Nature-Based Assessment in Islamic Religious Education: Tests, Non-Tests, and Authentic Approaches
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Abstract
Assessment in Islamic Religious Education (PAI) plays a crucial role in assessing students' learning outcomes comprehensively, encompassing the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. However, practice is still dominated by conventional testing models that emphasize knowledge, while under-emphasizing the spiritual and moral dimensions. This study aims to analyze assessment models in PAI—test, non-test, and authentic—and to review their relevance to the concept of fitrah-based education. This study uses a qualitative approach through a literature review of various theories and previous research findings. The results indicate that the test model is effective in measuring cognitive abilities, the non-test model assesses religious attitudes and character, while the authentic model is the most comprehensive form of assessment because it assesses the integration of knowledge, attitudes, and skills in a real-world context. From the perspective of fitrah-based education, these three models need to be integrated to assess human potential as a whole: intellect, heart, and deeds. Fitrah-based assessment requires teachers to not only measure learning outcomes but also guide students to develop according to their fitrah as beings who know, love, and serve Allah SWT. Thus, integrating the three assessment models is a strategic step toward realizing a holistic, humanistic, and spiritual PAI evaluation system.
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