Abstrak
The purpose of the research was to describe the implementation of Merdeka Curriculum in English instruction and to find teachers’ problems during the implementation of Curriculum Merdeka in English instruction at class VII-I SMPN 2 Tarakan. In this research, the researcher used a qualitative descriptive method. The researcher collected the data through document analysis, observation, and interviews. The data were obtained from the observation of class VII-I and interviews with English teachers and students. The results of the research showed that the Merdeka Curriculum has been implemented in teaching English subjects. Teachers create the learning objectives flow and teching modules based on the Merdeka Curriculum, which are adapted to the characteristic of the learning unit. Teachers have also implemented the learning cycle and conducted assessments based on Merdeka Curriculum. The barries faced by teachers are that it is difficult to motivate students to be more independent, creative, courageous and critically correct and less differentiated in the delivery of learning.