Communicative Practices and Cultural Challenges in Kurikulum Merdeka: The District Teachers’ Voice

Kurikulum Merdeka, implemented across schools in Indonesia, emphasizes the development of students' communicative competence through a more flexible and contextual approach. However, its implementation faces significant challenges, particularly due to cultural differences across regions. This study aims to explore the cultural challenges faced by district teachers and to what extend fostering students' communicative practices in line with the new curriculum demands. It includes 50 English teachers from the Musyawarah Guru Mata Pelajaran (MGMP) Bahasa Inggris kabupaten Gowa, or English Teachers Assembly of Gowa District, representing diverse backgrounds and experiences. Data collection included surveys (n=50) using a Likert scale questionnaire and semi-structured interviews (n=6) constructed according to Han (2022) and Lei & Medwell (2022). The study reveals communicative practices show moderate implementation with meaningful communicative practices (mean=3.37), humanistic values and learner autonomy (mean=3.66), and cooperative learning (mean=3.48). The highest approval is in adopting a task-based approach (mean=4.00). Cultural challenges in contextual alignment is strongly emphasized (mean=4.18), highlighting the importance of aligning educational practices with local contexts. Recommendations include targeted professional development, promoting collaborative learning, establishing clear assessment frameworks, leveraging technology for resource sharing, and strengthening local community partnerships.