A Culture-Based Character Education Through the Roan Tradition at Pondok Pesantren Riyadlatul Ulum, Batanghari, East Lampung

Abstract

The Roan tradition — a collective environmental cleaning practice rooted in pesantren culture — represents one of the most enduring instruments of character formation in Indonesian Islamic boarding schools. However, amid increasing academic pressures and the rapid penetration of digital technology into students' daily lives, the motivational foundations of this tradition have begun to erode, raising critical questions about its continued effectiveness as a medium of moral education. This study aims to examine the implementation of the Roan tradition at Pondok Pesantren Riyadlatul Ulum, Batanghari, East Lampung, analyze its role in shaping students' discipline and social responsibility, and identify the supporting and inhibiting factors in its practice. This research employed a qualitative descriptive method with a case study approach. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation involving five informants comprising the dormitory head, administrators, and students, and analyzed using Miles and Huberman's interactive model. The findings indicate that the Roan tradition continues to be carried out regularly every Sunday morning with structured task distribution and direct supervision, functioning not only as a cleaning routine but also as a medium for internalizing discipline, responsibility, cooperation, and collective solidarity. Nevertheless, a decline in enthusiasm was observed among long-standing students who increasingly perceive Roan as a formal obligation rather than a moral practice. This study concludes that Roan constitutes a living implementation of ta'dib-based character education that requires purposeful revitalization to sustain its pedagogical significance amid contemporary challenges.