Early Implementation of the Love-Based Curriculum in an Indonesian Islamic Junior Secondary School: Teacher Readiness and Institutional Challenges

Abstract

This study examines the early implementation of the Love-Based Curriculum, focusing on how teacher readiness and institutional conditions shape its translation into educational practice. It identifies enabling conditions, implementation challenges, and school responses, while distinguishing acceptance of curriculum values from the capacity to enact them consistently. A qualitative single-case study was conducted involving purposively selected school leaders, teachers, and students. Data were collected through non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and document review. Analysis followed the interactive processes of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. Source and methodological triangulation supported comparisons across participants, observed practices, and documents. The findings show that implementation encompassed planning, classroom interactions, religious observances, school routines, and teacher modelling associated with five orientations of love. Leadership encouragement, collegial cooperation, and positive student experiences supported implementation. However, uneven teacher understanding, limited instructional resources, the absence of dedicated training, and insufficiently structured evaluation constrained its development. School responses included guidance, independent learning, and information sharing, whereas training and supervision remained partly planned. The evidence did not establish whether routines originated from the curriculum or whether implementation improved student character. The study’s originality lies in distinguishing value acceptance from implementation capacity and interpreting teacher readiness as institutionally situated rather than solely individual. Its contribution is a contextual explanation of the relationship between ethical commitments, practical understanding, and organisational support during early curriculum enactment. The findings inform professional learning, collaborative instructional planning, resource provision, and evidence-informed monitoring, while highlighting the need for longitudinal research to examine substantive changes in practice and students’ experiences. These priorities support implementation without treating policy endorsement or routine participation as evidence of educational effectiveness.