Empowering High School Students through Differentiated Learning in Economics Education: Evidence from Indonesia’s Independent Curriculum

Abstract

Background. Economic education is expected not only to improve students’ academic achievement but also to empower learners to become active, independent, and responsible decision-makers. Although differentiated learning has been widely recognized as a learner-centered instructional approach, empirical evidence regarding its contribution to student empowerment in economics education, particularly within Indonesia’s Independent Curriculum, remains limited. Purpose. This study aimed to examine the effect of differentiated learning on students’ learning outcomes while demonstrating its role as an instructional approach for empowering high school students in economics education. Method. This study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group. The participants were tenth-grade students from a public senior high school in Indonesia. Data were collected through pre-test and post-test assessments and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Results. The findings revealed that students who participated in differentiated learning achieved significantly higher learning outcomes than those who received conventional instruction. The learning process also promoted greater student engagement, collaboration, and active participation, indicating that differentiated learning supports both academic achievement and student empowerment in economics education. Conclusion. Differentiated learning is an effective instructional approach for improving students’ learning outcomes while fostering empowerment-oriented learning environments. The findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on differentiated instruction by providing empirical evidence from economics education within Indonesia’s Independent Curriculum and offer practical implications for teachers seeking to implement more inclusive and student-centered learning practices