Developing a Muhasabah-Based Character Guidance Model for Juvenile Delinquency: A Qualitative Study in Indonesian Islamic Schools

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to develop and examine the implementation of a character guidance model based on the muhasabah (Islamic self-reflection) technique to address juvenile delinquency in Indonesian Islamic junior high schools. Employing a phenomenological approach, the research was conducted at MTs Negeri 5 Cianjur over six months through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis involving six key informants (school administrators, counseling teachers, students with delinquent behavior, and parents). The findings reveal that juvenile delinquency manifests in interconnected forms rooted in ecological factors including emotional dysregulation, peer pressure, and insufficient value-based support systems. The study documents the successful operationalization of muhasabah into a structured, six-stage guidance process: rapport building, problem identification, guided self-monitoring, Islamic moral evaluation, commitment planning, and evaluation. This process facilitated positive outcomes including enhanced self-awareness, improved emotional regulation, strengthened spiritual motivation, and observable behavioral improvements among participants. However, the intervention showed contingent efficacy, being less effective for deeply habituated behaviors like smoking where social and physiological dependencies remained strong. Based on these findings, the study proposes a replicable muhasabah-based character guidance model that integrates Islamic counseling principles with systematic pedagogical stages. The research contributes to the literature on Islamic counseling by providing an empirical, process-oriented account of muhasabah in practice and offers practical insights for educators and counselors in Islamic educational settings seeking to foster character development through value-based interventions