<![CDATA[Developing creative thinking skills in biology education requires contextual, student-centered learning supported by appropriate digital resources. However, limited integration of local environmental contexts and project-oriented activities may hinder students’ creative thinking development. This study aimed to identify instructional needs for developing a coastal ecosystem-integrated Project-Oriented Problem-Based Learning (POPBL) e-module to support creative thinking skills. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed involving one teacher and 20 seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 10 Kupang, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, student needs questionnaires, and creative thinking tests. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were examined using thematic analysis. Findings were integrated to identify instructional needs and inform e-module design. The findings revealed limited implementation of project-based activities (25%) and insufficient integration of coastal ecosystem contexts (40%). All students (100%) expressed a need for digital learning resources and supported multimedia-based materials. Creative thinking performance was categorized as very low across fluency (30%), flexibility (35%), originality (35%), and elaboration (30%). Teacher interviews further identified predominantly conventional instruction and limited utilization of contextual digital materials. The findings indicate a need for contextual digital resources integrating authentic coastal environmental problems with project-oriented learning activities. These results provide an empirical foundation for designing a coastal ecosystem-integrated POPBL e-module targeting students’ creative thinking skills, although its effectiveness requires further investigation.]]>
