Dataset for a Mixed-Methods Study on Indonesian Vocational High School Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices in Integrating 4Cs Skills

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Critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity, collectively known as the 4Cs skills, are integral to 21st-century learning and have been embedded in Indonesia's vocational secondary education since the 2013 Curriculum, later strengthened under the Merdeka Curriculum and the Pancasila Student Profile framework. This policy evolution reflects Indonesia's ongoing commitment to 4C skills development, aligning with UNESCO and OECD priorities that emphasise transferable skills for an evolving labour market. However, national assessments of students in vocational and general high schools reveal persistent weaknesses in critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. In vocational settings specifically, low pedagogical capacity and poor performance on national competency assessments highlight limitations in teachers' instructional readiness. Little is known about how vocational teachers interpret and translate expectations regarding 4Cs integration into classroom practice within the confines of pedagogical and contextual challenges.

This study investigates this complexity by exploring vocational high school (Sekolah, Menengah Kejuruan, SMK) teachers' beliefs about and implementation of the 4Cs within the changing curriculum and policy environment of Indonesian vocational education. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study surveyed 276 SMK teachers purposively drawn from six provinces across Indonesia's western, central, and eastern regions to capture diverse vocational education contexts. The study examined belief patterns related to good teaching roles, essential tasks in facilitating the 4Cs, confidence in enacting these skills, and perceived challenges of integration. The qualitative phase involved interviews and document analysis with 25 purposively selected teachers. Guided by Kelchtermans' Personal Interpretative Framework (PIF), the study also drew on the Belief Function Model, the Teacher Belief Framework, and the Belief–Practice Typology to explore belief, contextual influences, and instructional enactment.

Survey findings identified four belief domains in SMK teachers' integration of the 4Cs: teaching roles, instructional tasks, teacher confidence, and perceived barriers. While survey data showed hesitancy toward both directive and fully student-led roles, were further elaborated through qualitative themes of 4Cs-oriented learning, particularly guided facilitation and hands-on roles, shaped by teachers' self-image, subject demands, and learner needs. Beliefs about student-centred planning, assessment, and digital tools reflected complementarity, with qualitative insights highlighting contextual adaptation. Confidence in facilitating the 4Cs was high, informed by belief in the 4Cs as academic foundations and catalysts for broader success, shaped by aligned task perceptions and validated by subject relevance and industry expectations. Barriers showed convergence and deeper vulnerability linked to policy ambiguity and leadership inconsistency.

In practice, teachers integrated the 4Cs explicitly through student-centred selective strategies such as Jigsaw, teaching factory models, and role-play, whereas implicit integration was evident in project-based learning. Greater emphasis appeared to be placed on communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, while creativity was less evident in teachers' reported practices. While formative and authentic assessment approaches were valued, their enactment was inconsistent, constrained by limited guidance. ICT was mainly used to support instruction and information access, rather than for pedagogical transformation, with few instances of student-created digital products. Two belief–practice patterns were prominent. When alignment was not possible, teachers adapted their instruction in response to constraints such as scheduling issues, resource shortages, and student readiness while remaining guided by their task perception and self-image. Where alignment was possible, it was enabled by strong industry linkages and extensive teaching experience, which provided contextual relevance and practical support for enacting 4Cs-related beliefs consistently. Survey validity was ensured through expert review, while triangulation of interview and document data strengthened rigour. Meta-inferences and joint displays integrated the qualitative and quantitative strands, adding contextual depth.

To support sustainable 4Cs integration in SMK settings in Indonesia, this study proposes three recommendations: enhancing professional development, aligning the curriculum with workplace needs, and improving feedback systems and industry partnerships. The study also advances existing models of teacher belief by demonstrating how contextual factors mediate belief–practice alignment and extends global understanding of 4Cs integration in vocational and other educational contexts. Future research should examine belief formation in early-career teachers and belief–practice dynamics over time. The findings of this research challenge the views of vocational teachers as lacking sufficient professional engagement, revealing their adaptive reasoning and commitment despite contextual constraints.