The Character Education Model as a Strategic Framework for Nurturing Religious Moderation Within State Islamic Higher Education Institutions in Indonesia

The model for nurturing attitudes of religious moderation in State Islamic Higher Education Institutions (PTKIN) has primarily focused on the cognitive dimension, particularly the aspect of understanding. However, it is important to acknowledge that moderate religious attitudes are also shaped by the processes of meaning-making and habituation. This study offers novelty by contextually adapting the character education model as a comprehensive framework for nurturing moderate religious attitudes in PTKIN. This study employs a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design. The data is analyzed through several stages: data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing, with the aim of understanding the significance of students’ experiences while participating in the moderate religious attitude formation program. The study results indicate that the adapted character education model, which combines elements of understanding, meaning, and habituation, effectively promotes moderate religious attitudes among PTKIN students. These findings provide important implications for the development of religious moderation programs within the PTKIN context. However, this study has limitations regarding the scope of participants, as it does not represent all PTKIN in Indonesia. Therefore, further testing of these results in a broader context is necessary.