Implementing the FBEP Learning Model to Enhance Critical Thinking and Collaborative Learning in Environmental Education

This study seeks to examine the practicality and effectiveness of the Field-Based Environmental Problems (FBEP) learning model in enhancing students’ socio-scientific reasoning skills and learning engagement in an Environmental Chemistry course. The research constitutes the implementation phase of a model development study, conducted through two stages of trials: a limited trial involving 10 students and a broader trial with 31 students from the Chemistry Education Program at Universitas Negeri Gorontalo. A quasi-experimental design was employed, specifically the One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design. Data were collected using observation sheets, student response questionnaires, and a socio-scientific reasoning skills test. Quantitative descriptive analysis was applied, supported by paired sample t-tests and Rasch model analysis. The results indicated that student engagement across the six phases of the FBEP model, including problem presentation, project briefing, field trip, field analysis, report writing, and reflection was consistently categorized as highly active in both trial phases. The improvement in pre-test and post-test scores on socio-scientific reasoning demonstrated the model’s ability to foster critical and systematic thinking in analyzing socially grounded environmental issues. Student responses to the model’s implementation were also categorized as highly positive, suggesting that FBEP is both practical and engaging for learners. Therefore, the FBEP learning model is well-suited for contextual and collaborative chemistry instruction at the higher education level. Keywords: FBEP model, socio-scientific reasoning, collaborative learning, environmental chemistry, student engagement, contextual learning.