Metaverse Based Ecoeducation in the Meru Betiri Area to Improve Environmental Literacy

Abstract

Environmental literacy encompassing ecological knowledge, cognitive skills, attitudes, and responsible behavior is a key 21st-century competency. However, conventional textbook-based geography instruction rarely connects students with real-world ecosystem conditions, creating a gap between conceptual knowledge and contextual experience in environmental conservation. Metaverse-based media integrating virtual reality and digital-twin technology remain underdeveloped for conservation geography learning grounded in authentic sites such as Meru Betiri National Park. This study addresses that gap by developing a valid, effective, and practical metaverse-based eco-education medium representing the Meru Betiri ecosystem in an immersive three-dimensional virtual space, applied to environmental conservation and sustainable development topics for eleventh-grade social science students. Using the ADDIE model within a design-based research approach, the medium was iteratively refined based on validator and user feedback. Subjects were grade XI IPS (Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial or social science) students at SMA Lab Universitas Negeri Malang. Data were collected on validity (expert assessment), effectiveness (achievement tests and student questionnaires), and practicality (validator evaluation). Results showed the medium was valid (score 3.7), effective (91.2% learning mastery; 94.1% positive response), and practical (score 3.8). These findings indicate that immersive, site-specific metaverse media can bridge the gap between students’ conceptual knowledge and ecological experience, offering teachers a contextual conservation-learning alternative unconstrained by distance or physical access, while contributing to the development of immersive technology-based models for environmental education.