analysis. The descriptions of the result are presented as follows: EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 75 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi The implementation of Cambridge secondary in learning English Table 1. Themes and Codes of Implementation of Cambridge Secondary Curriculum Themes Codes Program Development The teachers adapt the teaching plan from Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum to the schools’ needs The teachers follow and adjust the Scheme of Work (SOW) English as a guideline in the English instruction The teachers adopt Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum materials for English instruction The teachers create a unit plan for the English instruction The teachers use a variety of material resources for the English instruction The teachers prepare students to follow Cambridge Lower Secondary English Checkpoint Learning Implementation The Cambridge Lower Secondary English places more focus on students’ writing skills The teachers engage students during the learning process by having them reflect on their daily lives in relation to the English instruction The teachers reflect themselves on the teachers’ attributes such as confidence in teaching the Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum The materials provide an opportunity for students to the students’ attributes such as confidence and reflective by using Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum The students and the teachers use English as media instruction at school The Cambridge Lower Secondary English materials are suitable for the students Evaluation The teachers follow all of the assessment tool from Cambridge The level of Cambridge’s question is higher thinking order than Indonesian for English assessment The result of students’ performance in Cambridge Lower Secondary English Checkpoint in Accordance with Cambridge Aim The form of Cambridge Lower Secondary English checkpoint are essay, thick a box, and writing Program developments Based on the data obtained from the interview, in the stages of implementing Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum, program development was the first stage. In developing the program, the teachers said that there were six points in this stage, they were: we adapt the teaching plan from Cambridge English Lower Secondary curriculum to the schools’ needs, the teachers followed and adjusted the Scheme of Work (SOW) English as a guideline in the English instruction, the teachers adopt Cambridge English Lower Secondary curriculum materials for English instruction, the teachers create a unit plan for the English instruction, the teachers use a variety of material resources for teaching the Cambridge English Lower Secondary curriculum, and the teachers prepare students to follow Cambridge Lower Secondary English Checkpoint. EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 76 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi The teachers adapt the teaching plan from Cambridge English lower secondary curriculum to the schools’ needs, based on the interview data, first, we found that teachers adapt the teaching plan from Cambridge English Lower Secondary curriculum to the schools’ plan. As said by teacher FS “Here there is also a case of adapting from Cambridge that we don’t follow the long-term plan exactly from Cambridge. This is what we can say. We adopt every material from Cambridge curriculum but we adapt the plan. Cambridge also provides a long-term plan, there’s a terminology for that plan also, of it I forget. We don’t take it at it doesn’t meet to our kind frame so, adopting the materials, yes, and our school adapt the plan now”. Moreover, teacher E said “For example, in the secondary one and secondary two we have three books to be used. One book is usually for one year but we have the three books to be finished in only two years. How come we can finish all of them, right? So, we only take several materials needed by our students and our institution to be taught to the students. There are some repetitions topics in those books so we just take some of the main points to deliver to the students. Only that is what I mean by adapting”. The teachers follow and adjust the scheme of work (SOW) English as a guideline in the English instruction, the second thing that we found after having an interview with the teachers, the Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum also had a guide for teaching after they had a syllabus which is called Scheme of Work (SOW). This has become a guideline for the teachers in teaching. The teachers and follow the Scheme of Work (SOW) for teaching English. In line with the teacher FS said “It is from the Cambridge syllabus, breaking down to English Scheme of Work (SOW), and then moved it to be specific to the lesson plan, and it is also match to the effective weeks as well”. Moreover, the teacher added “Everything we only have the Scheme of Work (SOW) so SOW is a big umbrella for us. We just adjust the SOW to put it into our plan and annual plan. Therefore, we can have an annual plan directly and a semester plan as well to break it down.”