Fostering learning ownership and environmental literacy: Problem-based learning with a humanistic Merdeka Belajar approach

Alma Dwi Rahmawati (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia)
Dwi Listyorini (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia)
Indra Fardhani (Department of Natural Science Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia)

Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi Indonesia
Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026): MARCH

Background: The elimination of national exams and the implementation of automatic grade promotion in the Kurikulum Merdeka have contributed to a decline in student ownership of their learning, exacerbated by the low levels of environmental literacy observed in schools. Problem-based learning (PBL) integrated with the Humanistik-Merdeka Belajar (HMB) approach has the potential to improve environmental literacy and ownership of learning.  Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of PBL-HMB on learning ownership and environmental literacy in high school students. Methods: This quasi-experimental non-equivalent pre-test-post-test control group study involved three groups: the experimental group (PBL-HMB), the positive control group (PBL), and the negative control group (Conventional model). Multiple-choice test instruments and questionnaires were used as data collection instruments. The data obtained were analyzed using One-Way ANCOVA. Results: This study found that PBL-HMB had a significant influence on both dependent variables. Conclusion: The HMB approach in the PBL model was proven to increase learning ownership and environmental literacy.