An assessment of the Arabic language
programme for Human Sciences students at
International Islamic University Malaysia
Maskanah Mohammad Lotfie
Badri Najib Zubir
Mohd Feham Mohd Ghalib
International Islamic University Malaysia
Languages of the Wider World:
Sustaining a Global Society
School of Oriental and African Studies, London
29 March 2012
Introduction

IIUM
 International Islamic University Malaysia

KIRKHS
 Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human
Sciences
 The Kulliyyah / The Faculty

HS
 Human Sciences - social sciences

CELPAD
 Centre for Languages and Pre-Academic Development
Introduction

Arabic is part of the Human Sciences (HS) undergraduate
programme curricula at International Islamic University
Malaysia (IIUM)
 The academic programmes are - Bachelor of Human
Sciences in
 Communication, English Language and Linguistics,
History and Civilization, Political Science, Psychology,
and Sociology and Anthropology.

Incorporated as a measure to realize the University’s
philosophy in augmenting Islamic perspective and values
into contemporary and conventional curriculum.
Introduction

There is a need to evaluate the current Arabic
courses for HS students after having been
implemented for nearly two decades.

Among the concerns include the practice of
completing Arabic up to the intermediate level as a
graduation requirement for the students.

The study also investigates how Arabic is taught to
students who essentially speak Malay as their
mother tongue and English as a second language.
Introduction

Arabic is an important vehicle in achieving
institutional vision and mission
 thus the pedagogical concerns in acquiring the
language merit systematic and thorough
attention.

The findings of the study are crucial in determining
the future direction of the Arabic courses for HS
students.
Objectives

To investigate student and academician
perceptions of the current Arabic courses for HS
students,

To test students’ retention of the language upon
completing the final course, and

To test the effects of selected instructional
interventions in improving Arabic language
learning.
Overview of Methodology

The study was extensive and adopted a mixed
methods approach
 Data collection involved a total of 355 students
and 19 academicians
 Included surveys (questionnaire and interviews),
a retention test and a quasi-experiment.

The first phase of the study evaluated the current
practice.

The second tested the effectiveness of Information
and Communications Technology-based approach
(ICT), Problem-Based Learning (PBL), and
conventional language teaching.
RQ1 - What are HS student perceptions of their
Arabic language courses?

Methodology
 The survey involved students (n=180) who were enrolled
in LQ 0826, the final level of the Arabic course.
 Instrument – a questionnaire adapted from Erozan
(2005) and Guntek (2005) with an open-ended item
asking students to comment on the course.
 Pilot study data was used to ascertain the reliability of the
questionnaire.
 Cronbach alpha’s index of .94 indicated high reliability
 Data was analysed descriptively and presented in
tabulated frequencies and percentages.
RQ1 - What are HS student perceptions of their
Arabic language courses?

