<![CDATA[Character degradation among adolescents, particularly the normalization of profane communication and disrespectful behavior within secondary schools, demands innovative and structurally sound institutional interventions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the implementation and behavioral outcomes of the Ajengan Masuk Sekolah (AMS) program at SMPN 3 Sukahening, specifically examining its efficacy in cultivating a respectful school culture and addressing student behavioral shifts. Methodologically, this qualitative research utilizes the Success Case Method (SCM) as its primary evaluative framework to examine a cohort of 33 ninth-grade student participants. Data collection was carried out through screening surveys and in-depth semi-structured interviews with the school principal, PAI teachers, and 10 purposefully selected student informants representing extreme success and non-success cohorts. The results demonstrate a significant divergence between the two groups; while success cases internalized the values into an active behavioral habitus using self-regulation and structural tracking books, non-success cases experienced intense behavioral stagnation. This resistance was driven by deep linguistic identity conflicts and acute social anxieties over peer stigmatization, specifically the weaponized label of sok suci (pretending to be pious). The study concludes that traditional, passive, lecture-heavy character education models are structurally inadequate when confronting dominant, informal student subcultures. To ensure successful value internalization, educational institutions must move past administrative compliance and instead engineer a supportive social architecture. This includes implementing interactive value-based pedagogies and establishing peer-led reinforcement networks that actively lower the social cost of moral compliance, thereby protecting vulnerable students during their behavioral transitions]]>
