Outcome-Based Education EFL Learning Materials for Junior High School

Background/purpose. Indonesia’s secondary English curriculum has adopted Outcome-Based Education (OBE) to foster communicative competence and real-world language use. However, questions remain regarding the extent to which current instructional materials reflect this pedagogical shift and meet students’ actual learning needs. This study aims to investigate how well EFL learning resources adhere to OBE principles and to explore students’ specific needs and preferences.

Materials/methods. A qualitative descriptive design was employed, using data from classroom observations, teacher interviews, and document analysis of the existing textbooks.

Results. The findings indicate that while current materials articulate general learning outcomes, they often fail to integrate all four language skills equitably and lack performance-based assessments. Teachers reported limited flexibility in adapting the materials to meet diverse student needs. Furthermore, the study found that interactive, visually engaging, contextually relevant materials have a positive impact on students. These elements are missing from existing resources, highlighting a disconnect between curriculum goals and classroom realities.

Conclusion. The study concludes that current English learning materials require substantial revision to fully embody OBE principles. It underscores the need for collaborative efforts to develop outcome-oriented, student-centered materials. The study implies for material developers, policymakers, and teacher educators working to enhance English instruction in EFL contexts.

Keywords: EFL, learning materials, needs analysis, outcome-based education

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