Does the teaching and learning process in primary schools correspond to the characteristics of the 21st century learning? / Lalu Sumardi, Arif Rohman, and Dwi Wahyudiati

Abstract : This paper sheds some light on the extent to which the teaching and learning process in the primary school context has met the characteristics of 21st-century learning, and factors affecting it. This case study research garnered the data from 120 elementary school teachers of 40 primary schools, 20 of which were municipal primary schools, while the other half were peripheral. The data, collected through observation and interview, were analyzed using the interactive model and quantitatively descriptively presented. The empirical evidence showed that the process of teaching and learning performed by more than half of the primary school teachers did not feature the 21st century learning. Most of the instruction adopting teacher-centered learning (59,17%), use of conventional methods (59.17%) resulting in less development of students' high-order thinking (HOT), the absence use of technologies in teaching and learning (100%), and disconfirm of students' learning development at primary level (53,33%). However, the teachers were found to have some strength in terms of content mastery (95%) who could explicitly and completely deliver the materials in the class. The absence of the digital infrastructure in the schools and lack of pedagogical and technological knowledge and understanding of students' development remained the challenges in catering to the characteristics of 21st century learning in the classrooms. The implication of this condition is that students in Indonesia lag behind other countries in mastering science and technology.