Ahmad Fadhil Imran, Amiruddin Tawe, Rahmatullah
Creative thinking skills are widely recognised as a critical element of the school curriculum, consistently reaffirmed in each curricular reform and increasingly demanded by global imperatives such as technological integration and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). However, economics teachers often face significant challenges in fostering these skills, particularly due to the scarcity of environmental economics materials and the lack of suitable media to support effective instruction. This study addresses these issues by investigating the potential of augmented reality (AR)-based learning media to enhance students’ creative thinking in the context of environmental economics. Employing a research and development (R&D) approach using the 4D model (Define, Design, Develop, Deploy), this study was conducted in two Adiwiyata-awarded senior high schools in Makassar, Indonesia. The Adiwiyata programme promotes environmental stewardship in educational settings. Data collection involved both test and non-test instruments, including interviews, observations, and questionnaires administered to design experts, content experts, teachers, and students. The creative thinking skills test was developed based on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) framework and validated statistically. A small-group trial was conducted with 30 students from SMAN 10 Makassar, followed by a large-group operational trial involving 72 students from SMAN 18 Makassar. A series of feasibility and effectiveness tests were undertaken, and the data were analysed using the N-Gain formula. The results indicate that the AR-based environmental economics learning media, developed via the Sketchfab platform, is effective in improving students’ creative thinking skills. These findings support the integration of immersive digital technologies into environmental and economic education. Copyright (c) 2025 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Makassar State University, Indonesia
