Faculty of Teacher Training and Education Universitas Muhammadiyah Mataram Mataram City.
Indonesia International Conference on Global Innovations in Education.
Science, and Technology Mataram.
September 25-26, 2025 EdgeMind Program: Strengthening Growth Mindset and Motivation for Dropout Children at Lamandasini Foundation Sunarti1.
Andi Muhammad Irfan Taufan Asfar2.
Andi Muhamad Iqbal Akbar Asfar3.
Andi Nurannisa4.
Nurhaerani Ramli5.
Nursyahira6 1,2,4,6Department of Mathematics Education.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Bone.
Indonesia 3Department of Chemical Engineering.
Politeknik Negeri Ujung Pandang.
Indonesia 5Department of Indonesian Language Education.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Bone.
Indonesia sunarthi2704@gmail.
com1, tauvanlewis00@gmail.
com2, andiifalasfar@gmail.
andinurannisa30@gmail.
com4, nurhaeraniramli03@gmail.
com5, ns8222205@gmail.
Abstract: The high dropout rate in Patimpeng District.
Bone Regency, has resulted in limited access to quality education and low self-confidence among children.
This condition requires a supportive approach to foster a growth mindset as an effort to build resilience and motivation.
This study aims to implement the EdgeMind program at Lamandasini Foundation to strengthen childrenAos selfconfidence, motivation, and learning orientation.
The method applied was the Participatory Action Learning System (PALS), consisting of three stages: awareness, participating, and scaffolding.
The program involved 15 dropout children aged 7Ae12 years through activities such as motivation flashcards (Makkebb.
, creative expression (Mabbicar.
, and monitoring sessions (Mappaccapp.
The results showed that 90% of participants experienced an increase in self-confidence, demonstrated by their willingness to express ideas, participate in group discussions, and formulate life goals.
Moreover, 85% of the facilitators improved their skills in guiding children.
The program not only enhanced motivation and mindset transformation but also established sustainable collaboration with local government and educational institutions.
In conclusion.
EdgeMind contributes significantly to building inclusive education, strengthening human resources, and supporting SDG 4 on quality Keywords: Growth Mindset.
Self-Confidence.
Dropout Children.
Participatory Learning.
Motivation.
Article History:
Received: 02-09-2025 Online : 04-10-2025 This is an open access article under the CCAeBY-SA license AiAiAiAiAiAiAiAiAiAi I AiAiAiAiAiAiAiAiAiAi INTRODUCTION Indonesia continues to face the challenge of school dropouts, particularly in rural areas.
In Bone District.
South Sulawesi, many children between the ages of 7 and 12 are at risk of discontinuing their education.
One institution that supports these children is the Lamandasini Foundation, which provides informal learning activities for school dropouts.
Children who drop out of school often show low learning motivation, lack of self-confidence, and a fixed mindset that limits their potential to grow.
Psychosocial aspects such as growth mindset, selfconfidence, and learning motivation are essential prerequisites for re-engagement in education.
According to Dweck .
, a growth mindset emphasizes that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort, strategies, and guidance.
Previous research also highlights the importance of psychosocial interventions.
Afandi .
stresses the role of community-driven character education, while Hamzah et al.
and Herlina et al.
found that community participation significantly increases learning Corresponding Authors.
Title in 3 Words.
Izzan .
further notes that self-confidence strongly contributes to studentsAo academic success.
The EdgeMind program was designed to address these issues by applying the Participatory Action Learning System (PALS) approach.
This initiative not only seeks to improve growth mindset, self-confidence, and learning motivation among dropout children, but also aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on Quality Education, national education priorities (Asta Cit.
, and the Community Literacy Movement (GERLIMAS).
Thus.
EdgeMind provides a local solution to the dropout problem while contributing to the broader national agenda of inclusive education.
METHOD
The EdgeMind program was implemented using the Participatory Action Learning System (PALS) approach, which emphasizes the active role of participants in every stage of The intervention lasted for four months and involved 15 dropout children aged 7Ae 12 years along with teachers and facilitators from the Lamandasini Foundation.
The PALS approach consisted of three main phases:
Awareness Identifying problems through focus group discussions (FGD), conducting baseline assessments (Mappaisseng and Mappammul.
