Development of the “Optimism Bridge” Game Based on Learned Optimism from an Islamic Educational Perspective: A Design and Validation Study
Abstract
21st-century Islamic education demands mastery of non-cognitive spiritual competencies, such as optimism (Husnuzan and Raja’), to mitigate adolescent mental health crises and academic anxiety (qalaq). Teologically anchored in QS. Az-Zumar: 53, QS. Al-Baqarah: 286, and QS. Al-Insyirah verses 5–6, optimism represents a mandatory spiritual-cognitive stance. However, school counseling and Islamic moral nurturing (Tarbiyah Akhlak) remain dominated by conventional, passive-verbalistic methods that trigger student boredom. This study aims to develop a block-based board game called Optimism Bridge to foster an optimistic attitude in Junior High School (SMP) students through an Islamic-integrated cognitive restructuring process.Using the Research and Development (R&D) method with the 4D model limited to the Develop stage, this study involved 20 grade IX-C students at SMP Negeri 42 Medan, two expert validators, and a field practitioner. Data collected via Likert and Guttman questionnaires were analyzed descriptively quantitatively. The results indicate that the media is highly feasible based on validation by media experts (84.00%) and material experts (94.70%), and is highly practical based on responses from counselors (97.50%) and students (84.00%).Philosophically, optimism in Islamic counseling is a cognitive-spiritual skill (Amal Qalbi) intervened through experiential activities. The findings confirm that integrating Seligman’s ABCDE Model and Islamic theological values (Raja’-Ikhtiar-Tawakal) into game mechanics effectively facilitates students’ disputation abilities (Mujahadah an-Nafs) against negative emotions and desperate thoughts (Waswas). Implications for a global audience, this study expands Islamic game-based learning by demonstrating that concrete visualization shifts the school counseling paradigm from passive-doctrinal to an emancipatory internalization of positive divine awareness.