<![CDATA[International students frequently encounter significant academic and linguistic barriers when adapting to a host country's highly localized national curriculum, leading to cognitive overload and a reliance on short-term surface learning strategies. This study aimed to evaluate how a comparative pedagogical negotiation strategy could mitigate these learning bottlenecks and enhance the academic achievement of foreign learners. Utilizing a classroom action research (CAR) design, this study investigated 10 Malaysian students at SMA Al-Irsyad Kota Tegal during their Pancasila Education lessons across a pre-cycle phase, Cycle I, and Cycle II. Data were collected through diagnostic interviews, field observations, and communicative adaptive assessments, which were then analyzed using descriptive qualitative mapping and classical mastery trends. The findings revealed that transitioning from basic textual adjustments in Cycle I to structured visual institutional charts and multicultural peer forums in Cycle II successfully resolved constitutional conceptual distortions. This pedagogical intervention led to steady cognitive improvement, as evidenced by a substantial leap in the classical learning outcome average from an incomplete baseline of 65% in the pre-cycle phase, rising to 72% in Cycle II, and reaching 85% in Cycle II. It is concluded that incorporating students' native background knowledge as a comparative asset rather than forcing rigid cultural assimilation effectively reduces mental overload, offering a replicable framework for inclusive international classrooms.]]>
