Alignment between learning preparation and competency assessment in indonesia's teacher certification program: perspectives of geography teachers

Riki Rahmad (Universitas Negeri Medan)
Novida Yenny (Department of Geography Education, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, Indonesia)
Mona Adria Wirda (Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan)
Nabila Anggraini (State Senior High School 4 Dumai, Dumai, Riau)
Nurul Tia Shakilla Nasution (State Senior High School 14 Pekanbaru, Pekanbaru, Riau)

Journal of Counseling, Education and Society
Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026): Journal of Counseling, Education and Society

This study investigated the alignment between online learning modules and the Uji Kompetensi Peserta PPG (UKPPPG) for Geography teachers in Indonesia's Pendidikan Profesi Guru (PPG) program. Using a descriptive phenomenological approach with nine teacher alumni and two instructors from Universitas Negeri Medan, data were gathered through interviews, a focus group discussion, and document analysis. Thematic analysis revealed partial alignment: while general pedagogy and performance assessments matched well, a significant structural gap emerged between the preparation provided and the cognitive demands of the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) test, which predominantly featured generic rather than subject-specific items. Additional challenges included balancing professional duties, surface-learning strategies, and limited Geography-specific pedagogical integration. Participants recommended a two-tier curriculum combining general and subject-specific modules to improve instructional coherence and assessment validity under Permendikbudristek No. 19/2024.