<![CDATA[This study examines the effect of a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model integrated with local issues on the geography learning interest of Class XI Social Science students at SMA Negeri 5 Bengkulu Selatan. Initial observations indicated that student engagement and learning interest were noticeably low, supported by pretest results far below the minimum competency standard. A quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group was employed, involving 28 students in the experimental class and 23 in the control class. Data were collected through a 20-item Likert-scale questionnaire measuring four indicators of learning interest: enjoyment, curiosity, receptiveness, and active participation. Hypothesis testing was conducted using SmartPLS 4 with the bootstrapping technique. The findings show that the experimental class achieved a mean interest score of 64.29 (80.36%), categorized as High, compared to 48.65 (60.82%) in the control class, categorized as Moderate. The path coefficient was 1.530, T-statistics reached 18.303 (>1.96), and P-value was 0.000 (<0.05), confirming a significant positive effect. The R-squared value of 0.585 indicates that the PBL model accounted for 58.5% of the variance in student learning interest. This study confirms that contextualizing PBL with locally relevant issues specifically illegal gold mining (PETI) in Lebong Regency is an effective strategy for improving student engagement in geography learning.]]>
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