Analysis of Elementary School Pre-Service Teachers’ Self-Regulated Learning in Deep Learning-Based Instruction under the Merdeka Curriculum

Abstract

Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) is essential in learning environments that require students to independently plan, monitor, and reflect on their learning. However, empirical evidence describing SRL across the forethought, performance, and self-reflection phases, particularly among postgraduate students in Elementary Education within the broader context of the Merdeka Curriculum and deep learning, remains limited. This study examined the SRL profiles of postgraduate Elementary Education students at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia using a quantitative descriptive survey. Forty-six students were purposively selected based on their exposure to the Merdeka Curriculum and elementary education policies and their willingness to participate. Data were collected using a 20-item self-report questionnaire based on Zimmerman’s cyclical model and analyzed descriptively. The overall SRL score reached 86.17% (SD = 9.27), with 71.74% of participants classified as very high and 28.26% as high. Among the three phases, self-reflection recorded the highest score (87.01%), followed by performance (86.09%) and forethought (84.96%), indicating a relatively balanced SRL profile. These findings provide preliminary empirical evidence regarding learning regulation among postgraduate Elementary Education students and may inform efforts to strengthen SRL within teacher education. However, the findings should not be interpreted as evidence of readiness to implement deep learning, as such readiness was not directly assessed.