Fostering 21st century skills through the merdeka curriculum: The mediating role of self-directed learning and student engagement at a faculty of engineering in West Sumatra

Lasyatta Syaifullah; Hasan Maksum; Waskito; Rifdarmon; Iffarial Nanda

doi:10.32674/r3agft13

Authors

Lasyatta Syaifullah Universitas Negeri Padang
Hasan Maksum Universitas Negeri Padang
Waskito Universitas Negeri Padang
Rifdarmon Universitas Negeri Padang
Iffarial Nanda Universitas Negeri Padang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/r3agft13

Keywords:

21st Century Skills, merdeka curriculum, parallel mediation, PLS-SEM, self-directed learning, student engagement, vocational education and training

Abstract

Indonesia’s Merdeka Curriculum repositions vocational education around flexibility and student-centred pedagogy, yet its relationship with competency outcomes is underexplored. This study examines associations between perceived Merdeka Curriculum and 21st Century Skills among 180 vocational-background engineering undergraduates at Universitas Negeri Padang (population N = 846; stratified sampling), with Self-Directed Learning and Student Engagement as parallel mediators (PLS-SEM). Merdeka Curriculum was associated with 21st Century Skills (β = 0.406), Self-Directed Learning (β = 0.678), and Student Engagement (β = 0.715), jointly transmitting 45.4% of the total association. Given the cross-sectional, retrospective design, findings indicate association rather than causal effect. The principal contribution is theoretical: curriculum reform relates to competency development through two complementary mechanisms, offering a transferable approach for VET systems internationally.

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