Result -The survey
 Student responses indicate that the objectives of
the course have been somewhat achieved.
 See Table 1
 The majority answered “Moderately” to
statements
Slide 10
© 2003 By Default!
Table 1: Frequencies and percentages for the items on students’ perception of
course objectives
The Arabic course (LQ 2046)
helped me improve in….
Very much/ Moderately
Completely
Little
Not at
all
1
distinguishing fact from opinion in
reading.
40
(22.2%)
100
(55.6%)
29
(16.1%)
11
(6.1%)
2
distinguishing main from
supporting ideas.
47
(26.1%)
101
(56.1%)
24
(13.3%)
8
(4.4%)
3
reading texts at reasonable speed.
59
(32.8%)
89
(48.4%)
24
(13.3%)
7
(3.9%)
4
producing correct sentences orally.
47
(26.1%)
76
(42.2%)
49
(27.2%)
8
(4.4%)
5
writing sentences correctly.
59
(32.9%)
79
(43.9%)
37
(20.6%)
4
(2.2%)
6
using Arabic in different social
settings.
14
(7.8%)
66
(36.7%)
66
(36.7%)
33
(18.3%)
7
using correct vocabulary in writing.
27
(15.0%)
94
(52.2%)
47
(26.1%)
12
(6.7%)
A Free sample background from www.awesomebackgrounds.com
Slide 11
The Arabic course (LQ 2046)
helped me improve in….
Very much/ Moderately
Completely
© 2003 By Default!
Little
Not at
all
8
using correct vocabulary orally.
26
(14.4%)
76
(42.2%)
60
(33.3%)
18
(10.0%)
9
understanding main ideas in a text.
75
(41.7%)
82
(45.6%)
19
(10.6%)
4
(2.2%)
10 recognizing the relationship
between ideas in a text.
60
(33.3%)
87
(48.3%)
29
(16.1%)
4
(2.2%)
11 recognizing the tone (e.g.
argumentative, discursive etc.) of
the writer.
32
(17.8%)
84
(46.7%)
51
(28.3%)
13
(7.2%)
12 recognizing the purpose of the
writer.
50
(27.8%)
79
(43.9%)
41
(22.8%)
10
(5.6%)
13 identifying main idea(s) in spoken
discourse.
30
(16.7%)
87
(48.3%)
48
(26.7%)
14
(7.8%)
14 listening for a specific purpose to
choose relevant information.
27
(15.0%)
91
(50.6%)
45
(25.0%)
17
(9.4%)
15 developing my vocabulary building
strategies (through guessing, using
dictionaries etc…)
54
(30.0%)
80
(44.4%)
38
(21.1%)
8
(4.4%)
A Free sample background from www.awesomebackgrounds.com
RQ1 - What are HS student perceptions of their
Arabic language courses?

Result -The survey
The students confirmed the usage of the pedagogical
techniques that were predictably used in class.
 Table 2
Students perceived that used techniques were
considerably effective even though they were conventional
ones.
However, it was very surprising that a commonly
employed technique in many second or foreign language
classes - group work - has not been widely used indicating
that the classes have not been emphasizing
communication among students.
Table 2: Frequencies and percentages for the items on students’
perception on the effectiveness of the activities used in the course
