Beyond Character Education Programs How School Culture Shapes Students’ Moral and Social Responsibility in Islamic Secondary Schools

Abstract

Character education in Islamic secondary schools is often implemented through formal programs, religious activities, and disciplinary practices, yet the presence of such programs does not necessarily ensure the internalization of moral values in students’ everyday behavior. This qualitative case study examines how school culture shapes students’ moral and social responsibility through institutional norms, teacher modeling, religious routines, habituation, peer interaction, and everyday school experiences. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews with school leaders, teachers, and students, observations of classroom and school activities, and analysis of relevant institutional documents. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns across the data, supported by source and methodological triangulation, member checking, and peer debriefing. The findings indicate that character formation is embedded in everyday school culture through consistent norms, religious routines, disciplinary practices, and repeated opportunities to practice responsibility. Teachers function as moral models whose fairness, consistency, respectful communication, and guidance strengthen the credibility of institutional values. Peer relationships and collective activities further reinforce moral expectations and create opportunities for cooperation and empathy. School culture contributes to students’ social responsibility by supporting self-regulation, responsibility, empathy, cooperation, community participation, moral decision-making, and student leadership. The study proposes a School Culture-Based Character Formation Model in which institutional norms, teacher modeling, and religious routines shape everyday student experiences, facilitate value habituation and internalization, and support moral and social responsibility.