Differential Item Functioning of an Academic Stress Scale Among Generation Z Students in Indonesian Islamic Higher Education: A Rasch Rating Scale Model Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25217/0020269781700Keywords:
Rasch Rating Scale Model, academic stress, differential item functioning, Islamic higher education, measurement fairnessAbstract
This study evaluated the psychometric properties and measurement fairness of a 25-item academic stress scale among Generation Z undergraduate students at three Indonesian Islamic higher education institutions. Using a cross-sectional design with a final analytical sample of 401 participants (after person-fit screening from an initial N = 517), data were analyzed using the Rasch Rating Scale Model (RSM) to assess rating scale category functioning, item fit, person–item targeting, reliability, and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sex, age group, semester, and current living arrangement. Andrich thresholds advanced monotonically (−1.07, −0.79, 0.61, 1.25 logits), confirming that all five response categories represent psychometrically distinct levels of academic stress. Of 25 items, 21 demonstrated acceptable fit; the four misfitting items were concentrated in the Social and Academic Support dimension, consistent with the context-sensitivity of support perceptions in Islamic educational settings. Scale reliability was adequate for group-level research (person reliability = .85; item reliability = .98; Cronbach's α = .88; person separation = 2.41), and person–item targeting was satisfactory (person mean = 0.33 logits). DIF analysis identified seven items with significant sex-based non-equivalence, 17 and 16 items with substantive DIF measure ranges across age group and semester, respectively, and two items with residence-based DIF, collectively indicating that academic stress items function differently across demographic subgroups, particularly for institutional help-seeking, family support, anxiety expression, and time management. These findings demonstrate that while the scale possesses adequate psychometric quality for population screening, measurement invariance is partially violated, and raw-score comparisons across subgroups should be interpreted with caution. Academic stress assessment in Indonesian Islamic higher education should integrate demographic and developmental context, including academic stage and spiritual coping resources, to ensure fair and clinically meaningful score interpretation.
References
Agustin, M., & Hidayah, U. (2024). Optimalisasi Pendidikan Islam dalam Meningkatkan Kesejahteraan Mental Serta Mengurangi Burnout di Kalangan Pelajar. Al-Qalam: Jurnal Kajian Islam dan Pendidikan. https://doi.org/10.47435/al-qalam.v16i2.3282
Akip, M., Yunus, M., & Sujarwo, S. (2025). Keterkaitan Antara Pendidikan Agama Islam Dengan Pemahaman Konsep Kesehatan Mental Siswa. ej. https://doi.org/10.37092/ej.v7i2.997
Al, K., Rachmat, F., Aziz, M. F., Innayah, S. F., & Rahmatullah, Y. (2025). Kecemasan Akademik dalam Perspektif Mahasiswa Muslim. IHSANIKA : Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam. https://doi.org/10.59841/ihsanika.v3i2.2721
Andrich, D. (1978). A rating formulation for ordered response categories. Psychometrika, 43(4), 561-573. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02293814
Aprilianti, E. (2024). Integrating Islamic Psychological Principles in Enhancing Students' Academic Resilience. Nusantara Journal of Behavioral and Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.47679/202246
Aryani, P. L., & Rahman, R. (2025). Psikologi Pendidikan Islam Sebagai Solusi Untuk Mengatasi Stres Akademik Mahasiswa PAI Universitas Negeri Padang. Tazakka: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Keislaman. https://doi.org/10.24036/tazakka.v3i01.132
Basri, H., Hidayat, A., Hasibuan, H. R., & Rahman, Z. A. (2025). The Ability of Islamic Religious Education Study Program Students in Overcoming Academic Stress Problems at Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara Medan. Permata : Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam. https://doi.org/10.47453/permata.v6i1.3070
Bond, T. G., Yan, Z., & Heene, M. (2021). Applying the Rasch Model: Fundamental Measurement in the Human Sciences (Vol. 4th Edition). Routledge.
Csobanka, Z. E. (2016). The Z generation. Acta Educationis Generalis, 6(2), 63-76.
Dubey, M., Ghosh, R., Das, G., Roy, D., Das, S., Chakraborty, A., Chatterjee, S., Dubey, S., & Benito-León, J. (2024). Beyond Belief and Practice: An Exploratory Literature Review and Discussion of the Differential Impact of Spirituality and Religiosity on Mental Health Disorders. Journal of Religion and Health, 64, 1876-1889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02090-9
Dzikra, O. C., Umayah, U., Meidyansyah, R., Zubaidah, Z., Adam, Y., & Iloakasia, A. J. (2025). Islamic Spirituality based Self-guidance Model for Managing Stress among Working College Students. Al-Musyrif: Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam. https://doi.org/10.38073/almusyrif.v8i1.2502
Elfattah, H. Y. A. (2025). Faith-Based Mental Health Promotion in Muslim Communities: The Role of Islamic Education and Spiritual Practices. Sinergi International Journal of Islamic Studies. https://doi.org/10.61194/ijis.v3i1.709
Fadheela, A., & Fakhriya, F. (2024). The Effectiveness of Controlled Dhikr-Based Islamic Counseling in Reducing Students’ Academic Anxiety. Journal on Islamic Studies. https://doi.org/10.35335/qyth1f48
Gadzella, B. M. (1994). Student-life stress inventory: Identification of and reactions to stressors. Psychological reports, 74(2), 395-402. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1994.74.2.395
Irfan, A., Choeroni, & Muchtar, A. (2024). Factors Contributing to Academic Stress among Islamic Education Masters Students in the Class of 2024 at Sultan Agung Islamic University. Jurnal Pendidikan Penggerak. https://doi.org/10.35870/jpp.v2i2.4001
Iskandar, I., Bakar, A. Y. A., Defrianti, D., & Setiawan, M. (2024). Emotion regulation and gender as the key predictors of academic stress among STEM students in Islamic universities. Cogent Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2024.2406640
Kobasa, S. C. (1979). Stressful life events, personality, and health: an inquiry into hardiness. Journal of personality and social psychology, 37(1), 1.