, and raising awareness among children and Participating Carrying out interactive activities such as training of trainers (Mappangngaj.
, inspirational movie sessions with reflections (Mattir.
, motivational flashcard creation (Makkebb.
, challenge room games (Mallag.
, and art expression sessions (Mabbicar.
Scaffolding Providing structured mentoring, organizing an exhibition and awarding day (Mappassedd.
, and supporting continuous practice to strengthen the childrenAos growth mindset, self-confidence, and learning motivation.
Evaluation was conducted using observation sheets to monitor behavior and participation, as well as questionnaires to measure changes in growth mindset, self-confidence, and motivation before and after the program.
All activities were designed to be participatory, child-friendly, and culturally relevant, ensuring that the intervention addressed both the psychosocial and educational needs of the RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Participation and Implementation of Activities The EdgeMind program was successfully carried out through a series of stages with high participation rates from both children and facilitators.
The implementation of activities ranged between 80Ae100%, indicating strong engagement from the beneficiaries.
Key activities Mappaisseng (FGD to identify problems and set commitment.
Mappammula .
re-test and baseline mappin.
Mappangngaja .
raining of trainers for facilitator.
Mattiro .
atching inspirational movies and reflectio.
Makkebbu .
otivational flashcard creatio.
Mallaga .
hallenge room gam.
Mabbicara .
rt expression and public speakin.
, 38 | International Conference on Global Innovations in Education.
Science, and Technology Volume 1.
September 2025, pp.
Mappasseddi .
xhibition and awarding da.
Stage/Agenda Mappaisseng (FGD) Mappammula (Pre-tes.
Mappangngaja (ToT) Mattiro Makkebbu Mallaga Mabbicara Mappasseddi Table 1.
Implementation of EdgeMind Activities Description Identifying problems, initial commitment Baseline mapping of mindset and motivation Training for facilitators Inspirational movies & reflection Motivational flashcards Challenge room game Art expression & presentation Exhibition and awarding Achievement Changes in Growth Mindset.
Self-Confidence, and Motivation Observations and questionnaire results indicated significant improvements among the Approximately 90% of the children demonstrated better self-confidence, willingness to try new strategies, and persistence in facing challenges after the program.
These changes show the effectiveness of activities that emphasize practice, reflection, and reinforcement of effort-based feedback.
Supporting Factors and Challenges The success of the program was supported by:
Active involvement of facilitators through training.
Creative learning materials .
otivational flashcard.
Fun and culturally relevant activities .
ames and ar.
Challenges included irregular attendance of some participants, limited learning facilities, and the need for continuous monitoring to sustain progress.
Discussion The findings align with DweckAos .
theory of growth mindset, which highlights the role of effort and learning strategies in shaping childrenAos beliefs about intelligence.
Similar studies (Hamzah et al.
, 2024.
Herlina et al.
, 2.
confirm that participatory and community-based approaches can significantly improve learning motivation.
The results of EdgeMind therefore provide evidence that structured psychosocial interventions, when combined with creativity and cultural relevance, can help school dropouts re-engage in the learning process.
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
The EdgeMind program successfully improved the growth mindset, self-confidence, and learning motivation of dropout children at the Lamandasini Foundation.
By applying the Participatory Action Learning System (PALS), participants became more engaged, persistent, and confident in facing learning challenges, with more than 90% showing improvement compared to the baseline.
These results demonstrate that participatory and creative interventions can effectively support the psychosocial development of vulnerable children.
ensure sustainability, continuous mentoring and broader collaboration with schools, local authorities, and other stakeholders are recommended.
Future research is encouraged to conduct long-term evaluations and adapt similar approaches in different educational contexts.
Corresponding Authors.
Title in 3 Words.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to express sincere gratitude to the Lamandasini Foundation, which served as the main community partner in this program, as well as to the village and district governments and the local education office for their continuous support.
Appreciation is also extended to the facilitators and volunteers who actively guided the children, and to all participants who contributed their time and enthusiasm.
This program was made possible through collective collaboration and commitment to improving the quality of education for dropout children.
REFERENCES