Strategic Program Management and Learner Satisfaction in Nonformal Equivalency Education: Evidence from an Indonesian Community Learning Center

Indonesian community learning centers (PKBM) provide equivalency education for older youth and adults who need flexible routes outside formal schooling, yet evidence remains limited on which management functions are most closely associated with learner satisfaction. This study examined program management and satisfaction at a PKBM in Situbondo, Indonesia, using a quantitative correlational design. Thirty-four learners were selected by lottery-based simple random sampling from a population of 137, following the original Slovin calculation with a 15% error tolerance. A researcher-developed 24-item questionnaire measured six management functions and two satisfaction dimensions. Pilot testing at a comparable PKBM showed that all items exceeded the item-total validity criterion (critical r = .349), and the instrument was reliable (Cronbach's alpha = .889). Overall program management was rated positively by 88% of respondents, whereas 70% fell in the positive satisfaction categories. Program management was moderately associated with satisfaction, r (32) = .435, p = .010, r² = .189. Exploratory function-level correlations showed the strongest associations for mobilizing (r = .527, p = .001) and assessment (r = .453, p = .007); planning (r = .104, p = .557) and coaching (r = .306, p = .078) were not significant. The study contributes by showing that highly rated management functions are not necessarily the functions that best differentiate satisfaction. For equivalency education, learner-facing mobilization and feedback-oriented assessment emerge as particularly relevant targets for a data-informed improvement cycle.