Implementing Scaffolding Strategy in Qira'atul Kutub Learning to Overcome I'rab Difficulties among Arabic Language Education Students

Nurmiati

doi:10.24256/jale.v7i2.2509

Authors

Nurmiati Institut Agama Islam Negeri palopo, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24256/jale.v7i2.2509

Keywords:

Scaffolding, Qira'atul Kutub, I'rab, Classical Arabic Texts, Arabic Language Education

Abstract

Reading unvowelled classical Arabic texts requires students to determine the grammatical position of each word and the case ending (i'rab) it carries, a skill that many students of Arabic Language Education find difficult, particularly when their prior schooling differs widely. This study aims to describe the forms of i'rab difficulty experienced by students, the stages of scaffolding applied by the lecturer in Qira'atul Kutub learning, and the students' responses to that scaffolding. The study used a descriptive qualitative approach with the researcher acting as a non-participant observer. The subjects were 30 fifth-semester students in two classes of the Qira'atul Kutub course, using the chapter on ritual purity (Bab al-Thaharah) of Fath al-Qarib as the reading text. Data were gathered through observation of three meetings, semi-structured interviews, and documentation, and were analysed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings show three layers of difficulty: determining the final vowel of words, vowelling whole words, and understanding the technical terms of nahwu. The lecturer applied scaffolding through modelling, guiding questions, gradual withdrawal of support, and independent reading in the third meeting, while students also reported support from peers. Responses differed by prior ability: graduates of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) perceived the strategy as strengthening their foundations, graduates of general high schools benefited most from the explanation of grammatical terms, whereas a student who could not yet read Arabic fluently still struggled to follow the lessons. These findings suggest that scaffolding at the level of i'rab is effective only when the students' prerequisite reading ability falls within their zone of proximal development, so a diagnostic reading assessment and tiered support are needed in heterogeneous classes

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