Penguatan Kapasitas Siswa melalui Edukasi Karakter Partisipatif dan Komunikatif dalam Pencegahan Perundungan

Abstract

Bullying remains a prevalent social problem in school settings and negatively affects students’ psychological well-being, social relationships, and learning climate. Bullying not only harms victims but may also foster an unhealthy school culture if not addressed preventively. One contributing factor is students’ limited understanding of bullying, particularly non-physical forms that are often normalized in daily interactions. This condition highlights the need for educational interventions that integrate cognitive understanding with character development. This community service activity aimed to strengthen students’ capacity through character education as a strategy for bullying prevention at MTs Negeri 2 Surakarta. The program employed a communicative and participatory approach through interactive lectures, group discussions, and evaluation using pre-test and post-test instruments. A total of 22 students participated fully in the activity. The results showed a significant improvement in students’ understanding, with the average score increasing from 75% in the pre-test to 98% in the post-test. Improvements were observed across all indicators, particularly in understanding non-physical bullying, its psychosocial impacts, and core character values such as empathy, tolerance, and mutual respect, demonstrating the effectiveness of participatory character education in supporting bullying prevention in schools.