ABSTRACT

Purpose Salafiyah Islamic boarding schools or traditional Islamic boarding schools do not explicitly present subjects that specifically develop multicultural characters. Multiculturalism or cultural pluralism is an ideology that recognizes and glorifies differences. This research study aimed to examine the extent to which the salafiyah boarding school students possess multicultural characters, which are evident in their behavior and showing respect to others, irrespective of ethnicities and religions. Method The descriptive and qualitative research design was used in this study. The data was collected through interviews, observation and documentation search. The maple constituted chaplains, senior students and supervisors of boarding schools. Findings The results of this study indicate that the development of the multicultural character in students uses a pattern of guidance, namely, involving room supervisors, chaplain / eleric peers, caregivers while the guidance steps formed the multicultural character of the student, starting with the guidance of the student supervisor to new students, namely instilling the values of brotherhood and kinship among residents in Islamic boarding schools Implications to Research and Practice This research implies that the supporting factors for the development of the multicultural character of students are the charisma of Chaplain and teachers, their speech and behavior, moral learning materials found in book, namely the yellow book, and in the association with God, teachers, and peers which develop the multicultural character of the students effectively.