Navigating Global Environmental Crises in The Classroom: Student Perspectives on Developing Future-Ready Skills Through Project-Based Inquiries

Abstract

The escalation of global environmental crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion, demands that education systems cultivate future-ready skills in the younger generation. This study aims to explore students' perspectives on developing future-ready skills (critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and ecological literacy) through project-based inquiries focused on global environmental crises. The research employed a qualitative case study approach involving 36 senior high school students in Indonesia who participated in an eight-week project-based learning program on the environment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, reflective journals, and student project artifacts, then analyzed using Miles and Huberman's interactive thematic analysis. The findings reveal four key themes: (1) enhanced awareness of environmental interdependence, (2) strengthened collaborative problem-solving competencies, (3) development of transdisciplinary critical and creative thinking, and (4) emergence of agentic ecological citizenship. Students reported increased confidence in addressing complex real-world issues and articulated a stronger sense of responsibility toward sustainability. The study concludes that project-based inquiries into environmental crises effectively bridge classroom learning and 21st-century competencies, while recommending the curricular integration of global issues as authentic contexts for developing future-ready learners in Indonesian secondary education.