Improving Orphanage Adolescents' Meaning in Life through a Manhaj Tarjih-Based Tadabur Takdir Module

Abstract

Although adolescents in residential care are known to struggle with existential questions about divine decree (takdir), few structured learning interventions have been developed and tested for this population. This study asks whether a Tadabur Takdir module, structured contemplation of Qur'anic verses on divine decree built on Muhammadiyah's Manhaj Tarjih (bayani, burhani, irfani), can improve meaning in life among orphanage adolescents. The module was first produced through the ADDIE research and development stages (a needs analysis of 201 existential questions, a design of 25 verses in six themes, and expert validation averaging 94.45%), then evaluated using a one-group pretest-posttest design. Forty-eight adolescents (matched pairs) in a Muhammadiyah orphanage in Purworejo, Indonesia, completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire before and after six 30–50-minute sessions. With non-normal score distributions (Shapiro-Wilk p < .05), a Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a significant increase in meaning in life, from a pretest mean of 54.58 to 57.60 at posttest (Z = -3.196; p = .001; r = .46). The increase was carried mainly by the presence-of-meaning dimension (25.98 to 28.48), while search for meaning stayed stable (28.60 to 29.12); the greatest gains appeared in adolescents with the lowest initial presence scores. The module therefore shows promise as a preventive-educative intervention for strengthening meaning in life in residential care and demonstrates how Manhaj Tarjih can be operationalized as contemplative learning material.