THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING USING PERSONALIZED APPROACH TO THE EMPLOYABILITY OF VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE ANIMATION STUDY PROGRAM

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of personalized differentiated learning in enhancing the employability of students enrolled in the animation study program at vocational schools. Currently, the transmission of subject matter and animation program training in vocational schools is conducted in a traditional and uniform manner. All students in a class receive the same instruction without considering their individual learning styles, talents, and interests. However, animation companies require specific skills from their employees, leading to a disconnect between the skills possessed by vocational school graduates and the demands of the job market. The vocational school curriculum focuses on the application of theoretical knowledge to practical animation production, which necessitates access to computer facilities. To address these challenges, differentiated learning using a personalized approach is proposed as a solution to enhance the employability of vocational school students in the animation field.   Method: To gather accurate and valid data for this study, the exposefacto quantitative method was utilized. This method ensured that the questions used and the descriptions of the material being taught were aligned with the objectives and content of the lesson (Patria et al., 2023). The research took place at SMKN 12 Surabaya, specifically targeting students enrolled in the animation study program. A sample size of 30 students from this program was included in the study. The main objective of the research was to evaluate how differentiated learning, implemented with a personalized approach, could enhance the employability of vocational high school students in the animation study program. In this particular research design, a non-experimental approach is employed to examine the causal relationship between two variables, one being the dependent variable and the other being the independent variable. To collect data, a survey method is utilized, involving the administration of specific questions. The researcher employs an analytical technique known as structural equation models (SEM) to assess the impact of the relationship between these variables. The participants in this study consist of students enrolled in the animation study program at SMKN 12 Surabaya. They are divided into two groups: a control class that follows a traditional teaching method and an experimental class that adopts a personalized approach to differentiated learning. The data is derived from the completion of questionnaires distributed among the students in both classes.   Results: The percentage of students that are employable increased by 10.3% following the differentiation of learning methods with a personalized approach. When compared to the control class that only received the application of different learning that was not personalized, it increased by an average of 0.3%. It is possible to deduce that the utilization of personalized approaches in different educational methods is beneficial because it maximizes the students' employability. The results showed that the students who were taught with the differentiated approach had a higher percentage of employment than the controls. Additionally, students in the experimental group had a greater sense of motivation and participation in the educational process as a whole. Distinguished learning style with personalization is considered a method that can be employed to enhance the efficiency of learning in high schools that specialize in professions in order to create skills that are relevant to the industry.   Conclusions: Drawing from the findings of the research, one can reasonably deduce that: (1) The employability of students in animation study programs in vocational schools is positively impacted by the adoption of a personalized learning approach, (2) The effectiveness of students' employability is greatly impacted by differentiated learning, and (3) The integration of personalized learning and differentiated instruction yields superior outcomes in equipping Animation Study Program students with the necessary employability skills.