The following were used in my Arabic course
The following were effectively used in my Arabic course
Teaching Techniques
The following have
been used in class
Yes
No
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
1
Lectures
176
(97.8%)
3
(1.7%)
2
Individual work
157
(87.2%)
23
67
81
(12.8%) (37.22%) (45.0%)
6
(3.33%)
3
(1.67%)
3
Pair work
115
(63.9%)
65
46
62
7
(36.1%) (25.56%) (34.44%) (3.89%)
1
(0.56%)
4
Group work
88
(48.9%)
90
33
42
9
(50.0%) (18.54%) (23.60%) (5.06%)
4
(2.25%)
5
Role-plays
54
(30.0%)
126
21
25
6
(70.0%) (11.67%) (13.89%) (3.33%)
2
(1.11%)
6
Games
30
(16.7%)
150
(83.3%)
1
(0.56%)
95
77
2
(53.07%) (43.02%) (1.12%)
10
(5.56%)
17
(9.44%)
2
(1.11%)
2
(1.12%)
The following were used in my Arabic course
The following were effectively used in my Arabic course
Teaching Techniques
The following have
been used in class
Yes
No
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Strongly
Disagree Disagree
7 Songs
15
(8.3%)
165
4
(91.7%) (2.78%)
6
(3.33%)
4
(2.78%)
1
(0.56%)
8 Video sessions
11
(6.1%)
169
1
(93.9%) (0.56%)
7
(3.89%)
1
(0.56%)
2
(1.11%)
9 Tape sessions
16
(8.9%)
163
6
(90.6%) (3.35%)
7
(3.01%)
2
(1.12%)
1
(0.56%)
10 Discussion
164
(91.1%)
15
92
66
5
(8.3%) (51.40%) (36.87%) (2.79%)
1
(0.56%)
11 Student (oral)
presentations
84
94
33
45
6
(46.7%) (52.2%) (18.54%) (25.28%) (3.37%)
12 Computer-aided
activities
16
(8.9%)
163
6
(90.6%) (3.35%)
7
(3.91%)
2
(1.12%)
0
(%)
1
(0.56%)
The following
have
been used in
class
Yes
No
Strongly
Agree
Agree Disagree Strongly
Disagree
13
Peer correction
139
40
73
59
7
1
(77.2%) (22.2%) (40.78%) (32.96%) (3.91%) (0.56%)
14
Self-correction
141
36
70
61
10
2
(78.3%) (20.0%) (39.55%) (34.46%) (5.65%) (1.13%)
15
Teacher
correction
172
6
104
64
3
1
(95.6%) (3.3%) (58.43%) (35.96%) (1.69%) (0.56%)
16
Dictation
99
79
59
36
3
1
(55.0%) (43.9%) (33.15%) (20.22%) (1.69%) (0.56%)
Slide 16
The following
have
been used in
class
© 2003 By Default!
Yes
No
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
17
Reading aloud
(by students)
159
(88.3%)
20
89
64
(11.1%) (49.73%) (35.75%)
6
(3.31%)
0
(0%)
18
Reading aloud
(by the lecturer)
175
(87.2%)
4
(2.2%)
112
57
(62.57%) (31.84%)
5
(2.79%)
1
(0.56%)
19
Projects /
Assignments
124
55
70
46
(68.9%) (30.6%) (39.11%) (25.70%)
7
(3.91%)
1
(0.56%)
20
Questioning
(by the lecturer)
173
(96.1%)
6
(3.3%)
101
67
(56.42%) (37.43%)
5
(2.79%)
0
(0%)
21
Translation
176
(97.8%)
3
(1.7%)
114
55
(63.69%) (30.73%)
7
(3.91%)
0
(0%)
22
Homework
165
(91.7%)
11
(6.1%)
101
58
(57.39%) (32.95%)
6
(3.41%)
0
(0%)
A Free sample background from www.awesomebackgrounds.com
RQ1 - What are HS students’ perceptions of their
Arabic language courses?

