Designing a Sustainable Cultural Ecosystem Framework for Malaysian Polytechnics Using the CDIO Approach

Abstract

This study introduces a purpose-driven Sustainable Cultural Ecosystem Framework (SCEF) designed specifically for Malaysian Polytechnics to embed sustainability comprehensively within institutional culture and educational practices across all facets of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Guided by a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, the investigation progressed through four phases—assessing contextual needs, developing the framework model, engaging in expert validation, and executing successive refinements—drawing participation from 386 polytechnic staff and domain experts to ensure contextual and practical relevance. The proposed framework strategically integrates sustainability principles with the CDIO (Conceive–Design–Implement–Operate) engineering education model, fostering alignment between technical innovation and sustainable transformation while promoting curricular reform, inclusive governance, and value-driven cultural change. Four enabling dimensions emerged—sustainable leadership, strategic communication, staff engagement, and eco-oriented management competence—which collectively shape the SCEF model as a comprehensive institutional sustainability roadmap. The novelty of this work lies in merging cultural ecosystem theory and the CDIO methodology to produce a scalable, locally contextualized sustainability model for TVET, offering strategic guidance for policy-makers, educators, and administrators in nurturing future-ready polytechnics.