INTEGRASI NILAI-NILAI MULTIKULTURAL KURIKULUM MERDEKA DI SEKOLAH DASAR TISNOGAMBAR 03

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the strategies teachers employ and the multicultural values embedded within the implementation of the Kurikulum Merdeka (Independence Curriculum) at SDN Tisnogambar 03, Bangsalsari, Jember, a school located in the culturally hybrid Pandalungan area of East Java where Javanese and Madurese identities intersect. Amid the global rise of religious and cultural intolerance and the increasing number of intolerance and violence cases recorded in Indonesian schools, this study argues that Kurikulum Merdeka's differentiated learning and the Strengthening Pancasila Student Profile Project (P5) constitute a theoretically potent instrument for grounding multicultural values in daily school practice. This research employs a qualitative case study approach informed by Creswell and Yin's methodological frameworks. Data were collected through classroom observation, in-depth interviews with the homeroom teacher and Grade IV students, and documentation of teaching modules and P5 records over a three-month fieldwork period (November 2025-January 2026). Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, and validated through source and technique triangulation. The findings show that teachers integrate multicultural values through contextual learning, cross-cultural storytelling, heterogeneous group work, exemplary modeling, and the habituation of cross-religious daily greetings, combined with a P5 project carrying the theme of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. The multicultural values most consistently integrated are tolerance, mutual respect, cooperation, and appreciation of religious and cultural diversity, corresponding to the Global Diversity (Berkebhinekaan Global) dimension of the Pancasila Student Profile. This study recommends sustained teacher training in multicultural pedagogy, stronger collaboration among schools, families, and communities, and further comparative research across schools with differing socio-cultural characteristics.