Result -The survey
 Of the techniques the students observed to have not
been used in class, most of them such as plays, games
and songs, could be considered more unconventional.
 Others that the majority of the lecturers did not employ in
class were the technically aided ones.
 They were the more “innovative” techniques; preparation
wise they require more effort, are more time consuming.
 Student responses also indicate them wanting a
combination of conventional and innovative types of
learning techniques.
RQ1 - What are HS students’ perceptions of their
Arabic language courses?

Result -The survey
 The students also generally agreed that the teachinglearning processes went well especially in terms of
efficient use of time and good board work.
 It should be noted that, student mainly responded with
“agree” instead of “strongly agree”, indicating that the
degree of agreement is not very strong.
 However, assessment was perceived positively by the
students.
Table 3 - Opinion about the teaching-learning
process in LQ 2046 course
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
1
There was an efficient use of time in class.
102
(56.7%)
69
(38.3%)
8
(4.4%)
1
(0.6%)
2
There was a good student-lecturer interaction in the
course.
113
(62.8%)
62
(34.4%)
5
(2.8%)
0
(%)
3
The students had cooperative relationships with
each other.
100
(55.6%)
68
(37.8%)
11
(6.1%)
1
(0.6%)
4
A variety of activities was used in the course.
44
(24.4%)
89
(49.4%)
42
(23.3%)
5
(2.8%)
5
The lecturer taught in an interesting way.
86
(47.8%)
69
(38.3%)
23
(12.8%)
2
(1.1%)
6
It was easy to follow the lecturer.
92
(51.1%)
66
(36.7%)
19
(10.6%)
3
(1.7%)
7
The lecturer’s instructions were clear.
101
(56.1%)
63
(35.0%)
14
(7.8%)
2
(1.1%)
8
The lecturer encouraged us to participate in the
lessons.
104
(57.8%)
68
(37.8%)
5
(2.8%)
3
(1.7%)
9
The lecturer used audio-visual aids (OHP, video,
tape-recorder, etc.) effectively in the lessons.
9
(5.0%)
31
(17.2%)
100
(55.6%)
40
(22.2%)
10
The teacher used the board effectively.
106
(58.9%)
67
(37.2%)
4
(2.2%)
2
(1.1%)
11
The learners are actively involved in the lessons.
78
(43.3%)
84
(46.7%)
17
(9.4%)
1
(0.6%)
12
The lecturer’s teaching methodology was effective.
90
(50.0%)
73
(40.6%)
16
(8.9%)
1
(0.6%)
Table 4 - Opinion about LQ 2046 textbook
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
1
The textbook was useful in carrying out writing
tasks.
90
(50.0%)
78
(43.3%)
9
(5.0%)
3
(1.7%)
2
The textbook was useful in carrying out reading
tasks.
99
(55.0%)
72
(40.0%)
6
(3.3%)
3
(1.7%)
3
The textbook was useful in carrying out
speaking tasks.
65
(36.1%)
75
(41.7%)
30
(16.7%)
10
(5.6%)
4
The textbook was useful in carrying out
listening tasks.
49
(27.2%)
74
(41.1%)
41
(22.8%)
16
(8.9%)
5
The texts in the book were interesting and
motivating.
54
(30.0%)
85
(47.2%)
30
(16.7%)
11
(6.1%)
6
The tasks in the textbook were interesting and
motivating.
50
(27.8%)
90
(50.0%)
31
(17.2%)
9
(5.0%)
7
The tasks in the textbook were relevant to my
needs.
49
(27.7%)
91
(50.6%)
29
(16.1%)
11
(6.1%)
8
The tasks in the textbook were challenging
enough; they contributed to my development or
growth in different language skills .
55
(30.6%)
99
(55.0%)
21
(11.7%)
5
(2.8%)
9
The tasks in the textbook were repetitive and
mechanical.
43
(23.9%)
88
(48.9%)
41
(22.8%)
8
(4.4%)
10
The themes in the textbook were meaningfully
ordered.
55
(30.6%)
104
(57.8%)
16
(8.9%)
5
(2.8%)
Table 5: Frequencies and percentages for the items on
students’ perception on course assessment
Strongly Agree Disagree
Agree
Strongly
Disagree
1
The
coursework
assessment
37
procedures effectively assessed my (20.6%)
development.
108
(60.0
%)
29
(16.1%)
4
(2.2%)
2
The students were provided with
49
information about the assessment (27.2%)
criteria.
105
(58.3
%)
21
(11.7%)
3
(1.7%)
3
Assessment was based on strictly
47
observed standard.
(26.1%)
25
(13.9%)
5
(2.8%)
4
The assessment criteria were relevant
49
and meaningful.
(27.2%)
29
(16.1%)
1
(0.6%)
5
There was a meaningful link between
47
the assessments and the course (26.1%)
content.
100
(55.6
%)
98
(54.4
%)
106
(58.9
%)
22
(12.2%)
1
(0.6%)
RQ1 - What are HS students’ perceptions of their
Arabic language courses?

Result - Open-ended section of the survey
 Indicates that the students would welcome nonconventional types of teaching and learning processes.
 Lecturers need to keep up with the more contemporary
methods that could be more engaging to students.
RQ1 - What are HS students’ perceptions of their
Arabic language courses?

Result - Open-ended section of the survey
 More importantly, the students indicate the need to
emphasize on communication skills which is perceived to
be useful in their future.
 findings by Sueraya, Ismail, Arifin and Ismaiel (2010).
The course basically focuses on reading and writing skills
but not so much on the speaking skills. The course
should be easier and highlight communication skills. It
will be useful if this course is about communicative
Arabic. At least learning won’t be a waste as it is used in
the future.
RQ1 - What are HS students’ perceptions of their
Arabic language courses?

Result - Open-ended section of the survey
 There are also consistent indications that students do not
understand the aspirations behind making Arabic compulsory
to them.
 Those who are not interested in learning the language see
the requirement as a harsh compulsion.
I was wondering what is the purpose for HS and BENL to
take Arabic courses until such level (LQ2046). For a
student like me who had no basic and background in
Arabic it’s like a burden.

Explaining the objectives of making Arabic compulsory for HS
students seems necessary. The mismatch between the vision of
the University and students’ understanding have to be corrected.
RQ2 - What are KIRKHS academicians’ perceptions of the
Arabic language programme for HS students?

Methodology
 This part of the study involved 19 academicians from
KIRKHS.
 Respondents were selected from a wide range of very
experienced and young scholars of the 10 departments
of KIRKHS.
 Academicians’ opinions were sought by interviewing
them using semi-structured questions.
 The obtained rich data was transcribed and categorised
into themes.
RQ2 - What are KIRKHS academicians’ perceptions of the
Arabic language programme for HS students?

