Madrasah Leadership in Strengthening Character Education (PPK) at MTs Habibi Nurul Ain Bangomolunow

Abstract

Strengthening character education in Islamic junior secondary schools requires more than the implementation of religious activities and routine practices; it requires leadership capable of integrating character values into institutional culture in a consistent and sustainable manner. This study examines the leadership of a madrasah principal in strengthening character education at MTs Habibi Nurul Ain Bangomolunow, with particular attention to program planning, mobilizing members of the madrasah community, habituation and role modeling, supervision, evaluation, and the supporting and inhibiting factors affecting implementation. A qualitative case study design was employed from April to May 2026. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and document analysis and were analyzed descriptively through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. Data credibility was enhanced through source and methodological triangulation. The findings indicate that the madrasah principal exercised values-based leadership through role modeling, religious habituation, the integration of character values into classroom instruction, teacher development, supervision, and communication with parents and community members. Character strengthening emerged through the interconnected processes of leadership vision, institutional policies, habituation, role modeling, collaboration, supervision, and evaluation. Key supporting factors included the principal's commitment, support from teachers and educational staff, a conducive madrasah culture, and family and community involvement. Major challenges included uneven teacher understanding of character education, limited facilities, inconsistent implementation, unequal parental involvement, and the challenges associated with digital technology. The study contributes to the understanding of character leadership in madrasahs by demonstrating that the principal's role needs to extend beyond program implementation toward becoming an architect of a sustainable character-education system through formal procedures, character indicators, systematic documentation, supervision, and evidence-based evaluation. Thus, the effectiveness of character education depends not on the number of activities conducted, but on the capacity of madrasah leadership to transform character values into an institutional culture and sustained student behavior.