Enhancing Junior High School Students’ Science Learning Motivation Through Contextual Teaching and Learning Based on Local Environmental Issues in Ecology

Low science learning motivation among junior high school students, particularly in the topic of ecology, is often associated with theoretical, memorization-based instruction that is disconnected from students’ real-life contexts. This study aimed to examine the improvement in students’ science learning motivation through the implementation of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) based on local environmental issues in the topic of ecology. This study employed a quantitative approach with a one-group pretest-posttest design, involving 29 seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri Satu Atap 1 Jerowaru, selected through total sampling. Data on students’ learning motivation were collected using an ARCS-based questionnaire (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) before and after the implementation of the learning intervention. The data were then analyzed using the normalized gain (N-gain) test. The results showed that the mean N-gain score of students’ learning motivation was 0.52, indicating a moderate category, with the greatest improvement observed in the Relevance aspect. A total of 65.5% of students demonstrated moderate improvement, 20.7% showed high improvement, and 13.8% showed low improvement. These findings indicate that contextual learning based on local environmental issues can improve junior high school students’ science learning motivation in the topic of ecology. Therefore, this approach can serve as a relevant and applicable alternative instructional strategy for schools with distinctive local environmental characteristics.