Exemplary Behavior, Religious Maturity, and Character Education among Ma’had Al-Jami’ah Students: A Quantitative Study at IAIN Ponorogo

Ngatmin Abbas; Amir  Mukminin; Handaru  Kusbiantoro; Abdullah Abdullah; Muhammad Ali  Rohmatulloh

doi:10.62159/ghaitsa.v7i3.2630

Ngatmin Abbas Faculty of Tarbiyah, Mamba’ul ‘Ulum Islamic Institute of Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
Amir Mukminin 2Islamic Religious Education Study Program, Mulia Astuti Islamic College of Wonogiri, East Java, Indonesia
Handaru Kusbiantoro Master’s Program in Islamic Education, Mamba’ul ‘Ulum Islamic Institute of Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
Abdullah Abdullah Master’s Program in Islamic Education, Mamba’ul ‘Ulum Islamic Institute of Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
Muhammad Ali Rohmatulloh Muhammadiyah Institute of Islamic Studies Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62159/ghaitsa.v7i3.2630

Keywords: Character education, Exemplary conduct, Islamic education, Ma’had al-jami’ah, Religious maturity

Abstract

Character education for students in Islamic higher education requires evidence-based strengthening because students live under increasingly complex academic, social, and digital pressures. This study aims to analyze the influence of exemplary conduct and religious maturity on the character education of Ma’had Al-Jami’ah students at IAIN Ponorogo. This study focuses on three variables: exemplary conduct as X1, religious maturity as X2, and character education as Y. The study employed a quantitative approach with a correlational ex post facto design. The population consisted of 421 second-semester students living in Ma’had Al-Jami’ah. A sample of 200 students was selected through stratified random sampling based on gender proportion. Data were collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire. Instrument testing used Pearson Product Moment validity and Cronbach’s Alpha reliability. Data analysis involved prerequisite tests and partial regression tests using SPSS. The results show that exemplary conduct has a positive and significant effect on character education, with t = 5.769, p = 0.000, and R Square = 0.441. Religious maturity also has a positive and significant effect, with t = 2.221, p = 0.028, and R Square = 0.415. These findings confirm that character education in Ma’had should be developed through visible role modeling, value habituation, and mature religious understanding. The implication is that Ma’had managers need to design character-building programs that integrate behavioral models, religious reflection, and continuous evaluation.

References

Afwadzi, B., & Miski, M. (2021). Religious moderation in Indonesian higher educations: literature review. Ulul Albab: Jurnal Studi Islam, 22(2), 203-231.

Agustina, A., Muryati, A. T., Nadia, E., & Lestari, E. D. (2025). Strategi Pendidikan Agama Islam dalam Mengatasi Krisis Moral Dikalangan Remaja. GHAITSA: Islamic Education Journal, 6(2), 242-246. doi:https://doi.org/10.62159/ghaitsa.v6i2.1711

Al Muiz, M. N., & Machali, I. (2023). Enhancing Religiosity and Building a Religious Culture: The Role of Ma'had al-Jāmi'ah at the Universitas Islam Negeri Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 12(2), 265-277. doi:https://doi.org/10.14421/jpi.2023.122.265-277

Alimron, A., Syarnubi, S., & Maryamah, M. (2023). Character education model in Islamic higher education. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 15(3), 3334-3345. doi:https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v15i3.1452

Arinda, F., Dasrimin, H., Nugroho, F. A., Punggeti, R. N., Djerubu, D., Zulaeha, O., . . . Grashinta, A. (2025). Pendidikan Karakter di Era Digital. Penerbit Mifandi Mandiri Digital, 1(02).

Azra, A. (2006). Islam in the Indonesian world: An account of institutional formation: Mizan Pustaka.

Bandura, A. (2023). Social Cognitive Theory: An Agentic Perspective on Human Nature: John Wiley & Sons.

Berkowitz, M. W. (2021). PRIMED for character education: Six design principles for school improvement: Routledge.

Bisel, R. (2017). Organizational moral learning: A communication approach: Routledge.

Creswell, J. W. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches: Sage publications.

Daheri, M. (2025). Pendampingan Pendidikan Karakter Disiplin Melalui Pembiasaan Salat Dhuha Di SMP IT Kreatif Rejang Lebong. GHAITSA: Islamic Education Journal, 6(2), 137-145.

Field, A. (2024). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics: Sage publications limited.

Fradito, A., & Ferina, R. (2026). Effectiveness of Worship Practice Program in Higher Education: Challenges and Solutions. Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen dan Pendidikan, 6(1), 1-8. doi:https://doi.org/10.30872/impian.v6i1.4

Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (1990). How to design and evaluate research in education: ERIC.

Ghozali, I. (2021). Aplikasi analisis multivariate edisi 10. Badan Penerbit Universitas Diponegoro.

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis.

Halstead, J. (2022). Islamic values and moral education in a globalized world. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 52(6), 873-889.

