Implementing Problem-Based Learning Through the Water Vision Program: Students’ Experiences and Perceived Development in a Sabah Secondary School

This study explores the implementation of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) through the Water Vision Program (WVP) in a Sabah secondary school, focusing on how this implementation was experienced by students and interpreted in relation to their cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal development within the framework of 21st-century competencies. Using a qualitative case study design grounded in relativist ontology and constructivist epistemology, the research was guided by an integrated theoretical framework comprising four theories arranged in a clear hierarchy: Constructivist Learning Theory as the primary explanatory theory, Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory and Cognitive Learning Theory as secondary supporting lenses, and Lickona’s Character Education Theory as the primary interpretive lens for perceived student development. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, and document review involving eight student participants and three teacher facilitators, and were analysed thematically using NVivo, supported by reflexive journaling, triangulation, and supervisory validation. Findings are presented across two themes: the implementation of PBL in the WVP, described by participants as involving authentic real-world problem-solving, student-centred learning, teacher facilitation, collaboration, technology integration, and outreach activities; and perceived student development, interpreted as reflecting growth in learning and innovation skills (communication, critical thinking, creativity, and cognitive development), life and career skills (leadership, accountability, initiative, and resilience), and literacy (environmental, scientific, and digital). Although challenges such as time management, group dynamics, and workload pressures emerged, these represented genuine constraints that varied in the degree to which they were resolved within the program’s timeframe. Overall, the study offers a contextualised account of how PBL was implemented and how students interpreted its developmental significance, contributing interpretive insight into students’ experiences within an environmental science learning context, rather than establishing causal effectiveness, consistent with the goals of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013–2025 in promoting higher-order thinking, student-centred learning, and character formation.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL); Water Vision Program (WVP); Implementation; Students’ Experiences

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