Results – Academicians’ perspective
 The rich and insightful responses from the academicians
firmly indicate the need to revamp the programme in
terms of syllabus content and mode of teaching and
learning.
 It can also be inferred that the academicians of KIRKHS
are steadfast in their thinking that the programme should
be continued to ensure that Arabic can be a vehicle in
achieving the University’s vision and mission.
 It should be noted that their comments are reflected in
the students’ opinions too.
RQ2 - What are KIRKHS academicians’ perceptions of the
Arabic language programme for HS students?
The programme will, according to one academician,
help the students to expand their understanding of
their field from the context of the Islamic worldview,
enable them to understand the first hand information
sources of knowledge (as majority of the references
were originally written in Arabic) and help to embark
the renewed vigour of Islamic point of view.
RQ2 - What are KIRKHS academician perceptions of the
Arabic language programme for HS students?
The academicians largely agree to Arabic lecturers adopting more
contemporary, creative, fun and diversified approaches and techniques in
teaching the language. There is a need to reduce stress and rigidity in
learning. The academicians proposed following,
i.Less emphasis on grammar
ii.More emphasis on vocabulary
iii.Activities should not be restricted to academic texts read-aloud.
iv.Include syair/songs and movies to ensure delightsome learning.
v.The text book should be designed with more illustrations to make it more
attractive.
vi.Include group discussions to encourage students to converse in Arabic
among themselves.
vii.Include modern teaching aids/IT-based approach with the use of software
for independent learning.
viii.Encourage contextual communicative to avoid rote learning. If
memorization in some circumstances [e.g. certain qawa’id especially things
related to Arabic grammar] is very much needed; rote learning should still
be the last resort.
RQ2 - What are KIRKHS academician perceptions of the
Arabic language programme for HS students?
Too much "tolerance" to pamper the students by disrupting the
original policy will be a loss not only to them but to the
university as well. In 1983, the medium of instruction at IIUM is
English and Arabic; not first language; English, second; Arabic
as today. And now the requirement (Arabic) becomes an
issue. Ideally, Arabic shouldn't be regarded as a requirement,
but the right for the students (Muslims or non-Muslims) who
decided to study at IIUM to learn, to be exposed, to be taught
the language. If they don't see this way, if they regard it as
something that has no value and importance, thus, it becomes
a burden.
RQ2 - What are KIRKHS academician perceptions of the
Arabic language programme for HS students?
The rumours/suggestions to alter/abolish the levels required to
study Arabic are cacophonous to my ear. In today's IT era, the
sources are wider, our students should be smarter and more
mature. Making Arabic as the requirement is like giving them
the chance to be better. Maintenance is needed as IRKHS is
the champion for integration, Islamization of knowledge,
internationalization, comprehensive excellent which produce
whole-rounded achievers.
The crux of the problems lies on the curriculum maker, and not
the policy. I strongly proposed the content of the curriculum
and text books to be revised. Lastly, in short; I have three
conclusions: Students themselves must have the awareness
on the importance of Arabic. Lecturers must well-adept, roleconscious being sayyidul mauqif who take a full control of the
learning and teaching process. The teaching methodology
must in line with the current context.
RQ3 - Is there a significant difference between
students’ mean scores of the LE 2046 final exam
and the delayed test of the same exam?

Methodology
 A sample of students (n=77) in the final level of the
Arabic programme was involved in the retention test.
 Retention was measured by using the final exam paper
administered twice to the students.
 The first set of data came from students’ final exam
scores at the end of the course while the second set was
obtained six weeks after the final.
 The reliability index of the two scorers employed to score
the tests was 0.97. Paired samples t-test was run to find
if there was a significant difference between the two sets
of scores.
RQ3 - Is there a significant difference between
students’ mean scores of the LE 0826 final exam
and the delayed test of the same exam?

