<![CDATA[STEM education has long been criticized for prioritizing technical proficiency over socio-ecological responsibility. Regenerative education addresses this gap by aiming to restore and renew socio-ecological relationships, making it essential for equipping students to navigate complex global challenges. This study investigates the potential of Ethnopedagogy-based Virtual Reality (Ethno-VR) within a Research-Based Learning (RBL) framework as a pathway toward regenerative education. Using a quantitative comparative design, perspectives of 72 undergraduate students from Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia 32 from science programs and 40 from non-science programs were examined across four constructs reflecting core dimensions of regenerative education: learning engagement, cultural understanding, ecological awareness, and technology integration. Data were collected via structured questionnaire and analyzed using two-way ANOVA. Science students showed higher learning engagement (M = 21.100; SD = 2.654) than non-science students (M = 18.615; SD = 3.709), approaching significance (F = 4.119; p = 0.052). Cultural understanding was marginally higher among science students (M = 18.800) and female students (M = 18.444), though not significantly (F = 3.613; p = 0.067). Ecological awareness was significantly higher in science students (M = 17.860; F = 3.013; p = 0.047), the only dimension yielding a statistically significant result. Non-science and female students reported greater appreciation for technology integration (F = 3.023; p = 0.052). Gender was not analyzed separately in other dimensions due to the absence of significant interaction effects. These findings confirm that Ethno-VR strengthens cognitive, affective, and ecological dimensions of learning — as evidenced by significant ecological awareness outcomes and consistent near-significant trends — though its impact varies by academic background and gender. This study underscores the value of locally grounded immersive technology in RBL for advancing holistic regenerative education.]]>
