ECO-CUBE: The Transparent Mini World of Life and Science

Abstract

Science learning in schools is generally still taught separately, causing students to experience difficulties in understanding the interrelation among scientific concepts as a whole. This condition calls for innovative learning media that can provide interactive and relevant learning experiences. One such innovation is ECO-CUBE (Transparent Educational Cube), a three-dimensional (3D) learning medium designed to integrate the concepts of biology, physics, and chemistry into a single, simple, engaging, and eco-friendly tool.ECO-CUBE consists of three interconnected sections. The first section illustrates a mini ecosystem to explain the relationship between living organisms and their environment (biology). The second section demonstrates the water cycle process (physics), while the third section shows pH testing of contaminated water to understand the impact of pollution on water quality (chemistry). This integration helps students comprehend natural phenomena comprehensively.This research employs the Research and Development (R&D) method using the 3D model by Thiagarajan, Semmel, and Semmel (1974), which includes the stages of define, design, and develop. Based on three validation sheets, ECO-CUBE obtained an average score of 4.62 with a percentage of 92.4%, categorized as highly feasible. These results indicate that ECO-CUBE is efficient and effective as an integrated science learning tool that promotes students’ conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and environmental awareness.