Kesenjangan Literasi Sains dalam Konteks Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi: Studi Komparatif Indonesia dan Viet Nam Menggunakan PISA 2022 dan Dokumen Kebijakan

Abstract

This article examines why two Southeast Asian education systems with comparable resource constraints display markedly different science literacy outcomes. Using a comparative case study design, the study juxtaposes Indonesia and Viet Nam by re-analysing PISA 2022 science indicators, curriculum policy documents, teacher support frameworks, and assessment design. The analysis focuses on four linked dimensions: minimum proficiency, distributional equity, curricular coherence, and pedagogical support. Findings indicate that Indonesia's average science performance remains substantially lower than Viet Nam's, and the gap is not reducible to socioeconomic composition alone. The key difference lies in how curriculum intentions are translated into instructional guidance, formative assessment routines, and academic expectations. Viet Nam displays stronger coherence between national learning goals, classroom-level cognitive demand, and accountability for conceptual mastery; Indonesia has expanded curricular flexibility through Kurikulum Merdeka, but classroom enactment remains uneven because diagnostic use of assessment, teacher content-specific support, and school-level capacity vary sharply. The article argues that science literacy grows not merely from curriculum reform, but from the interaction between cognitive demand, teacher mediation, and implementation consistency. Its contribution lies in proposing a comparative explanatory model that connects policy design, pedagogical infrastructure, and equity-sensitive science outcomes, thereby advancing current debates in science education research and offering practical implications for curriculum implementation in middle-income systems.