<![CDATA[Objective: The decline in the morality of the younger generation in the digital era demands the optimization of traditional Islamic educational institutions in engineering a moral environment for students. This study aims to examine the relationship and influence of the Kiai's role on the character building of students (santri) through the perspective of Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory at Pondok Pesantren Al-Asror Perak. The research method used a non-parametric quantitative approach with a correlational survey design. By employing a purposive sampling technique, 50 active students were selected as the research sample. Data were collected using a closed Likert scale questionnaire and analyzed using Spearman's Rank correlation, t-test, and the coefficient of determination. The descriptive analysis results showed that the Kiai's role (mean = 73.50; 98.00%) and the students' character building (mean = 68.22; 90.96%) were in the very high category. The hypothesis testing demonstrated a significant positive influence of the Kiai's role on students' character building (= 0.3276; t_count = 2.4021 > t_table = 2.0106; p = 0.0202). The Kiai's role directly contributed 10.73% to the students' character through a modeling mechanism encompassing attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation phases. Meanwhile, the remaining 89.27% was influenced by external factors within the total institution ecosystem of the pesantren. This study reinforces the Kiai's position as the primary moral anchor that systemically drives character habituation in Islamic boarding schools.]]>
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