Exploring the Impact of Outdoor Learning-Based ESD on Students^ Critical Thinking Skills in Animal Biosystematics and Evolution
Saefudin, Suhara, Anugrah Ayumaharani W., Fitri Husni Mardiyah, Puti Siswandari

Biology Education Study Program, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

Abstract

Outdoor learning integrated with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been recognized as a promising pedagogical approach to foster higher-order thinking and environmental awareness in biology education. This study aimed to examine the effect of outdoor learning-based ESD on students^ critical thinking skills in the Animal Biosystematics and Evolution course. The research employed a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design involving 39 undergraduate biology education students at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. Students participated in field-based learning sessions emphasizing biodiversity observation, evolutionary relationships, and sustainability reflection. Data on critical thinking skills were collected through pretest and posttest essay assessments and analyzed using the Paired Sample t-Test. The results showed that the posttest mean score was higher than the pretest (mean difference = 3.077, t(38) = -1.622, p = 0.113), indicating an improvement trend, though not statistically significant. This finding suggests that outdoor learning experiences contributed to the development of critical thinking through contextual problem solving and reflective observation, but the intervention duration and variation among learners might have limited the statistical significance. The study highlights the pedagogical potential of outdoor learning-based ESD to promote critical engagement with sustainability concepts in biology education.

Keywords: Outdoor learning, critical thinking, Education for Sustainable Development, biology education, sustainability learning.

Topic: Biology and Biology Education