ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL STEM LEARNING: A COMMUNITY-BASED POLYMER EDUCATION APPROACH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.1164081Keywords:
Community Engagement, Experiential Learning, Polymer Technology, STEM Education, Sustainability AwarenessAbstract
Environmental sustainability has become the main focus of STEM education in preparing students to address global environmental challenges. However, many pre-university students still have limited knowledge of polymer sustainability. Their understanding of plastics and rubber is often linked mainly to environmental pollution, as they have limited opportunities to learn about sustainable material management and how polymers are used in real-life applications. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an experiential STEM learning approach in improving sustainability awareness through a community-based polymer technology education programme. The programme involved 35 science stream students from a pre-university institution and was facilitated by final-year undergraduate students specialising in polymer technology. The intervention consisted of an interactive sustainability talk addressing environmental pollution, responsible material management, misconceptions about polymers, and the role of recycling and the circular economy, followed by hands-on STEM activities and exhibition booths showcasing undergraduate research on sulfur devulcanisation, recycled polymer products, nanotechnology, waste-based polyurethane synthesis, and sustainable 3D printing. A pre- and post-intervention survey was conducted to assess students’ sustainability awareness and understanding of polymer-related environmental issues. The findings showed that awareness of plastic sustainability increased from 3.49 to 4.32, while awareness of carbon sustainability improved from 3.29 to 4.32. Students also demonstrated greater familiarity with STEM-related activities, improved understanding of sustainable material practices, and increased interest in sustainability-related STEM topics after participating in the programme. The findings indicate that experiential and community-based STEM learning is an effective educational approach for enhancing sustainability awareness, correcting misconceptions about polymers, and making complex scientific concepts more meaningful and accessible to pre-university students, while strengthening their appreciation of the role of polymers in sustainable development.
Downloads
References
Adebo, A., & Aladelusi, K. (2025). Spatial examination of sustainability literacy: the interplay of campus greenness and students’ values. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 26(1), 1-15.
Agrawal, K., & Bhat, A. R. (2025). Advances in 3D printing with eco-friendly materials: a sustainable approach to manufacturing. In RSC Sustainability (Vol. 3, Number 6, pp. 2582–2604). Royal Society of Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4su00718b
Aravind, A., Mishra, S., & Das, S. R. (2026). Message framing and sustainability awareness: Experimental evidence for advancing reduce, reuse, and recycle practices. Ecological Economics, 248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.109061
Cappello, M., Filippi, S., Rossi, D., Cinelli, P., Anguillesi, I., Camodeca, C., Orlandini, E., Polacco, G., & Seggiani, M. (2024). Waste-Cooking-Oil-Derived Polyols to Produce New Sustainable Rigid Polyurethane Foams. Sustainability (Switzerland), 16(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219456
Chowdhury, S., & Alzarrad, A. (2025). Advancing Community-Based Education: Strategies, Challenges, and Future Directions for Scaling Impact in Higher Education. Trends in Higher Education, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/higheredu4020021
De Waard, E. F., Prins, G. T., & Van Joolingen, W. R. (2022). Engaging preuniversity students in sustainability and life cycle assessment in upper-secondary chemistry education: The case of polylactic acid (PLA). Journal of Chemical Education, 99(7), 2450-2458.
Dorigato, A., Rigotti, D., & Fredi, G. (2023). Recent advances in the devulcanization technologies of industrially relevant sulfur-vulcanized elastomers. In Advanced Industrial and Engineering Polymer Research (Vol. 6, Number 3, pp. 288–309). KeAi Communications Co. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aiepr.2022.11.003
Ju, S., Chung, S., Park, S. B., Koo, J. M., Shin, G., Jeon, H., Park, J., & Oh, D. X. (2026). Reframing Biodegradable Plastic as an Effective, Chemically Recyclable Resource for a Circular Economy. In Engineering. Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2025.12.040
Khajuria, A. (2025). Integrating circular economy education into education for sustainable development: Models and typologies. Environmental Education Research, 31(2), 145-162.
Kong, Y. (2021). The Role of Experiential Learning on Students’ Motivation and Classroom Engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.771272
Kopnina, H. (2019). Green-washing or green-wishing? Circular economy and cradle to cradle education in business schools. Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, 1112-1123.
Kowasch, M. (2022). Potential of the alternative economic concepts circular economy and zero waste in teacher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 23(3), 512-529.
