<![CDATA[The increasing emphasis on deep learning in contemporary education has highlighted the importance of teachers’ roles in fostering meaningful, reflective, and student-centered learning experiences, particularly in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. However, limited research has examined how teachers enact the role of activator in promoting deep learning within actual classroom settings. This study aimed to explore how English teachers implemented the activator role in promoting deep learning and to identify the challenges they encountered during its implementation. Employing a qualitative case study design, the research was conducted at MAN Lima Puluh Kota, Indonesia, involving two English teachers selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis and were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive model of qualitative data analysis. The findings revealed that the teachers enacted the activator role through three interconnected practices: communicating learning goals while activating students’ prior knowledge, designing meaningful English learning activities, and providing feedback that encouraged participation and deeper thinking. The study also identified several challenges, including students’ limited English proficiency, low confidence, varying levels of participation, and difficulties in designing learning experiences aligned with deep learning principles. These findings contribute to the growing literature on deep learning by providing empirical evidence of how the activator role is operationalized in EFL classrooms and offer practical insights for teachers, schools, and policymakers seeking to strengthen the implementation of deep learning within the Merdeka Curriculum framework.]]>
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