. Moreover, teacher E said the objectives of learning also based on Scheme of Work (SOW) English. As he said “For objectives of learning usually follow the curriculum and our school also has a Scheme of Work (SOW) so in the national curriculum, it is like we have Kompetensi Inti (KI) and Kompetensi Dasar (KD). You know it right? We have those kinds of things too but it is based on the topics. The topics already made by our school based on the Cambridge curriculum”. Teachers adopt Cambridge English lower secondary curriculum materials for English instruction, based on the interview data, third, we found that teacher’ perceptions of teaching materials, they adopted the material from Cambridge to be taught. Related to the teacher FS said that "Teaching materials, past papers exams, they provide us everything. Even they also provide us with guidelines to prepare for the exam. They provide us with everything so we can easily use it. For example, we can drill our students directly to follow the guidelines for making the past change. We can also take the questions from Cambridge that they give to the students to make them well known, tried, and prepared as well. You can say here that we adopt directly from Cambridge”. Moreover, teacher E added “I adopt the material. We use the Cambridge curriculum but we don’t use it 100%”. The teachers create a unit plan for the English instruction, four, we found that teachers made a lesson plan for planning the English instruction. Also, for English Lower Secondary, they had a unit plan. Teacher E said “We have two lesson plans, for the government and our institution. For the government, we follow the format from the government but for our institution, we only have simple lesson plan. Basically, they are some but we put it as a unit, each unit. We don’t put a day but it is for one meeting, so we will plan for one unit”. Furthermore, the other point was added by the teacher FS “. Basically, for English, we have a unit plan. We have a unit plan to go through the lessons for each academic year”. The teachers use variety of material resources for the English instruction, five, we found that for developing the teaching materials, the teachers did not only use material from Cambridge but also use internet. As said by the teacher E “I develop the way I teach English by using EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 77 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi technology. Nowadays I use the internet to have a teaching and learning process. One of them is google, google classroom, and also, we also use some useful websites like exam.net. so, it helps us in having writing practice”. Moreover, the teacher FS who experienced the same case for preparing and developing the materials said “We do have the textbook from Cambridge. For Cambridge Lower Secondary, we use books from Cambridge for Cambridge checkpoint English 7, 8, and 9. These three books are for two years programs, only for secondary one and secondary two but the materials are not only from there, from the coursebook and the workbook. It is just some materials we use in the classroom. We mostly get more from many sources and for the practices, there are so many materials from Cambridge as well that you can use for practice, for the students’ practice, basically for English writing but for listening we can take it from British council because that is the one that closely relates to the Cambridge English test or if you mention about reading, we took so many reading resources. Not only from Cambridge, but there are also many resources, right? So, it’s not limited to the book”. The teachers prepare students to follow Cambridge lower secondary English checkpoint, the last point of my finding was that the teachers prepared their students to follow Cambridge Lower Secondary English. As said by the teacher FS “We have every two years program since the beginning. For example, Cambridge checkpoint program we have two years for lower secondary, secondary one and secondary two. Basically, we start to prepare the students by the end of the first semester. For the secondary one, in the second semester, we have already done preparing them, creating an extra class once a week for them. It goes more intensive in secondary two level. In the second year, they will closely focus on the exam. In the first year, like secondary one, they will get it to the introduction only. That some parts of the question from papers, we put them into unit task questions, closely similar to what Cambridge has so they might get used to about the term. I guess it makes our students more ready. It’s not only one semester in advance before the test no, but basically, we have two years program for each international exam, for Cambridge checkpoint for Lower Secondary. For the upper secondary, they have IGCSE, for Junior College, they have A level. It happened in June series, May to June, for Lower Secondary in secondary two”. Learning implementation Based on the interview data, the second stage in implementing Cambridge Secondary English curriculum was the implementation of learning. There were six points in the implementation of the curriculum, they were the Cambridge English Lower Secondary places more focus on students’ writing skills, teachers engage students during the learning process by having them reflect on their daily lives in relation to the English instruction, teachers reflect themselves on the teachers’ attributes such as confidence in teaching Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum, the materials provide an opportunity for students to the students’ attributes in such as confidence and reflective by using Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum, the students and teachers use English as media instruction at school, and the Cambridge English Lower Secondary materials are suitable for the students The Cambridge English lower secondary places more focus on students’ writing skill, based on the interview and observation, the first point in this stage was about writing skills. Cambridge Lower Secondary places more focus on students’ writing skill. Teacher E said that “In our lower secondary, for Cambridge curriculum, we learn writing a lot but for national curriculum, they learn about text then learn how to answer some