Ekspedisi edukatif sungai perkotaan di kota Palembang sebagai pembelajaran kontekstual untuk geocapability mahasiswa

Abstract

Urban river issues, such as pollution and pressure from riverside settlements, require prospective geography educators to develop geographical thinking alongside the ability to understand socio-environmental contexts in an integrated manner. However, studies on field-based learning in urban river contexts remain largely descriptive and have not comprehensively explained their contribution to the development of students’ geocapability. This study aims to examine students’ learning experiences through an educational expedition based on place-based learning along the Musi River corridor in Palembang and its implications for geocapability. The research subjects were Geography Education students at Universitas PGRI Palembang who participated in expeditions along the Musi River and the Sekanak River. Data were collected through written reflections and semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. The results show that students’ reflections were dominated by analytical–critical (40%) and synthetic–transformative (34.29%) levels, indicating the development of spatial thinking and environmental literacy through direct experience and cross-site comparison. These findings suggest that expedition-based learning strengthens students’ geocapability in understanding spatial complexity contextually. Theoretically, this study contributes to expanding the understanding of geocapability implementation through a place-based learning approach in urban river contexts.