When the Teacher Becomes the Curriculum: Relational, Institutional, and Ecological Determinants of Islamic Character Formation in an Indonesian Madrasah Tsanawiyah

Abstract

This study examines how Aqidah Akhlak instruction functions as a character formation system in an Indonesian madrasah tsanawiyah, focusing on the relational, institutional, and ecological factors shaping students’ moral internalisation. Existing research in Islamic education has largely emphasised curriculum design and pedagogy while underexamining teacher moral exemplarity, institutional religious culture, and the coherence between school values and students’ external social environments. Using a qualitative instrumental case study design, data were collected at MTs Miftahussalam, Tangerang, Indonesia, through semi-structured interviews with seven participants, ten non-participant observations, and documentary analysis conducted across two fieldwork phases (October 2024 and March 2025). Thematic analysis identified four major findings. First, students consistently viewed the Aqidah Akhlak teacher’s personal religious conduct, rather than lesson content, as the primary influence on behavioural change. Second, structured non-formal religious activities positioned students as active moral agents through rotating leadership roles. Third, a multidimensional assessment system integrated character evaluation into the formal grading structure. Fourth, competing social influences outside school emerged as the programme’s strongest structural constraint. Drawing on Lickona’s character education theory, Bourdieu’s habitus concept, and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework, the study proposes a relational-ecological model of Islamic character formation. The model conceptualises teacher personhood, institutional ritual density, and ecological coherence as interdependent determinants of character formation outcomes, with implications for teacher preparation, madrasah governance, and educational support systems in Muslim-majority contexts.