Curriculum Development in Primary and Secondary Education (in Schools and Madrasahs): A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis Study

Abstract

This study aims to systematically and bibliometrically analyze the development of research on curriculum development in primary and secondary education, both in public schools and madrasahs, within the 2020-2025 timeframe. The dynamics of curriculum policy in Indonesia, including the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum, strengthening the deep learning approach, and the issuance of Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Regulation Number 13 of 2025 and Minister of Religious Affairs Regulation (KMA) 450 of 2024, have encouraged various studies that need to be comprehensively mapped. The method used is Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with the PRISMA protocol combined with bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software. Literature searches were conducted on Google Scholar, DOAJ, Scopus, Web of Science, and SINTA databases. A total of 420 initial articles were identified, then through the screening and eligibility process, 40 final articles were obtained for thematic analysis, plus 587 keywords were analyzed bibliometrically. The results showed three main findings: (1) VOSviewer analysis revealed five main research clusters namely curriculum implementation, madrasah education, learning and pedagogy, curriculum evaluation, and technology and innovation; (2) the trend of curriculum development research was dominated by qualitative approaches (67.5%) focusing on the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum (52.5%); (3) overlay visualization showed a temporal shift from evaluation of the 2013 Curriculum (2020-2021) to implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum (2022-2023) and now towards deep learning, coding, and artificial intelligence (2024-2025); (4) madrasahs showed unique characteristics in curriculum development through the integration of general and religious knowledge based on KMA 450 of 2024; and (5) density analysis identified research gaps in studies on coding and AI in the curriculum, implementation of deep learning in disadvantaged areas (3T regions), and development of inclusive curriculum. This study recommends strengthening teacher capacity, harmonizing policies between ministries, and developing cross-institutional collaborative research.