Improving Students' Critical Thinking, Written Communication, and Collaboration Skills in Ethnoscience-based Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on Ecology Material

Abstract

Critical thinking, written communication, and collaboration are essential competencies in biology education, yet students often have difficulty applying them to contextual ecological problems. This study examined the effect of ethnoscience-based Problem-Based Learning that integrates the Lampung Tupping tradition on these three competencies. A posttest-only quasi-experimental design with intact, nonequivalent groups involved 74 Grade X students selected through cluster random sampling from a population of 297 students. The experimental class (n = 37) received ethnoscience-based PBL for three meetings (9 × 45 minutes), whereas the control class (n = 37) received conventional instruction on the same ecology content. Critical thinking and written communication were measured using validated essay tests with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.671 and 0.623, respectively; collaboration was assessed using a structured observation rubric. MANOVA showed a significant multivariate group effect: Pillai’s Trace = 0.945, F(3, 70) = 400.455, p < 0.001. The experimental class outperformed the control class in critical thinking (M = 88.35, SD = 3.90 vs. M = 60.22, SD = 5.37; mean difference = 28.14; partial η² = 0.902), written communication (M = 81.76, SD = 11.26 vs. M = 56.62, SD = 10.93; mean difference = 25.14; partial η² = 0.569), and collaboration (M = 89.27, SD = 5.72 vs. M = 55.03, SD = 5.60; mean difference = 34.24; partial η² = 0.904). The culturally contextualized problems enabled students to connect ecological concepts with local knowledge, construct evidence-based written explanations, and negotiate solutions collaboratively. These findings support integrating local wisdom into biology curricula and teacher professional development while recognizing the study’s short duration and single-school context.