Existentialism in Indonesian EFL Education: A Theoretical Analysis of Humanism and Learner Freedom

Abstract

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction in Indonesian schools has traditionally emphasized cognitive mastery and linguistic structure, often overlooking learners’ human dimensions such as freedom of expression, identity formation, and the search for meaning in learning. Drawing on existentialist philosophy, this article presents an expanded theoretical analysis of how existentialist principles can inform humanistic, student-centered EFL pedagogy aligned with Indonesia’s Merdeka Belajar policy. Using a qualitative literature-based method, the study synthesizes national and international scholarship on existentialism, humanistic education, EFL pedagogy, communicative language teaching, project-based learning, assessment, and classroom management. The findings indicate that existentialist principles freedom, responsibility, authenticity, reflective experience, and becoming c operationalized through reflective dialogue, authentic communication, project-based learning, differentiated instruction, and humanistic classroom management. The article argues that existentialism provides a robust philosophical foundation for rehumanizing EFL education in Indonesia, enhancing motivation, learner agency, linguistic competence, and character formation while remaining responsive to curricular and assessment constraints.