Integrating Experiential Learning and Character Education: The Effectiveness of a Hiking Game Technique Module

This study investigates the effectiveness of a hiking game technique group guidance module aimed at enhancing self-resilience among adolescents, a critical response to the challenge of juvenile delinquency exacerbated by insufficient educational and environmental support systems. Through a structured development process influenced by the Borg & Gall model, this research integrates experiential learning with character education, providing adolescents with the tools to navigate physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. The module, which underwent rigorous validation by experts in guidance and counseling, is structured around activities that foster teamwork, problem-solving, and emotional management, thus proving effective in promoting resilience and character development in young individuals. The study's findings demonstrate the module's appropriateness and efficacy, suggesting that outdoor educational activities can be a vital part of contemporary educational strategies to address the multifaceted needs of adolescents, especially in promoting mental health and behavioral adjustment. This approach aligns with the goals of strengthening character education through practical, real-world applications, although the COVID-19 pandemic posed limitations to direct field testing.


INTRODUCTION
Adolescence is a period when humans are experiencing the process of forming themselves towards adulthood.Teenagers are synonymous with children who have a young and brave spirit.During this period, individuals experience various changes, both physical and psychological.The obvious changes are physical changes.Apart from that, teenagers also experience cognitive changes and begin to be able to think abstractly like adults.It is also during this period that teenagers begin to detach themselves emotionally from their parents in order to carry out their new social roles as adults (S.Gunawan, 2019).In this phase, clashes often occur which cause problems for teenagers, such as mental and spiritual weaknesses which are sometimes manifested in deviant actions.
Deviant acts committed by teenagers often result in criminal acts.The Central Crime Statistics Agency in 2022 recorded the percentage of crimes committed among teenagers at 0.22% throughout Indonesia (Sosial, 2020).Meanwhile, research conducted by Resdati (2021) explains the problem of juvenile delinquency which is a form of social pathology in the form of teenagers who skip school because they smoke, drink alcoholic drinks, or try illegal drugs, and often even fights between students (brawls).Likewise, according to Kurniawan (2023), explaining the impact of the digital era is that teenagers can easily access the internet, including sites that are not educational such as pornographic sites and so on.
One of the factors causing juvenile delinquency comes from the school environment.According to Riamah (2018), the lack of school facilities means students cannot channel their talents.For example, there is no basketball court, as a result, children who cannot channel their talents through basketball will look for outlets in negative activities.School environmental factors also influence the occurrence of juvenile delinquency where guidance and guidance teachers do not guide and direct children enough so that children simply take their problems with them wrong.
Education carried out in schools has maximized cognitive skills and abilities.Learning outcomes are always measured by quantitative values, for example report card grades.The education currently needed is education that can integrate character education with education that can optimize the development of all dimensions of children (cognitive, physical, social emotional, creative and spiritual).Children who excel in character will be able to face all problems and challenges in their lives (Suwartini, 2017).As regulated in Presidential Decree Number 87 of 2017 concerning Strengthening Character Education, Strengthening Character Education is an educational movement which is the responsibility of educational units to strengthen the character of students through harmonizing hearts, feelings, thoughts and sports with involvement and cooperation.between educational units, families and communities as part of the National Mental Revolution Movement (GNRM).
Intracurricular formal character education using mobile learning methods outside the classroom can be carried out by inviting students to become one with nature and carrying out several activities that lead to the realization of students' character towards the environment through the stages of awareness, understanding attention, responsibility and action or behavior.Education outside the classroom is defined as education that takes place outside the classroom which involves experiences that require student participation to take part in adventurous challenges which are the basis for activities outside the classroom such as hiking, mountain climbing, camping., etc.The abilities that a person needs to face various stressful events, circumstances and challenges are not the same, so good self-resilience is needed in students.
Individual resilience is used to accept and face something.People who have selfresilience are characterized by having a sense of meaningfulness in life, being committed to work, having good control over their feelings and being open to various opportunities and challenges in life as well as problems and the emergence of new life problems (Dhowi & Andagsari, 2019).In the world of education, self-resilience is one of the efforts to develop character education.Hiking has bargaining power as a form of character education activity.
Hiking or walking in nature is an active relaxation program that can reach beautiful places anywhere.Apart from that, hiking in nature also requires physical and mental abilities, courage, patience, caution, discipline, concentration and cooperation between groups., which is an important element in managing emotions (Kardjono, 2010).According to Lestari (2021), apart from applying theory, students also get direct opportunities to prepare their needs, plan trips, interact with friends, solve problems, and be more sensitive to the surrounding environment.This needs to be given to students as preparation to become individuals with character.
According to Nugraha (2018), conceptually hiking is an activity that relies on the internalization of experiences encountered during and after individuals undergo a series of adventure activities and events from real life.This activity can be used conceptually and empirically in group guidance services.Guidance services aim to facilitate individual development, especially aspects of awareness of one's potential.Hendra (2021) agrees, explaining that hiking is effective for groups of teenagers or students, because teenagers tend to want to interact with children who are not too far apart in age because they feel they have the same understanding.and attraction to each other.
In carrying out the climb, a module is needed as a guide for implementation.A module is a form of teaching material that is packaged completely and systematically, containing a series of planned learning experiences and designed to help students master certain learning objectives (Rahdiyanta, 2015).The climbing module is a book that is systematically arranged which contains stages of climbing techniques using group dynamics.In climbing, group guidance seeks to optimize students' abilities, including self-resilience by utilizing nature as an interesting, fun and challenging learning medium.This creates a desire to learn and develop in students, as well as being able to optimize their own abilities.

