EFFECT OF PROBLEM BASED LEARNING E-BOOK WITH DEEP LEARNING APPROACH ON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CARE ATTITUDES

Abstract

The development of students’ problem-solving skills and environmental care attitudes remains an important concern in science education. This study investigated the effect of a Problem-Based Learning (PBL)–Deep Learning Approach e-book on seventh-grade students’ problem-solving skills and environmental care attitudes in ecology and biodiversity learning in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was employed involving 63 students, with 31 in the experimental group and 32 in the control group. The intervention was implemented over six learning sessions. The experimental group learned using the PBL–Deep Learning Approach e-book, while the control group received conventional learning. Data were collected using a problem-solving skills test and an environmental care attitude questionnaire. Group differences were analyzed using an independent-samples t-test and the Mann–Whitney U test, according to the data distribution. Effect sizes were calculated to determine the magnitude of the intervention effects. The results showed a significant difference in problem-solving skills between the groups (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.107). Environmental care attitudes also differed significantly (p = 0.004), with a moderate effect size (r = 0.37). These findings suggest that the PBL–Deep Learning Approach e-book supports students’ problem-solving skills and environmental care attitudes through contextual problem analysis, evidence-based investigation, and reflection. The findings highlight the contribution of integrating PBL and the Deep Learning Approach into digital science learning resources to support problem-solving and environmentally responsible learning in junior high schools.