The problem and the aim of the study. Global initiatives such as UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development and the UN’s 2030 Agenda underscore the importance of education as a transformative force that shapes a sustainable lifestyle. When viewed from this perspective, the experience of Indonesian transnational students in Malaysia, who attempt to adjust to local environmental standards while remaining bound by Indonesian curricula, shows how sustainability practices can progress from compliance to values-based commitments with lessons that are relevant across borders. This study investigates the effectiveness of the Project-Based Transformative Learning with Education for Sustainable Development (PjBTL-ESD) model in enhancing cognitive, behavioral, and socio-emotional awareness of sustainable lifestyles.
Research methods. The study included middle school students, ages 12 to 14, and used a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control groups. A total of 157 students from three Indonesian schools in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and Kota Kinabalu) participated, with roughly equal numbers in the experimental and control groups. Data were collected through surveys, observations, and reflective journals, and then analyzed using t-tests, effect size, and N-gain, employing a validated questionnaire (α = 0.913).
Results. Findings revealed significant improvements in the experimental group compared to the control group. Students made large cognitive (g = 0.77) and behavioral (g = 0.78) gains and a moderate socio-emotional awareness (g = 0.62) gain. The strength of the PjBTL-ESD model lies in integrating project-based learning with transformative learning, integrating ESD projects in students’ daily realities, and fostering critical reflection that shifts sustainable lifestyle from external compliance to internalized values. This mechanism explains the significant overall effect size, with Cohen’s d = 2.40, where enhanced comprehension led to the adoption of sustainable lifestyle practices as pro-environmental actions. In contrast, the control group showed negligible changes across all domains.
Conclusion. The PjBTL-ESD model effectively combines knowledge, reflection, and practice, enabling Indonesian transnational students to incorporate sustainability into both identity and daily life. Theoretically, it substantiates the intersection between project-based and transformative learning in ESD. Practically, it presents a reproducible model available to multicultural schools interested in cultivating sustainable ways of life. With limitations in time and design, this research presents PjBTL-ESD as a promising approach in educating youth as global responsible citizens.
Keywords: project-based learning, transformative learning, sustainable lifestyle, transnational students, environmental consciousness
For Citation: Napasti, F., Suprapto, N., & Hariyono, E. (2026). From Projects to Purpose: Project-Based Transformative Learning in Education for Sustainable Development Toward Sustainable Lifestyles Among Indonesian Transnational Students in Malaysia. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovania = Perspectives of Science and Education, (2), 762–777. https://doi.org/10.32744/pse.2026.2.47
Authors:
Friny Napasti (Indonesia, Surabaya) — Doctoral Candidate in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. E-mail: friny.23006@mhs.unesa.ac.id
Nadi Suprapto (Indonesia, Surabaya) — Professor of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. E-mail: nadisuprapto@unesa.ac.id
Eko Hariyono (Indonesia, Surabaya) — Professor of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. E-mail: ekohariyono@unesa.ac.id
© Friny Napasti, Nadi Suprapto, Eko Hariyono, 2026
The author’s declared no conflicts of interest
Received: 13 July 2025 | Approved: 22 September 2025 | Published: 30 April 2026
This is an open access article distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike International License (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal
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