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. (1985). Stress and coping. New York, 18(31), 34-42.
Linacre, J. M. (2022). R Statistics: survey and review of packages for the estimation of Rasch models. International journal of medical education, 13, 171.
Maddi, S. R. (2013). Turning stressful circumstances into resilient growth. Springer.
Millsap, R. E. (2012). Statistical approaches to measurement invariance. Routledge.
Moore, C. M., & Dorn, M. A. (2026). A step-by-step guide for assessing DIF Using the Rasch model. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 59(2), 176-193. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2025.2601578
Muslikah, M., Sugiharto, D. Y. P., Mahfud, A., Sofyan, A., Endalan, L. M., & Prabawa, A. F. i. (2026). The Effectiveness of Character Strengths-Based Peer Counseling in Fostering Psychological Well-Being in Islamic Boarding Schools. Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal, 9(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25217/0020258725000
Nasrin, M. I. (2025). The Influence of Islamic Spiritual Values on Students' Mental Health: A Special Focus on Tawakkul (توكُّل), Sabr (صبر) and Shukr(شكر). LECTURES: Journal of Islamic and Education Studies. https://doi.org/10.58355/lectures.v4i2.150
Oktarosada, D., Fadilah, N., & Sativa, O. (2025). Kesehatan Mental Mahasiswa dalam Perspektif Islam: Menyikapi Tugas, Tuntutan, dan Tekanan Sosial Dengan Keteguhan Iman. Reslaj: Religion Education Social Laa Roiba Journal. https://doi.org/10.47467/reslaj.v7i10.9241
Putra, S. D. (2015). Uji Validitas Konstruk pada Instrumen Student-Life Stress Inventory dengan Metode Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengukuran Psikologi Indonesia (JP3I), 4(3), 1-11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15408/jp3i.v4i3.9298
Qudsyi, H., & Fadlillah, D. F. (2025). The Power of Surrender: The Role of Tawakal in Building Academic Resilience among Indonesian High School Students. Education Policy and Development. https://doi.org/10.31098/epd.v3i2.3414
Raharjo, S. (2025). The Influence of Islamic Education Learning on Strengthening University Students' Mental Health at Public Higher Education Institutions. International Journal for Science Review. https://doi.org/10.71364/ijfsr.v2i5.42
Rouquette, A., Hardouin, J.-B., Vanhaesebrouck, A., Sébille, V., & Coste, J. (2019). Differential Item Functioning (DIF) in composite health measurement scale: Recommendations for characterizing DIF with meaningful consequences within the Rasch model framework. PloS one, 14(4), e0215073. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215073
Schwarz, S. (2018). Resilience in psychology: A critical analysis of the concept. Theory & Psychology, 28, 528-541. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354318783584
Seemiller, C., & Grace, M. (2016). Generation Z goes to college. John Wiley & Sons.
Sumaiya, B., Anas, N., & Aziz, E. (2025). Spirituality and Mental Well-being: Designing a Holistic Educational Framework for Psycho-spiritual Resilience. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2025/v51i72198
Tennant, A., & Küçükdeveci, A. A. (2023). Application of the Rasch measurement model in rehabilitation research and practice: early developments, current practice, and future challenges. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 4, 1208670. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2023.1208670
Triyuliasari, A., Ni'matuzahroh, & Anwar, Z. (2025). Stress Management Strategies to Reduce Academic Stress in Modern Islamic Boarding School Students. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v9i2.201
Twenge, J. M. (2017). The costs of overprotecting the young-iGen: why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy-and completely unprepared for adulthood-and what that means for the rest of Us. Journal of Psychology, 1-13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.132.1.0115
Wahyuni, S., Munthe, R. A., & Fadilla, S. E. (2024). Increasing Students’ Psychological Well-Being and Academic Resilience Through Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention and Mindfulness Relaxation Integrated with Islamic Values. Psikis : Jurnal Psikologi Islami. https://doi.org/10.19109/psikis.v10i2.22610
Zamroni, Z., Hidayah, N., Ramli, M., & Hambali, I. (2018). Prevalence of Academic Stress Among Medical and Pharmaceutical Students. European Journal of Education Studies. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.1824
Zamroni, Z., Hidayah, N., Ramli, M., & Hambali, I. (2019). Academic stress and its sources among first year students of islamic higher education in Indonesia. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 5(4), 535-551. https://doi.org/https://www.ijicc.net/images/vol5iss4/Pt_2/54210_Zamroni_2019_E_R.pdf
Zwick, R., Thayer, D. T., & Lewis, C. (1999). An empirical Bayes approach to Mantel‐Haenszel DIF analysis. Journal of Educational Measurement, 36(1), 1-28. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3984.1999.tb00543.x
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dina Hajja Ristianti, Afriyadi Sofyan, Idi Warsah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
