Date of Award

12-17-2025

Thesis Type

PhD

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

Faculty of Education

Department

Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

The contemporary world faces escalating challenges such as poverty, climate change, environmental degradation, and widening socioeconomic disparities, underscoring the urgent need for global sustainability education. Chemistry plays a central role in advancing sustainability, given its fundamental connections to environmental protection, industrial development, healthcare, and everyday human activities. Despite this significance, Malaysian chemical education particularly at the matriculation level lacks well-documented pedagogical resources that systematically integrate sustainability dimensions and emerging instructional technologies. This gap limits students’ ability to connect chemistry knowledge with real-world sustainability challenges, as envisioned under SDG 4.7. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a Chemistry for Sustainability using Virtual Reality (CSVR) pedagogical module that integrates sustainability dimensions through virtual reality (VR) as a core instructional tool. This study adopted a Design and Development Research (DDR) approach comprising three phases. In Phase 1 (Needs Analysis), data were collected through semi-structured interviews with teachers and surveys administered to students. The findings revealed that, despite limited familiarity with sustainability dimensions and minimal experience with VR technology, matriculation chemistry teachers strongly supported their integration as a necessary response to students’ low motivation and perceptions of chemistry as abstract, examination-driven, and disconnected from real-world relevance. Additionally, student survey findings revealed favourable attitudes and behaviours regarding sustainability; however, sustainability competencies were only moderate, highlighting the need for targeted pedagogical intervention. Phase 2 (Design and Development) employed the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) with 19 experts to establish consensus on module objectives, content, instructional strategies, resources, and assessment approaches. A total of 54 items were accepted and formed the foundation of the CSVR module. Subsequent expert validation by five specialists confirmed high content reliability (96%) and module validity (96.7%), indicating the module’s suitability for classroom implementation. Phase 3 (Implementation and Evaluation) involved a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test/post-test design conducted at one matriculation college with one chemistry teacher and 18 students over a three-week intervention guided by the 5E learning cycle. Wilcoxon signed-rank test results demonstrated a significant improvement in students’ chemistry knowledge (Md = 7.00) compared to pre-intervention scores (Md = 3.00), Z = −3.520, p < .001, with a large effect size (r = .62). Significant gains were also observed in students’ sustainability competencies systems thinking, normative, anticipatory, interpersonal, and strategic with effect sizes exceeding .5. Qualitative findings from interviews and questionnaires further indicated positive perceptions of the module’s usability, scaffolding, authentic assessment, and low-cost VR implementation. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the CSVR module effectively enhances students’ chemistry understanding and sustainability competencies while supporting teachers in implementing sustainability-oriented, technology-enhanced instruction. The study provides a validated pedagogical model that aligns with SDG 4.7 and offers a practical, scalable approach for integrating sustainability and VR into matriculation chemistry curricula.

Initial

Thesis (PhD) – Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, 2025. 

Additional Information

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