Chemistry–Entrepreneurship Co-Curricular Projects in the Merdeka Curriculum: Design, Validation, and Trial
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57255/edusains.v3i2.1921Keywords:
chemistry–entrepreneurship integration, co-curricular project, green chemistry, design and development researchAbstract
Secondary chemistry in Indonesia is still taught mostly through teacher-centred delivery, and few validated models link chemistry with entrepreneurship inside the co-curricular space of the Merdeka Curriculum. This study designed, validated, and tried out such a model. A design and development approach following the ADDIE stages was applied in Jambi Province. Needs were surveyed among 12 chemistry teachers; four experts rated the model with a 38-item questionnaire; and 68 Grade XI students from three senior high schools joined a ten-week trial built around green chemistry products. Critical thinking and entrepreneurial self-efficacy were measured before and after the trial, creativity was scored from design portfolios, and observations and interviews were analysed thematically. Experts judged the model highly valid (mean CVR = 0.87; 35 of 38 item met the retention criterion of CVR 0.50). Critical thinking rose from 52.3 to 74.6 (dz = 2.23; day = 2.81) and entrepreneurial self-efficacy from 61.4 to 78.9 (dz = 1.66; day = 2.23); portfolio creativity averaged 11.8 of 16. Local materials such as citrus peel and cassava starch sustained engagement, whereas unresolved group conflict and teachers' limited business knowledge slowed some work. Without a control group, the gains remain preliminary. The model offers schools a structured starting point for chemistry-based entrepreneurial projects and underlines the need for teacher training.
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