Analysis of Metacognition among Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers in Indonesian Language Learning under the Implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum

Abstract

Metacognitive regulation is an important component of prospective teachers’ capacity to plan, monitor, and evaluate pedagogical decisions, particularly within the flexible instructional demands of the Kurikulum Merdeka. This study aimed to describe prospective teachers’ metacognitive regulation in Indonesian language teaching across three dimensions: planning, monitoring, and evaluation. A quantitative descriptive survey design was employed with 40 prospective teachers selected through purposive sampling from several higher education institutions in Indonesia. Data were collected using a researcher-developed 15-item questionnaire consisting of five items for each dimension. The instrument demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .87), and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed an overall mean score of 52.95 out of 60 (88.2%), indicating a high level of perceived metacognitive regulation. Planning obtained the highest percentage (90.3%), followed by monitoring (88.2%) and evaluation (86.2%). Item-level analysis revealed relatively strong scores for preparing instructional materials and actively involving students to monitor understanding, whereas recognizing errors during teaching, reflecting on teaching strengths and weaknesses, and following up on evaluation results received comparatively lower scores. These findings indicate that respondents perceived themselves as relatively stronger in planning than in self-monitoring and reflective evaluation. Teacher education should therefore provide structured opportunities for prospective teachers to integrate planning, monitoring, reflection, and evaluative follow-up into a continuous cycle of pedagogical improvement. Given the self-report design and purposive sample, the findings should be interpreted as a descriptive profile rather than direct evidence of actual teaching performance.