Assessing Multimodal Literacy in Indonesian Secondary Schools: Reading and Viewing Strategies in the Merdeka Curriculum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1603.34Keywords:
multimodal literacy, assessment practices, reading strategies, viewing strategies, Merdeka CurriculumAbstract
This study investigates multimodal literacy assessment practices in Indonesian secondary schools implementing the Merdeka Curriculum, focusing on reading and viewing strategies in the English language. Using a qualitative design, this study analysed 210 assessment items and conducted interviews with 12 teachers. The findings reveal a dominant reliance on written discourse (69.43%), with minimal use of multimodal elements such as infographics (2.56%) and images (0.62%), while audio-visual materials were entirely absent from the corpus. A significant proportion of multimodal stimuli were found to be ineffective (32.87%) because students could respond without engaging with the materials. The assessment tasks predominantly targeted lower-order thinking skills, with only 1.67% of items requiring evaluation and 5.74% requiring knowledge creation. Teacher interviews highlighted challenges related to selecting relevant multimodal stimuli, time-consuming grading processes, and insufficient training in multimodal assessment design. The study concludes that systematic teacher training, stronger institutional support, and the development of clearer assessment frameworks are needed to align practices with the goals of the Merdeka Curriculum.
References
Agustin, F., Maulana, H., & Sahriani, S. (2024). Multimodal Literacy in School Science: Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Theory, Research, and Pedagogy. Learning: Research and Practice, 10(1), 113–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/23735082.2023.2272625
Al-Awawdeh, N., & Kalsoom, T. (2022). Foreign Languages E-Learning Assessment Efficiency and Content Access Effectiveness During Corona Pandemic in University Context. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(10), 2124–2132. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1210.20
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Longman.
Anwas, E. O. M., Afriansyah, A., Iftitah, K. N., Firdaus, W., Sugiarti, Y., Supandi, E., & Hediana, D. (2022). Students’ Literacy Skills and Quality of Textbooks in Indonesian Elementary Schools. International Journal of Language Education, 6(3), 233. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v6i3.32756
Azorín, C., Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2020). Taking a distributed perspective on leading professional learning networks. School Leadership & Management, 40(2–3), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1647418
Beltrán-Palanques, V. (2024). Assessing video game narratives: Implications for the assessment of multimodal literacy in ESP. Assessing Writing, 60, 100809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2024.100809
Bojórquez-Roque, M. S., Garcia-Cabot, A., Garcia-Lopez, E., & Oliva-Córdova, L. M. (2024). Digital Competence Learning Ecosystem in Higher Education: A Mapping and Systematic Review of the Literature. IEEE Access, 12, 87596–87614. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3416906
Campbell, C., & Olteanu, A. (2024). The Challenge of Postdigital Literacy: Extending Multimodality and Social Semiotics for a New Age. Postdigital Science and Education, 6(2), 572–594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-023-00414-8
Chen, R., & Friis, J. K. B. O. (2024). Vision, body and interpretation in medical imaging diagnostics. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 27(2), 253–266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-024-10200-3
Choi, J., & Yi, Y. (2016). Teachers’ Integration of Multimodality Into Classroom Practices for English Language Learners. TESOL Journal, 7(2), 304–327. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.204
Chu, H. (2020). Scaffolding EFL Reading with Text-Structure Visual Displays: Idea Maps and Idea Matrices. English Teaching & Learning, 44(4), 397–415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-020-00048-0
Ding, A.-C. E., Glazewski, K., & Pawan, F. (2022). Language teachers and multimodal instructional reflections during video-based online learning tasks. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 31(3), 293–312. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2022.2030790
Domínguez Romero, E., & Bobkina, J. (2021). Exploring critical and visual literacy needs in digital learning environments: The use of memes in the EFL/ESL university classroom. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 40, 100783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100783
García, O., & Kleifgen, J. A. (2020). Translanguaging and Literacies. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(4), 553–571. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.286
Gijsen, M., Catrysse, L., De Maeyer, S., & Gijbels, D. (2024). Mapping cognitive processes in video-based learning by combining trace and think-aloud data. Learning and Instruction, 90, 101851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101851
González-Martín, C., Carrasco, M., & Oviedo, G. (2022). Analysis of the Use of Color and Its Emotional Relationship in Visual Creations Based on Experiences during the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability, 14(20), 12989. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142012989
Grapin, S. L., & Kranzler, J. H. (2018). School psychology: professional issues and practices. Springer Publishing Company.