questions from the text. Most of the materials of lower secondary, they are expected to be able to write well to use punctuation, to know some figurative language or even the effects created when they write”. Furthermore, the point of view about this was added by the teacher FS “For English writing basically, they have to be as standard as possible and the one that has the biggest mode in the examination as well. These are the EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 78 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi things that we really focus on because of what the students need to do in the future through writing. Not to say that whenever they said a certain word perfectly in speaking, they don’t even know how to write it correctly. That’s how we focus on writing skill but those activities are integrated, we give them the speaking skill, we give the opportunities for them to listen as well to correct the pronunciation of the word, we give them the amount of reading sources that we can give them every time but lack of the reading time for the students also might be error on their writing ability like some spelling error. That’s I can say why Cambridge must be focused on writing, productive skills”. The teachers engage students during learning process by having them reflect on their daily lives in relation to the English instruction, the second point is that we found that the teachers reflect on the students' daily lives or close phenomena that happened to them. Teacher E said “I ask the students to use their own experience, personal experience, so, they will not find the idea too far because once they don’t know what to write they don’t know how to enjoy it. By having the good vibes, reflecting the daily life to their assignment, so, it would be enjoyable for them. It would not be burden for them. Some students are struggling to find the idea to write so; I ask them to write their experience so it would be enjoyable”. Moreover, the teacher FS added “For engaging them, well English is really closely with our daily life. By talking everything about daily life, we have learned English, right. Basically, I will never say this “well students open your book this page”. We’ll always have a conversation before you have the assignments after learning. It is easier to get them engage if you let them realize that they are learning something new. Basically, if you would like to give them directed writing question or directed writing assignment for example. Then, just think the very close phenomenon. For the example this is the Chinese New Year festival. Most of our students are Buddhist so they celebrate it. Then ask them the activity to share about that festive, right. Through that, we take them to the certain task then, let them to imagine somewhere else, then they have to write magazine article talking about that thing, Chinese history, and so far, you have to do research, then, they do it without any like “Oh, I’m learning English today?”. The teachers reflect themselves on the teachers’ attributes such as confidence in teaching the Cambridge lower secondary English curriculum, the third point, in teaching English by using Cambridge Lower Secondary, the teacher didn’t experience any problem or difficulties. Indeed, they could reflect themselves to the teachers’ attributes such as confidence in teaching. The teacher FS said “While using Cambridge curriculum an added value for the teacher who experience in teaching curriculum because sometimes it’s a challenge and also the native speaker told us that we are Indonesian teacher in SIS Palembang are quite brave enough to teach this English Cambridge curriculum. You know that the first thing, we have to be able to put English as a first language, then the second one we have to use English. We have already known the language we learn about the skill. Basically, that’s how I feel as a Cambridge teacher in SIS Palembang. I build up my confidence, teaching experience as well, and also, I can compare myself with other native teachers”. The materials provide an opportunity for students to the students’ attributes such as confidence and reflective by using Cambridge lower secondary English curriculum, the fourth, we found that the materials could be followed by the students well. The materials provide opportunity for the students so that they could develop themselves. They were able to be confidence and reflective as the students’ attributes in Cambridge supposed to be. As said by the teacher E “Cambridge provides opportunities and also develop the desired skills, the mean of communication, for the learner attributes such as confident and reflective also of course yes.” The students and the teachers use English as media instruction at school, the fifth, we found that the teachers and the students use English in their daily life at school. Not only while the learning process takes place but also for communication. It could be called English as Media Instruction (EMI) at SIS Palembang. As said by teacher FS “We use Cambridge for English as a first language for our secondary so that students here, are already able to speak English among their friends, their family, EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 79 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi and they used to speak English as well. They are not facilitated as a native speaker but as far as we observe then for this curriculum which is using Cambridge English as a first language to be applied in our school, this is really relevant.” The cambridge lower secondary English materials are suitable for the students, the last point, the materials were suitable for the students, although the teacher still adjust to the students’ ability