Elective Grading as a Transformative Assessment Model in Islamic Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Study on Motivation, Performance, and Stress

Prevailing assessment regimes in higher education remain predominantly standardized and instructor-centered, often neglecting learner variability and exacerbating academic stress, particularly within underexamined faith-based educational contexts. Addressing this gap, this study theorizes and empirically evaluates Elective Grading (EG) as a student-centered assessment paradigm in Islamic higher education. A mixed-method quasi-experimental design was employed with 60 undergraduate students assigned to an EG intervention group (n = 30) and a conventional assessment group (n = 30). Quantitative data were collected using academic performance tests and validated academic stress scales, complemented by qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that EG significantly improves academic performance (M = 85.4 vs. 75.8), t(58) = 5.47, p < 0.001, and yields a substantially greater reduction in academic stress (18.7% vs. 3.2%), t(58) = –4.28, p < 0.001. A moderate-to-strong negative correlation between academic stress and achievement (r = –0.62, p < 0.01) highlights the centrality of affective factors in assessment design. Qualitative findings further reveal that EG enhances learner agency, perceived assessment fairness, and adaptive coping strategies. Theoretically, this study advances a culturally grounded assessment framework by integrating EG with Islamic educational values: ikhtiyar (intentional effort), adl (justice), and amanah (ethical responsibility), thereby extending student-centered assessment discourse into faith-informed learning environments. These findings reposition assessment as a mechanism for aligning academic achievement with student well-being. Despite contextual limitations, this study offers robust empirical and conceptual contributions to the reconfiguration of equitable and human-centered assessment practices in higher education.