METHOD
The development model used in developing the Games Hiking Engineering group guidance module was adapted and modified from the Borg & Gall research and development model.In general, the research and development steps developed by Sukmadinata consist of three stages, namely preliminary study, model development, and model testing (Sukamdinata, 2011).At the preliminary study stage, the researcher carried out a needs analysis by distributing survey questionnaires to students and conducting interviews with guidance and counseling teachers, determining the research problem and conducting a literature study as a theory appropriate to the problem.At the development stage, researchers analyze the results of a questionnaire survey to determine the product to be developed, then plan and develop the initial product by compiling a group guidance service program according to student needs as well as concepts and theories.At the model testing stage, researchers carried out two stages of feasibility validation testing, namely expert validation and practitioner testing.The validation test involved three experts; media expert validation, service expert validation, and material expert validation.The results of the assessment as well as input, criticism and suggestions from validators are used to revise the guidance module for the hiking game technique group, so that it becomes a final product that can be used and disseminated widely.
Research instruments are tools used by researchers to collect the necessary data.The following is a grid of assessment instruments used to assess the modules being developed.Hikingcan improve the quality of guidance and counseling services

RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The product produced in this research is a hiking game technique group guidance module.This module is A4 size, has 51 pages, and uses Times New Roman font, with the arrangement, namely, 1) The front cover contains the module title and the author's identity, then the back cover contains illustration images, 2) Foreword and introduction.contains a brief explanation before going into the contents of the module, 3) Instructions for using the module, 4) The content of the material consists of 6 main topics, namely group guidance, selfresilience, "hiking" game techniques, first day activities, second day activities, third day activities, 5) Evaluation contains experiences, plans to be carried out after participating in training, and assessment of activities.
Researchers validated group guidance on hiking game techniques three experts who are competent in guidance and counseling programs, namely: Agus Supriyanto, M.Pd, Agus Ria Kumara, M.Pd, and Zulfa Indraswari, S.Pd.Data obtained from expert validation using questionnaires and suggestions for improvements to the hiking game technique group guidance module are quantitative data.Quantitative data from material expert assessment of the group service guidance module.Hiking game techniques to increase self-resilience in vocational school students.
Descriptive statistical analysis and categorization analysis.Descriptive statistical analysis is used to find the maximum score, minimum score, mean or average and standard deviation.This analysis is used to determine the categorization of module feasibility.Categorization analysis is used to determine the level of suitability of the module.The results of the categorization analysis can be seen in table 4