level. As said by the teacher FS “If we are talking about difficulty level, we also check our students’ reading level. In secondary, we use reading theory.org to check the reading level so, not all students have same level in this proficiency. Therefore, we do have to personalize learning, so I usually group my students. I have lower, moderate, and high students but I’m the one who only know about it. I mean notice that grouping. The students wouldn’t know that, so, for every group, they have different difficulty level for reading task. For example, we made them same, it would be unfair for the high level, we will jump very high. Well, the lower learners, they will not catch up the material so, that’s based on teachers’ strategy but the school has the vision that we need to personalize learning for our students so that is also made on the school’s vision. We make it personalize as much as possible”. Evaluation Based on the interview data, we found that at the end of the stages of implementing the curriculum, there was an evaluation. Based on the interview data, we found that at the end of the stages of implementing the curriculum, there was an evaluation. The four points were; the teachers follow all of the assessment tool from Cambridge, the level of Cambridge’s question is higher thinking order than Indonesian for English assessment, the result of students’ performance in Cambridge Lower Secondary English checkpoint in accordance with Cambridge aim, and the form of Cambridge Lower Secondary English checkpoint are essay, thick a box, and writing The teachers follow the entire assessment tool from Cambridge, the first; we found that the teachers follow all of the assessment tool from Cambridge. Ms. FS said that “We follow all of the assessment tool from Cambridge. Basically, everything is following all the Cambridge’s assessment had. Including the writing system as well, for example for more advance level in Cambridge which has four papers, every paper has different section, and each section has different amount of point. For example, one paper has eighty points in total. Eighty means normally for one paper has a hundred points in total but Cambridge set in on eighty. We follow everything. For the question number one, we set only twenty-five with the rubric provided by Cambridge as well, which is a bit easier for us because everything is provided by Cambridge but the thing we have to be eligible as objective as Cambridge examination, so the school has a very good program for professional development for every teacher those who teach Cambridge level or Cambridge classes. We have to go through that training for Cambridge teachers”. The level of Cambridge’s question is higher thinking order than Indonesian for English assessment; first, we found that for the level of thinking for the assessment teacher E said “The level of Cambridge’s question is more higher thinking order than Indonesian for English assessment. As I said before, for our school it is for the first language”. The result of students’ performance in Cambridge lower secondary English checkpoint in accordance with Cambridge aim, second, the teacher E said “In the end we will ask the students to follow the Cambridge examination, of course it is in accordance with the Cambridge aims”. Moreover, added by the teacher FS “Basically, everything is following all the Cambridge’s assessment had. Including the writing system as well, for example for more advance level in Cambridge which has four papers, every paper has different section, and each section has different amount of point. For example, one paper has eighty points in total. Eighty means normally for one paper has a hundred points in total but Cambridge set in on eighty. We follow everything. For the question number one, we set only twenty-five with the rubric provided by Cambridge as well, which EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 80 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi is a bit easier for us because everything is provided by Cambridge but the thing we have to be eligible as objective as Cambridge examination, so the school has a very good program for professional development for every teacher those who teach Cambridge level or Cambridge classes. We have to go through that training for Cambridge teachers. We have average 5.5 from the last two years.” The form of Cambridge lower secondary English checkpoint are essay, thick a box, and writing, the last, the teacher E said that “Speaking and listening are not assessed in Cambridge checkpoint, it’s only reading and writing In Indonesia, we have multiple choice but in Cambridge exam, it’s essay, also thick a box, and the last part is writing” Discussion After analyzing the result of the research by using thematic analysis, we found that there were some stages in implementing Cambridge Secondary English curriculum. Those are (1) program development, (2) learning implementation and (3) evaluation. The first was program development. In developing the program, the teachers should do need analysis because from the teachers’ perceptions revealed that need that the adjustment of the students’ and schools’ needs are important. It means, every school and student have a different need. It was lined with Sulistyani (2018), who found that the use of needs analysis in the teaching and learning process of a language course can assist both the teacher and the students. Needs analysis can assist teachers in determining the students' needs, deficiencies, and desires. By having need analysis, teacher also can adjust the syllabus, Scheme of Work to the students’ and schools’ needs by adopting the materials but adapt the plan for teaching. Jay, Rose, and Milligan (2017) showed that