Understanding Character Education Implementation in An Islamic Junior High School: Evidence from MTsS Al-Parakkasi Polewali Mandar

Abstract

His study aims to analyze the implementation of character education among students at MTsS Al-Parakkasi Polewali Mandar. Character education has become one of the essential strategies for developing students who possess noble character, discipline, responsibility, and a high level of social awareness. This descriptive qualitative study involved the principal, teachers, counseling teachers, homeroom teachers, and students as informants. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. Data analysis was conducted through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that the implementation of character education is carried out through integrated planning, implementation, and supervision processes. At the planning stage, the madrasah integrates character values into its vision and mission, curriculum, teaching modules, and extracurricular activities. The implementation of character education is realized through classroom learning, religious habituation, teacher role modeling, social activities, and student discipline development. Supervision is conducted through behavioral monitoring, violation records, guidance and counseling services, and periodic evaluations involving homeroom teachers and the principal. The challenges encountered include differences in students’ characteristics, the influence of the social environment, consistency in habituation practices, and parental involvement. These challenges are addressed through collaboration among all members of the madrasah community and continuous guidance approaches. The implementation of character education has proven effective in fostering students’ discipline, responsibility, cooperation, social awareness, and religious behavior. This study contributes to strengthening a madrasah culture-based character education model that can be sustainably implemented to develop generations with noble character and exemplary personalities.