Worthy
From the results of data validation, the material contained in the guidance module for the climbing game technique group is included in the "Suitable" category with an average score of 83.33.From the results of media validation data in the form of a technical guidance module, the climbing game group was included in the "Decent" category with an average score of 84.615.From the results of data validation, the technical group guidance services for climbing games are included in the "Decent" category with an average score of 75.
Based on the results of the validation carried out by these experts, it can be concluded that the development of the climbing game technical group guidance module developed is suitable for use.
The research results show that the hiking game technique group guidance module is suitable for use in guidance and counseling services based on validation test results.Categorization data shows that the product developed is suitable for use.This means that group guidance services using hiking game techniques can increase students' self-resilience.By providing direct experience to students through mountain climbing games, it will form students' positive character, both physical and mental, courage, patience, caution, discipline, concentration which are important elements in managing emotions (Kardjono, 2010).By applying climbing game techniques, students also get direct opportunities to prepare their needs, plan trips, interact with friends, solve problems, and be more sensitive to the surrounding environment (Izzaty et al., 2016).This is in line with research conducted by Hanggara (2017) that creativity in combining various approaches used by counselors promises effectiveness in developing students' meaningful experiences.It is carried out in an atmosphere of guidance and education to realize optimal student development.The challenge for counselors is to change the traditional paradigm, where counseling is not only done indoors but also outdoors.This research was conducted during the Covid-19 era so researchers could not carry out product trials directly in the field.This was a limitation when the research was carried out.

Implications for Counseling and Guidance
The development and validation of the hiking game technique group guidance module, aimed at increasing self-resilience among vocational school students, present several important implications for counseling and guidance services.This module, validated by experts and deemed suitable for use, offers a novel and engaging approach to counseling that combines traditional group guidance with outdoor experiential learning.Firstly, the integration of outdoor activities into counseling sessions, as demonstrated by the hiking game technique, can significantly enhance the counseling process.By engaging students in physically and mentally challenging activities such as hiking, counselors can foster essential life skills, including resilience, patience, discipline, and problem-solving.These activities provide students with direct, hands-on experiences that are critical for developing a positive character and managing emotions effectively (Kardjono, 2010).Secondly, the module's focus on selfresilience through experiential learning aligns with contemporary counseling practices that emphasize holistic development.The hiking game technique encourages students to prepare for their needs, plan trips, interact with peers, and become more aware of their environment (Izzaty et al., 2016).This method supports the development of social and emotional competencies in a practical and engaging manner, making the learning process more impactful and memorable.Moreover, the validation of the module by experts in the field underscores its credibility and effectiveness.The positive feedback and high scores from validators such as Agus Supriyanto, M.Pd, Agus Ria Kumara, M.Pd, and Zulfa Indraswari, S.Pd, highlight the module's potential to be an effective tool in school counseling settings.This validation reassures counselors and educational institutions of the module's quality and applicability.Additionally, the module's success points to the importance of creativity and innovation in counseling.The study by Hanggara (2017) supports the idea that integrating various approaches, such as outdoor activities, can lead to more effective counseling outcomes.This module challenges the traditional paradigm of indoor-only counseling sessions, advocating for a more dynamic and interactive approach that can better engage students and address their developmental needs.Counselors should be encouraged to adopt and adapt such modules, incorporating outdoor experiential activities into their regular counseling practices.This approach not only makes counseling more appealing to students but also addresses various aspects of their development in a comprehensive manner.Furthermore, institutions should support counselors in implementing these innovative methods by providing necessary resources and training.Lastly, the limitations posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which restricted direct field trials, highlight the need for flexibility and adaptability in counseling practices.Future research and development should consider incorporating hybrid models that combine virtual and physical activities to ensure continuity and effectiveness of counseling services under various circumstances.

CONCLUSION
This study successfully developed and validated a hiking game technique group guidance module, tailored for enhancing self-resilience among vocational school students.Expert validation confirmed the module's suitability, with all validators assigning it scores that classify it as "Worthy" and "Decent" for material and media respectively, suggesting its effective application in guidance and counseling settings.The content of the module, which includes a comprehensive range of activities designed to foster key emotional and social skills such as courage, patience, and discipline, underscores its potential to significantly enhance the character development of students.The implementation of such outdoor educational activities not only promotes physical and mental resilience but also encourages students to engage with their environment and peers in meaningful ways.Despite the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited direct field testing, the findings suggest that the module can serve as a valuable tool in the educational landscape, particularly in supporting the shift from traditional indoor counseling methods to more dynamic, experiential outdoor learning.This research highlights the need for educational frameworks that integrate character building with practical skills, thereby preparing students to navigate both personal challenges and developmental tasks more effectively.

Table 1 .
Media Expert Assessment Instrument Grid for Personal Resilience Development

Table 3 .
Grid of Expert Assessment Sheet for Group Guidance Services on the Quality of the Self-Resilience Development Module for Game Hiking Techniques below.