Unveiling the Alignment: Primary School English Textbooks “My Next Words” and Kurikulum Merdeka

To facilitate the implementation of Kurikulum Merdeka in 2022, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MoECRT) publishes new textbooks (Puskur Dikbud Ristek, 2021). This article examines the compatibility of two My Next Words English textbooks for the first and fourth grades of primary school with the academic goals of the Kurikulum Merdeka. The method of teaching English utilised in the textbooks is also evaluated for its applicability to current English teaching approaches. Thus, the first section of each textbook is examined using the summative content analysis technique (Bengtsson, 2016; Hsieh Shannon, 2005). Counting the frequency of listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing activities in the textbooks, drawing inferences from the frequency counts, and comparing the final results comprise the analysis processes. The result of the study shows that despite the fact that My Next Words Grades 1 and 4 are compatible with the English academic goals given by the Kurikulum Merdeka, the textbooks are yet to adhere to the current English teaching approaches. Henceforth, future research may examine the effectiveness of the Kurikulum Merdeka textbooks in helping students achieve the new English curriculum’s academic goals.