The Dormitory as a Moral Laboratory: Leadership Strategies for Boarding-Based Moral Development in Indonesian Madrasahs

Abstract

Dormitory-based madrasahs in Indonesia constitute distinctive moral ecosystems wherein leadership, spirituality, and education intersect. This study investigates how school principals reconceptualize dormitories as “moral laboratories,” fostering the development of ethical reasoning and communal integrity among students. Utilizing a qualitative multiple-case study methodology, the research encompassed three state Islamic boarding schools in South Kalimantan. Data collection comprised 27 in-depth interviews with principals, dormitory teachers, and student leaders; 45 hours of non-participant observation; and comprehensive analysis of institutional documents pertaining to dormitory governance. Triangulation of methods facilitated the identification of salient leadership patterns instrumental in shaping moral development within residential settings. The findings demonstrate that effective leadership entails the integration of spiritual routines, restorative disciplinary practices, and peer mentoring into the dormitory milieu. Morning Qur’an recitations, reflective sessions (muhasabah, i.e., self-examination), and student-led ethics committees operate synergistically as mechanisms of internalized moral accountability. Principals eschew coercive enforcement in favor of participatory, empathetic supervision grounded in Islamic ethical principles (ta’dib). Consequently, the dormitory functions as a moral microcosm where discipline is cultivated through reflective practice, collaboration, and shared responsibility. This study advances scholarly discourse on faith-based moral education by positioning Indonesian madrasahs as exemplars of holistic character formation, characterized by the integration of devotion, reflection, and distributed moral leadership.