Teachers' Challenges on the Use of Microlearning TikTok in Assessing Students' Speaking Skills within the Merdeka Curriculum

The Merdeka curriculum, the latest educational framework in Indonesia, promotes innovation and flexibility, allowing teachers and students to use various learning media. This study aims to explore the challenges faced by teachers when using TikTok as an assessing medium for students’ speaking skills. The use of TikTok for assessment represents a new area of research in this field. This study employs a qualitative exploratory study with descriptive analysis. The data were obtained through observations during the instructional process, Google Form questionnaires, and in-depth interviews with three senior high school English teachers in Denpasar, Bali. The participants were selected through purposive sampling, and data were collected over two months. The findings revealed the challenges came from external factors, such as time constraints, student-related factors, the curriculum, and facilities in the school. To address these challenges, alternative solutions to help teachers face challenges were needed in the form of education innovation. Using Microlearning through TikTok to assess students’ speaking skills, teachers found that TikTok was a practical outlet for students to perform their speaking skills where they practice using short, compact videos that encouraged them to speak more.