ALIGNING EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES: NEEDS-BASED SYLLABUS REDESIGN FOR INDONESIAN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION

Abstract

Indonesian holds the position as the national language, serving as the language of instruction in the educational environment. This makes Indonesian a mandatory subject for students. In this research, the researcher aims to identify the need for syllabus redesign based on the fundamental Indonesian language skills possessed by new students at Ma Chung University in 2023. When the basic abilities can be identified from the beginning, the development of syllabus materials can be adjusted according to students' initial abilities. This can certainly help students minimize misunderstandings in grasping the material. Based on the conclusions drawn from the research findings, they can be used as a reference to determine which materials need further exposure and which ones only require review. Identifying these weaknesses from the outset can improve overall academic success. This study adopts a survey research design, utilizing a questionnaire as the data collection technique. The questionnaire is designed to align with topics that are or will be covered in higher education, including spelling, punctuation, language varieties, and general language-related knowledge. It was distributed to 215 students, making the total respondents in this study 215 new students. To ensure research credibility, the researcher conducted member checking with the study participants. The results indicate that the highest basic understanding among students is in the topic of spelling and punctuation, while the lowest is in the topic of reference list writing. Therefore, the syllabus redesign that will be conducted can focus on the development of academic work, including how to cite or write a bibliography. Based on the research results, we can provide recommendations for future studies focusing on long-term assessments of syllabus redesign effectiveness. This could set an example for other courses in syllabus development or redesign.