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Students need to organize their learning activities with their learning environment in order to maximize their learning achievement. Goddard 2003
states that students’ social environment determine the success of academic performance. At school, students can interact with their classmates or their
teachers to enrich their knowledge and skill before they follow academic performance test. The adequate source of learning materials also helps the
students to construct their curiosity in developing their learning experiences. Fantuzzo, Tighe, and Childs 2000 support the idea of how importance the role of
students’ learning environment to the academic performance by emphasizing the assistance of the st
udents’ parents in establishing the students’ participation at school. Then, students should have close correlation with every elements around
them related to their learning focus in order to increase the result of their academic performance.
6. Vocational High School
Based on Indonesia Law Number 20 in 2003 about the System of National Education, levels of education in Indonesia are divided into Early Education or
Preschool, Primary School or Elementary, Middle School or Junior High School, High School, Post-secondary at University, Graduate education, and Adult
education. Each level has its own characteristic considering the growth or age of a person and the learning goals. The level of Vocational High school is the same
with Senior High School. From the level of ages, the students of a Vocational High School are from 15 to 18 years old. The learning goals in a Vocational High
School relate to the practical job skills which are needed by the students to work
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after they graduate as ruled in Education National Standard Institution or Badan Standar Nasional Pendidikan BSNP. A Vocational High School gives basic and
improved industrial skill to the graduates to complete their learning orientation in having practical skills. The graduates of Vocational High School are expected to
possess competent practical skill in the industrial levels since they already focus on practical skills related to practical industrial needs.
Vocational education relates to the objective of education which is to explore students’ physical experience for their job skills after they graduate.
Activities in vocational schools focus in practices rather than theories Bjurulf Kilbrink 2008. Students who enter the vocational school orient to have jobs in
industries or companies related to the programs they join in vocational school. Therefore, the school provides spaces for the students to treat themselves as
workers or employees. The school is not viewed as a study place but as a workplace. The scores of practical materials become the major emphasis for the
students rather than those in the theoretical materials. The discussion of theoretical materials is conducted in the forms of how to apply the theories in
practical activities. Vocational education is a subsystem of Indonesia National Education
System in which the main goal is to prepare the graduates to have competent skills to fulfil the need level of labours. The need of work field to gain competent
employees forces the vocational school to give the learning materials which are applicable for the future jobs. Therefore, vocational school students should
possess professional attitudes of working such as how they will interact formally with their job environment. Vocational school usually gives an understanding to
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their graduates related to what work fields they should choose based on the graduates’ development during studying at the schools. Vocational levels produce
middle level labours for business and industries. Vocational graduates are also able to continue the education to universities.
Vocational High School is a form of formal education which establishes vocational education on the middle level as the continuum of Junior High School
or Madrasah Tsanawiyah MTs, or any other similar level. Vocational High School is the right place who orient to work rather than to proceed to higher
education levels. To support more complete skills of the graduates, the scopes of learning materials in Vocational High schools are quite a lot. Based on the Law
of National Education System 2003, vocational high school curriculum must involve the education of personal values related to faith, civics, language,
mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, arts and culture, physical and sports, skill or vocation, and local.
Vocational High School is regarded as a school emphasizing the practical expertise. The technical learning based on the programs available at schools
becomes the focus of teaching-learning process. The theoretical lessons are prosecuted to be practical in the learning process. Since the School-based
Curriculum is applied, the school try their best to improve the curriculum based on the
students’ need, but still in the scope of technical studies. To support the industrial skills, the Vocational High School students are asked to be an
apprentice in a job field for some months to gain experiences of real working. They are also prosecuted to apply the theories they have learned at school.
Vocational High School is a school which is oriented to demand market driven or
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the achievement of graduates in the job fields in the future. The tight correlation between Vocational High Schools and industries or job fields is the key of
Vocational High School success. Vocational High School should also be responsive and anticipative to the technology development. Learning by doing and
hands-on experiences are the basic principles of learning and teaching activities at the Vocational High School. The students are not primarily signed to continue
studying to the next levels of school such as university or academy. Considering the long duration of practical skills, the students of Vocational High School must
possess great stamina. Since Vocational High School is formal education system, therefore basic
principles of curriculum stated by the government must be applied. Based on the Law Number 19 in 2005 about the Education National Standard
, Education National Standard is the minimum criteria about the education system in
Indonesia. The scopes of Education National Standard is content standard, process standard, competence standard, educators and education standard, facility
standard, management standard, finance standard, and evaluation standard. To assure and control the implementation of the Education National Standard, three
steps are done. They are evaluation, accreditation, and certification. The Education National Standard is arranged and implemented based on the local,
national, and global changes. During a year of teaching-learning process in education levels, the scopes should be prepared and reviewed in order to achieve
better level of curriculum application based on the students’ need and global environment changes.
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To provide the need of local competence oriented to the national and global standard of education, Education Unit Level Curriculum or Kurikulum Tingkat
Satuan Pendidikan KTSP is applied. The arrangement of this curriculum is based on the guidance from the Education National Standard Institution or Badan
Standar Nasional Pendidikan BSNP. In Law number 20 in 2003, chapter 1, section 1 Article 19, KTSP provides sets of equipment about plans and the
arrangement of objectives, contents, learning materials, and learning methods as the guidance to establish learning activities to achieve determined learning goals.
The curriculum of middle level, in which Vocational High School is included, is arranged relevant to any educational units under the surveillance of province