Results – Retention Test
 The mean score for the final exam (M=23.28, SD = 5.04)
is greater than retention test’s (M=16.10, SD = 5.99). The
paired-samples t-test result t (56) = 12.49 indicates a
significant difference between the tests.
Final
Retention
Mean
Std.
Deviation
t
df
p
23.28
16.10
5.04
5.99
12.49
56
.00
RQ3 - Is there a significant difference between
students’ mean scores of the LE 0826 final exam
and the delayed test of the same exam?

Results - Retention Test
 The results strongly imply that the students failed to retain the
knowledge acquired at the end of the course after a gap of only 6
weeks.
 There is a possibility that the course, as it is implemented, does not
help students to retain the Arabic language.
 It could also mean that students managed to pass the course driven
by the fact that it was a graduation requirement. Most of what was
learnt was forgotten within a short period of time.

Bialystok and Hakuta (1994) mentioned that on average, there is a
continuous decline in the ability to learn a language with age. This
could be linked to the lack of language retaining abilities of young
adults in their early 20s, the student participants involved in this
study.
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Methodology
 A quasi-experiment
 54 students formed 3 intact groups of 2 experimental and
1 control.
 The instructional treatments for the quasi-experiment
were based on Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) and Problem-based Learning (PBL)
approaches.
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Methodology - Treatment 1 – ICT - Treatment Procedure
 5 meetings with students and each lasted for 2 hours.
 Session 1 - the students were introduced to the MOODLE, a learning
management system, for familiarity and understanding of the
interface.
 The rest of the sessions started with the introduction of the lesson by
the using the textbook for ½ hour while the web-based learning as a
mean of interaction was used in the next 1½ hours. 2 units from the
textbook, on Umar ibn Abd Aziz and Seven Bad Deeds, were
covered.
 The activities included during MOODLE interactions were online
discussion, using online language tools, listening to audio and video
files, reading comprehension, conducting quizzes, and composing
an essay.
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Methodology - Treatment 1 – ICT - Treatment Procedure
 The online discussion was designed for the participants to ask any
questions or comment on certain issues triggered by the instructor.
 The online language tools selected were verb-conjugation tool for
finding the correct verb forms in relation to the pronouns, Arabic
keyboard for typing Arabic character with ease, and language
translator to translate word or text from Arabic to English and vice
versa.
 In listening activity, the students were exposed to video files related
to the topic presented in the lesson. These were found on the
Internet, i.e. from the YouTube website (http://www.youtube.com).
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Methodology - Treatment 1 – ICT -Treatment Procedure
 Upon finishing watching the video, the students were presented with
an electronic version of the actual reading text taken from the
textbook.
 Exercises in MCQs and true-false formats were incorporated via
online learning using MOODLE quiz module facility.
 Immediate feedback was given to students responses.
 The purpose of the exercises is for reinforcement on learning and
understanding and not for testing and evaluating the participants in
summative mode.
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Methodology - Treatment 1 – ICT -Treatment Procedure
 An essay composing activity was conducted collaboratively in groups
of 5. Students were asked to start writing on Islam is the religion of
justice and equality.
 The last edited version of the essay was considered to be the final
form of the essay submitted for this activity.
 Activities and interactions via MOODLE were easily accessible and
continuously carried out among the participants and the instructor
even outside class time.
 This gave the students more time to comprehend and acquire the
language through the learning materials integrated in MOODLE, at
their own learning pace.
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Methodology - Treatment 2 – PBL Treatment Procedure
 The PBL group went through four sessions of treatment, each was
for a 2 hour duration. Three sessions were on grammar and one on
comprehension.
 The grammar sessions involved students’ work on Arabic verb
declension. 1st session – perfect verb (fi’l mad), 2nd session –
imperfect verb (fi’l mudari’) and 3rd session on the command form of
the verb.
 Students were divided into 6 groups of 4 or 5 during the first meeting
with the instructor.
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Methodology - Treatment 2 – PBL Treatment Procedure
 First session - 3 groups were given a problem related to the
declension of perfect verb involving the masculine doer, and the
other 3, the feminine doer. In the second and third sessions, similar
arrangements were followed but the problem was related to the
imperfect verb and the command form respectively.
 During the sessions, groups were required to present findings and
the instructor provided comments on the accuracy of their findings.
Exercises were given to ascertain students speed in getting the right
declensions.
 For the comprehension session, the six groups were given 3 short
passages to work on, with two groups working on similar passages.
This was for the purpose of comparing their comprehension during
the class session.
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Results of the paired-samples t-test on test scores for
ICT, PBL, and Control groups
Mean
Std.
Deviation
t
df
p
2
ICT
Pre
Post
15.83
21.79
4.03
3.08
6.68
18
0.00
0.7
PBL
Pre
Post
18.00
20.24
6.04
4.60
3.29
16
0.01
0.4
Control
Pre
Post
15.24
19.00
5.91
4.80
4.18
17
0.00
0.5
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Results - Quasi-experimental
 Two broad conclusions can be drawn from the results
used to measure the effect of instruction on each group.
 As suggested by the overall increase in the pretestposttest mean scores, the ICT and PBL treatments as
well as the conventional techniques, have helped in
improving students’ use of Arabic.
 All groups show statistically significant results with ICT
2 indicating that it is the most effective in improving
the students’ command of the Arabic language.
RQ4 - What are the effects of PBL and ICT
teaching techniques on the learning of Arabic?

