DESIGNING MULTIGRADE INSTRUCTION FOR A RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
Keywords:
multigrade instruction, junior secondary education, rural schools, differentiated instruction, peer tutoring, IndonesiaAbstract
Teacher shortages, low enrolment, dispersed settlements, and limited infrastructure threaten learning continuity in rural and island schools. Although multigrade instruction is widely discussed in primary education, its adaptation to junior secondary education remains under-theorised because subject specialisation, grade-specific curriculum progression, adolescent development, and assessment demands create additional complexity. This article develops a contextual design framework for multigrade instruction at SMP Negeri Satu Atap Hulung, Central Maluku, Indonesia. A qualitative contextual design study was conducted through structured analysis of recent international and Indonesian literature published between 2021 and 2026, curriculum regulations, and the source article that motivated the adaptation. Evidence was synthesised across access, curriculum alignment, instructional organisation, learner differentiation, assessment, teacher capacity, and enabling conditions. The analysis produced the GRADE framework: Grade-specific outcomes, Rotational explicit instruction, Autonomous and peer-supported learning, Differentiated assessment, and Enabling conditions. The framework recommends selective grade combination, curriculum mapping around shared contexts and distinct outcomes, short teacher-directed rotations, structured independent work, safeguarded peer support, and separate mastery evidence for each grade. It also specifies subject-suitability criteria, workload safeguards, and a monitoring dashboard. The study contributes a secondary-level model that addresses resource constraints without normalising chronic teacher shortages. Field validation is required before effectiveness claims are made.
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