Michael, F., Syafiq, M., & Rahman, A. (2025). Empowering circular economy education through student-led sustainability initiatives in rural Sarawak. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 122, 421-426.
Muhammad, N., Mohamed, S. N., Zainuddin, H., Mohamed, Z., Kamisan, A.-S., Mohd Nor, A., & Jaafar, N. K. (2026). Effectiveness Of The Let’s Generate Electricity From The Sun Program In Promoting Interest And Understanding In Stem Education. International Journal of Education Psychology and Counseling, 11(62), 1645. https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.1162097
Oladele, I. O., Oki, V. O., Maldaye, E. M., Makinde-Isola, B. A., Ajayi, M. A., Adelani, S. O., & Olanrewaju, F. O. (2026). Life cycle assessment, material sustainability metrics and technology readiness levels for lightweight polymer applications: A review on principles, recent processing and applications. In Next Materials (Vol. 12). Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.102168
Sathishkumar, T. P., Navaneethakrishnan, P., & Maheskumar, P. (2021). Thermal stability and tribological behaviors of tri-fillers reinforced epoxy hybrid composites. Applied Science and Engineering Progress, 14(4), 727–737. https://doi.org/10.14416/j.asep.2021.08.002
Septi Viantri Kurdaningsih, & Esa Zahirah. (2025). Implementation of Education-Based Community Service to Increase Environmental Awareness among Young People. Sustainable Applied Modification Evidence Community, 2(1), 55–61. https://doi.org/10.69855/samec.v2i1.160
Shaherani, M. S., Azmi, N., & Yusuf, M. (2024). Plastic waste management and green campus initiatives: Assessing student knowledge and behavior. Malaysian Journal of Environmental Management, 25(1), 89-102.
Shahidi Hamedani, S., Aslam, S., Mohamad, S., Mansori, S., & Hamedani, S. S. (2026). From awareness to action: Reimagining circular economy learning in Malaysian higher education. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 6(1), 110-125.
Shao, Y., Mallory, R. C., Dugas, M., Flanagan, C., Ligon, C., & Burks, G. R. (2017). Advanced polymer options for microplastic mitigation: A socio-educational perspective. Science of The Total Environment, 598, 334-345.
Shao, Y., Wang, X., & Zhang, H. (2025). Biodegradable elastomers and dynamic covalent networks: Theoretical pathways for sustainable rubber futures. Chemistry - A European Journal, 31(4), e20240012.
Susilowati, M. E., Gita, R. S. D., Waris, W., & Susilo, D. K. (2025). Reconstructing the plastic spoons into lotus decorative lamps in RBL-STEM learning to enhance students' creativity. AIP Conference Proceedings, 3201(1), 020034.
Teama, T., Deifalla, A., Dawoud, S. A., Ashraf, N., Shehata, A., & Khalil, R. (2026). Sustainability awareness assessment for university-level students in Cairo, Egypt. Scientific Reports, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08575-1
Titone, V., Botta, L., & La Mantia, F. P. (2025). Mechanical Recycling of New and Challenging Polymer Systems: A Brief Overview. In Macromolecular Materials and Engineering (Vol. 310, Number 1). John Wiley and Sons Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400275
Trivedi, A. K., Gupta, M. K., & Singh, H. (2023). PLA based biocomposites for sustainable products: A review. In Advanced Industrial and Engineering Polymer Research (Vol. 6, Number 4, pp. 382–395). KeAi Communications Co. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aiepr.2023.02.002
Widiastuti, I., Azzam, Y. F., Aldiyanto, D. N., Saputra, T. W., & Estriyanto, Y. (2025). Academic community acceptance of recycled plastic products: An analysis of product evaluation and willingness to consume. Cleaner Waste Systems, 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100280
Yan, L., & Cheng, Y. (2026). Circular design education: Material-driven workshops to mitigate plastic pollution. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 45(1), 74-89.
Yang, S., Long, R., Chen, H., & Na, J. (2026). A strategic framework for co-shaping sustainable plastic waste recycling practices through deep learning and social network modeling. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2026.108436
Yao, S., Ghazali, R., Hou, J., & Wang, X. (2024). The Aesthetics Of Sustainability: Incorporating Plastic Recycling Into Art And Design Education. International Journal of Modern Education, 6(21), 01–18. https://doi.org/10.35631/ijmoe.621001
Zaky, A. (2019). The affective domain in adult transformative learning: Bridging community experiences with infield environmental education. Journal of Transformative Education, 17(3), 210-228.