Results - Quasi-experimental
 The analysed qualitative data supports the findings drawn from the
quantitative data.
 Students were found to be overwhelmingly in favour of the PBL
approach.
 The same, for the most part, can be observed from respondent
comments on ICT.
 The latter is in line with Maimum (2009) who found that ICT was
identified as a useful tool to promote Arabic learning.
 Thus, it can be concluded that both PBL and ICT were effective in
teaching Arabic to the HS students and should both be incorporated
to the current methodology.
Conclusion

The results of the study tremendously benefit the
Kulliyyah/University and the field of language acquisition in
various ways.
 Views from both students and academicians substantiate
anecdotal claims concerning the current practice of
requiring HS and BENL students to learn 6 levels of
Arabic language. Students largely find the programmes
alright. Respondents (both students and lecturers)
believe that the current techniques in teaching the
language do not benefit the students fully.
 How do we turn “OK” to “excellent”?
Conclusion

The results of the study tremendously benefit the
Kulliyyah/University and the field of language acquisition in
various ways.
 The findings will help in curriculum reviews of the
programme. Informed decisions can be made when
reviewing the current requirement practices. The latter is
essential so that the time and effort invested the teaching
and learning Arabic will not be a wasted endeavour.
 The research reveals other approaches that can be more
effective in teaching Arabic to a group of social science
students and thus enhance pedagogical practices.
 It should also result in knowledge sharing on effective or
alternative instructional techniques in the teaching of
Arabic.
Conclusion

A reduction of levels but an increase in credit hours can be
recommended . The former will help lessen students’
burden, the latter will enhance the value of the courses and
improve students’ attitude towards them.

KIRKHS may need to take the drastic decision of taking
over ownership of the Arabic for HS courses. The Kulliyyah
has experts in the Arabic language and many have TASL
background.
Selected References
Erozan, F. (2005). Evaluating the language improvement courses in the
undergraduate ELT curriculum at the Eastern Mediterranean University: A
case study. An unpublished doctoral dissertation. Middle East Technical
University. Retrieved on Jan 25 2008 from
http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12606120/index.pdf
Guntek, D. (2005). An evaluation of the effectiveness of the ENG 101, development
of reading and writing skills 1 course. An unpublished master’s degree
dissertation. Middle East Technical University. Retrieved on Jan 25 2008
from http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12606120/index.pdf
Maimum Aqsha Lubis. (2009). Teaching and learning Arabic language through
Multicultural approach and applying ICT in Pesantren Institution.
International Journal of Education and Information Technologies, 3 (3), 171
– 178.
Sueraya Che Haron, Ismail S. A, Arifin, M., Ismaiel, H. A. (2010). Understanding
Arabic-speaking skill learning strategies among selected Malay learners: a
case study at the international Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 3 (8), 9 – 19
Thank you
Funding for this study came from a research grant
awarded by IIUM.
email addresses
Dr. Badri Najib Zubir – badrinajib@gmail.com
Dr. Maskanah Mohammad Lotfie – maskanah@yahoo.co.uk
Dr. Mohd Feham Mohd Ghalib – mfeham@iium.edu.my