Academic Anxiety among Non-Pesantren IQT Students: An Islamic Educational Psychology Perspective
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines the academic anxiety of non-pesantren graduates in the Quranic Sciences and Tafsir (IQT) Study Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta through Islamic Educational Psychology lens. Employing descriptive phenomenology with six purposively selected informants, five key findings emerged: (1) all informants (100%) experienced cognitive and affective anxiety alongside Arabic language and Quranic memorization competency deficits; (2) 83.3% considered dropping out due to deficient Islamic academic cultural capital; (3) upward social comparison with pesantren-background peers exacerbated self-efficacy deficits; (4) dominant coping strategies were spiritual followed by peer support and self-directed intensive study (66.7% each); and (5) anxiety was reframed as tazkiyah al-nafs, yielding identity transformation and psychological maturation. Findings corroborate Pekrun’s (2024) Control-Value Theory and Islamic psychology perspectives. Implications include the urgency for program-level counseling, structured mentoring, and Islam-based self-efficacy enhancement.
Authors: Amanu, Masykur, Shobahiya, Mahasri
Institution: Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7220887851