Evaluation of a Contextual Problem-based Learning (CoPBL) Model Integrated with Ethno-SSI using a School Herbal Garden to Strengthen Students’ 21st-century Skills and Sustainable Living.

Abstract

This study develops and evaluates an integrated learning model combining Contextual Problem-Based Learning (CoPBL), ethnoscience and socio-scientific issues (Ethno-SSI), and a school herbal garden as an authentic learning resource. The herbal garden provides a contextual environment in which students connect scientific knowledge, local wisdom, environmental issues, health, and everyday practices through inquiry, experimentation, problem-solving, collaboration, and reflection. Participatory Action Research was used to develop and refine the model through collaboration with school administrators and teachers. The learning process was organized through the staged GARDEN Model, progressing from contextual engagement and exploration to research, experimentation, creation, presentation, and reflection. The findings showed consistent improvement in students’ twenty-first-century skills, academic learning outcomes, and characteristics associated with self-sufficiency and sustainable living. The model demonstrates how contextual problem-based learning, local herbal knowledge, and authentic environmental resources can connect academic learning with practical experience, creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and responsible resource use. The approach provides a practical framework for contextual, ethnoscience-oriented, and sustainability-focused education using locally available learning resources.