<![CDATA[The moral crisis among contemporary students due to the imbalance between cognitive and affective orientations demands the repositioning of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) as centers of excellence (the best practice) for character education. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the pattern of female students' character building, the implementation of caregivers' modeling, and its subsequent impacts at Pondok Modern Putri Al-Amanah Liabuku, Baubau City. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach with field research method, primary data were collected over four months (October–January 2026) via passive participant observation and in-depth interviews with 4 caregivers and 14 final-year KMI students selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis followed the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The results indicate that character building is holistically integrated through seven operational pillars: direction, training, assignment, habituation, monitoring, uswah hasanah (exemplary modeling), and humanistic-individual approaches. The direct modeling by caregivers in manifesting religious values, manners (adab), honesty, patience, care, and consistency (istiqamah) acts as the most determinant variable. Through social mimicry mechanisms, the consistent behavior of caregivers significantly enhances the students' religiosity, responsibility, and self-regulation. Conversely, inconsistencies between caregivers' words and actions potentially trigger moral confusion. This study implies the critical importance of caregivers transforming themselves into living models to sustain the effectiveness of the dormitory educational ecosystem.]]>
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