Gross, E.-C. (2024). Dissolving Reality: Exploring the Erosion of Photographic Authenticity in the Age of AI. Transilvania. https://doi.org/10.51391/trva.2024.01.05
Hafner, C. A., & Ho, W. Y. J. (2020). Assessing digital multimodal composing in second language writing: Towards a process-based model. Journal of Second Language Writing, 47, 100710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100710
Jones, P., Turney, A., Georgiou, H., & Nielsen, W. (2020). Assessing multimodal literacies in science: semiotic and practical insights from pre-service teacher education. Language and Education, 34(2), 153–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2020.1720227
Kohnke, L., Jarvis, A., & Ting, A. (2021). Digital multimodal composing as authentic assessment in discipline‐specific English courses: Insights from ESP learners. TESOL Journal, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.600
Komninos, & Starc. (2024). Multimodal Literacy in Education (N. Komninos & S. Starc, Eds.). Peter Lang Verlag. https://doi.org/10.3726/b22250
Kosasih, A., Supriyadi, T., Firmansyah, M. I., & Rahminawati, N. (2022). Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Primary School: Teachers’ Perceptions of Islamic Education. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 9(1), 56–76. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/994
Kress, G. R. (2010). Multimodality: a social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Routledge.
Kwangmuang, P., Jarutkamolpong, S., Sangboonraung, W., & Daungtod, S. (2021). The development of learning innovation to enhance higher order thinking skills for students in Thailand junior high schools. Heliyon, 7(6), e07309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07309
Lam, K. Y., & Putri, E. W. (2024). A study on the affordances of digital fairy-tale rewriting: A critical literacy approach to digital multimodal composing. System, 127, 103536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103536
Li, C., Weng, X., Li, Y., & Zhang, T. (2024). Multimodal Learning Engagement Assessment System: An Innovative Approach to Optimizing Learning Engagement. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2338616
Li, M. (2020). Multimodal pedagogy in TESOL teacher education: Students’ perspectives. System, 94, 102337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102337
Lim, F. V., Towndrow, P. A., & Min Tan, J. (2023). Unpacking the Teachers’ Multimodal Pedagogies in the Primary English Language Classroom in Singapore. RELC Journal, 54(3), 729–743. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211011783
Lim, F. V., & Unsworth, L. (2023). Multimodal composing in the English classroom: recontextualising the curriculum to learning. English in Education, 57(2), 102–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/04250494.2023.2187696
Liu, J. E., & Lo, Y. Y. (2025). Multimodality in CLIL assessment: implications for teacher assessment literacy. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 46(5), 1459–1477. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2357140
Marmoah, S., & Poerwanti, S. J. I. S. (2022). Literacy culture management of elementary school in Indonesia. Heliyon, 8(4), e09315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09315
Martínez-Bravo, M. C., Sádaba Chalezquer, C., & Serrano-Puche, J. (2022). Dimensions of Digital Literacy in the 21st Century Competency Frameworks. Sustainability, 14(3), 1867. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031867
Mayring, Philipp. (2022). Qualitative content analysis: a step-by-step guide. Sage.
Mirra, N., & Garcia, A. (2021). In Search of the Meaning and Purpose of 21st‐Century Literacy Learning: A Critical Review of Research and Practice. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(3), 463–496. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.313
Moir, T., Boyle, J., & Woolfson, L. M. (2020). Developing higher‐order reading skills in mainstream primary schools: A metacognitive and self‐regulatory approach. British Educational Research Journal, 46(2), 399–420. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3584
Molavi, H. (2024). Exploring stakeholder perceptions and policy implications for strategic managment of large‐size classes: A systematic literature review. Review of Education, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3481
Pang, A. (2020). Multiliteracies in EL Curriculum Implementation and Pedagogy in Multilingual Classrooms of Southeast Asia. English Teaching, 75(2), 149–166. https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.75.2.202006.149
Pantaleo, S. (2024). Elementary students’ engagement in transduction and creative and critical thinking. Literacy, 58(1), 58–71. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12350
Shonfeld, M., Cotnam-Kappel, M., Judge, M., Ng, C. Y., Ntebutse, J. G., Williamson-Leadley, S., & Yildiz, M. N. (2021). Learning in digital environments: a model for cross-cultural alignment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(4), 2151–2170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-09967-6
Stockwell, S. (2018). Literacy in the 21st century. In Leading English in the Primary School (pp. 94–109). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203731444-8
Suleiman, S. A., & Hussein, K. H. (2024). Multimodal Representations of the American Dream Theme: A Comparative Analysis of The Great Gatsby in Film and Novel. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(11), 3424–3430. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1411.11
Tan, L., Zammit, K., D’warte, J., & Gearside, A. (2020). Assessing multimodal literacies in practice: a critical review of its implementations in educational settings. Language and Education, 34(2), 97–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2019.1708926
Vogt, K., Tsagari, D., Csépes, I., Green, A., & Sifakis, N. (2020). Linking Learners’ Perspectives on Language Assessment Practices to Teachers’ Assessment Literacy Enhancement (TALE): Insights from Four European Countries. Language Assessment Quarterly, 17(4), 410–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2020.1776714
Xu, P., Zhu, X., & Clifton, D. A. (2023). Multimodal Learning With Transformers: A Survey. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 45(10), 12113–12132. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPAMI.2023.3275156
Yin, G., Liu, Y., Liu, T., Zhang, H., Fang, F., Tang, C., & Jiang, L. (2024). Token-disentangling Mutual Transformer for multimodal emotion recognition. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 133, 108348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engappai.2024.108348