adopting the most appropriate materials for exploring the educational subject of the learning-teaching relation. Publications emphasize the complexity of education and the possibility of adopting methodologies from other fields to allow for more adaptable and flexible approaches. The second, in implementation of learning that, during the learning English process, students could learn well without any difficulties in acquiring the materials. It was because the teacher had a good way of teaching the students. Teachers’ way and motivation influenced the learning process. Arianti’s (2018) study showed that Teacher has a role in enhancing student learning motivation is one of the essential tasks that must be included in learning activities. Aside from delivering and transferring knowledge, teachers are also responsible for increasing children's drive to study. It cannot be denied that student studying with others is quite different, which is why it is critical for teachers to continually stimulate students so that students always have the spirit of learning and are able to become students who succeed and can develop themselves maximally. Also, this study found, the students not only learn English by using Cambridge Lower secondary curriculum but also use it as daily language, English became medium of instruction at school so that students’ capabilities are good in learning English by using the curriculum. This case is in lined with the study conducted by Ernawati, Sofendy, and Silvhiany (2021), that revealed EMI can help them improve their English language skills, enrich their vocabularies, prepare them for better study in the future, and make it easier for them to understand the English language, even though some of them still have difficulty using it due to their low vocabulary and English pronunciation skills. In addition, resources also important during the learning process. The study revealed that by using Cambridge curriculum, the materials engaged the students. The materials were important to be taught to the students so that appropriate with the aims of its curriculum. A study was conducted by Damayanti, Fauzi, and Inayati (2018) learning materials are undeniably important components of an efficient EDUKASI: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN DAN PENGAJARAN ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| ISSN |2355-3669| E-ISSN |2503-2518| Volume 9| Number 1|June 2022| 81 Available online at http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/edukasi language classroom. They enhance the quality of language education, make it easier for instructors to do their obligations, and bring students to a greater level of understanding in their learning. The purpose of this study is to examine the concept of materials in language education. It used literary works to define the role of materials in language instruction and to examine different types of resources that are significant to language teaching. Conclusion and recommendation/implications Based on the results of the thematic analysis of the data, we found the three stages of implementing Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum. They were: program development, implementation of learning, and evaluation. The first stage was program development. There were six points in program development; six points in this stage, they were; the teachers adapt the teaching plan from Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum to the schools’ needs, the teachers follow and adjust the Scheme of Work (SOW) English as a guideline in the English instruction, the teachers adopt Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum materials for English instruction, the teachers create a unit plan for the English instruction, the teachers use a variety of material resources for the English instruction, and the teachers prepare students to follow Cambridge Lower Secondary English Checkpoint. The second stage was the implementation of learning. There were six points in the second stage, they were; the Cambridge Lower Secondary English places more focus on students’ writing skills, the teachers engage students during the learning process by having them reflect on their daily lives in relation to the English instruction, the teachers reflect themselves on the teachers’ attributes such as confidence in teaching the Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum, the materials provide an opportunity for students to the students’ attributes such as confidence and reflective by using Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum, the students and the teachers use English as media instruction at school, and the Cambridge Lower Secondary English materials are suitable for the students. The last stage was evaluation. Based on the teachers’ perceptions, there were four points; The teachers follow all of the assessment tool from Cambridge, the level of Cambridge’s question is higher thinking order than Indonesian for English assessment, the result of students’ performance in Cambridge Lower Secondary English Checkpoint in accordance with Cambridge aim, and the form of Cambridge Lower Secondary English checkpoint are essay, thick a box, and writing. References Arianti. (2018). peranan guru dalam meningkatkan motivasi belajar siswa. Didaktika Jurnal Kependidikan, 12(2), 117-134. Retrieved from https://jurnal.iain- bone.ac.id/index.php/didaktika/article/download/181/110 Creswell, J. W. (2009). RESEARCH DESIGN Qualitative, Quantitative , and Mixed Methods Approaches Third Edition. California: SAGE Publications, Inc. Damayanti, D., Fauzi, A., & Inayati, A. M. (2018). Learning materials: the “nucleus” of language teaching. 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