Halstead, M. (2004). An Islamic concept of education. Comparative education, 40(4), 517-529. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/0305006042000284510

Hamid, A. (2025). The Role of Adab in the Process of Seeking and Practicing Knowledge from an Islamic Perspective: A Literature Review. Journal of Islamic Religious Studies, 2(4), 312-326. doi:https://doi.org/10.67028/jirs.v2i4.142

Islamy, M. R. F. (2024). Fostering religiosity and social character through Islamic educational programs in the context of Society 5.0. Lentera Pendidikan: Jurnal Ilmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan, 27(2), 370-393. doi:https://doi.org/10.24252/lp.2024v27n2i7

Khasanah, N., Hamzani, A. I., & Aravik, H. (2023). Religious moderation in the Islamic education system in Indonesia. QALAMUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, Dan Agama, 15(1), 629-642. doi:https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v15i1.4115

Kline, R. B. (2023). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling: Guilford publications.

Lellya, I., Syahbudin, A., Juairiah, J., & Zahra, F. A. (2026). The Role of the Campus Environment in the Formation of Islamic Education Values. Tafkir: Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Education, 7(1), 63-79. doi:https://doi.org/10.31538/tijie.v7i1.2351

Lickona, T. (2009). Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility: Bantam.

Mashuri, S. (2023). Intellectual Capital of Islamic Boarding Schools to Build Multicultural Education Epistemology. Edukasia: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam.

Mokhtar, F., Tumiran, M. A., & Mohammed Zabidi, M. (2024). Innovative prospective approaches to future Islamic education. Insight Journal (IJ), 11, 442-453.

Muizzuddin, M., Masyhudi, H., & Sari, N. S. (2025). Fiqih dan Moderasi Islam: Pendekatan Pembelajaran di Pondok Pesantren: Academia Publication.

Nata, H. A. (2019). Pembaruan pendidikan islam di indonesia: Prenada Media.

Nata, H. A. (2022). Membangun Pendidikan Islam Yang Unggul Dan Bedraga Saing Tinggi: Seri Kajian: Analisis Kebijakan Dan Kapita Selekta Pendidikan Islam Di Indonesia: Prenada Media.

Nucci, L. P., & Ilten-Gee, R. (2018). Moral education. In The Oxford handbook of religion and American education (pp. 117): Oxford University Press.

Paloutzian, R. F., & Park, C. L. (2014). Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality: Guilford Publications.

Plano Clark, V. L. (2017). Mixed methods research. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12(3), 305-306.

Pratomo, E., & Yanuarti, E. (2025). Peranan Guru Pendidikan Agama Islam Dalam Membentuk Akhlak Siswa Di SD Negeri 03 Kabawetan. GHAITSA: Islamic Education Journal, 6(1), 18-23. doi:https://doi.org/10.62159/ghaitsa.v5i3.1374

Purwaningsih, R. F., & Jannah, F. (2021). The Implementation of Learning of Islamic Characters in Ma’had Al-Jami’ah IAIN Samarinda, Indonesia. DAYAH: Journal of Islamic Education, 4(1), 73-87. doi:https://doi.org/10.22373/jie.v4i1.8963

Qomusuddin, I. F., Latifah, S., & Erihadiana, M. (2025). Determinants Of Students’religious Moderation In Indonesian Islamic Higher Education: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach. Harmoni, 24(1), 128-148. doi:https://doi.org/10.32488/harmoni.v24i1.816

Rohmah, N. (2020). Psikologi Agama: Jakad Media Publishing.

Rukiyati, R., Hajaroh, M., Dwiningrum, S. I. A., & Kartika, B. (2025). Assessing Religious Character Among Muslim University Students in Yogyakarta Indonesia. Jurnal pendidikan agama Islam, 22(1), 157-174. doi:https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v22i1.10927

Sahin, A. (2013). New directions in Islamic education: Pedagogy and identity formation: Kube Publishing Ltd.

Sanderse, W. (2024). Adolescents’ moral self-cultivation through emulation: Implications for modelling in moral education. Journal of moral Education, 53(1), 139-156. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2023.2236314

Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2021). Partial least squares structural equation modeling. In Handbook of market research (pp. 587-632): Springer.

Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2020). Motivation and social cognitive theory. Contemporary educational psychology, 60, 101832. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101832

Sugiyono. (2016). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif dan R&D. Alfabeta, Bandung.

Suryadi, A. (2024). Dinamika Pendidikan Islam: Perspektif Historis Dan Tantangan Modern: CV Jejak (Jejak Publisher).

Suyadi, S., Nuryana, Z., & Sutrisno, S. (2021). The religion in higher education curriculum referring to Indonesian qualification framework: The inclusion of neuroscience and anti-corruption education. International Journal of Education and Learning, 3(1), 38-44. doi:https://doi.org/10.31763/ijele.v3i1.93

Taherdoost, H. (2021). Data collection methods and tools for research; a step-by-step guide to choose data collection technique for academic and business research projects. International Journal of Academic Research in Management (IJARM), 10(1), 10-38.

Utari, C. M., & Hazizah, E. (2025). Implementasi Program Shalat Dhuha sebagai Dakwah di SMK Pertiwi Rejang Lebong: Dampaknya Terhadap Pembentukan Karakter Siswa. GHAITSA: Islamic Education Journal, 6(1), 81-86.

Voronkova, V., Vasyl’chuk, G., Nikitenko, V., Kaganov, Y., & Metelenko, N. (2023). Transformation of digital education in the era of the fourth industrial revolution and globalization. Retrieved from https://dspace.znu.edu.ua/jspui/handle/12345/19241