NATIVE VS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ENVIRONMENTS: COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT PRACTICES IN ARABIC LANGUAGE EDUCATION BETWEEN JORDAN AND INDONESIA
Keywords:
Arabic Language Assessment, Comparative Education, Native Language Environment, Foreign Language Learning, Pedagogical PracticesAbstract
Assessment practices in Arabic language education vary significantly between native-speaking environments and foreign language contexts. Understanding these differences is crucial for developing effective pedagogical approaches and improving learning outcomes across diverse educational settings. This comparative study employed a mixed-methods approach involving Arabic language educators and students . Data were collected through structured questionnaires, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews conducted. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Significant differences emerged in assessment practices between the two contexts. Jordanian educators emphasized communicative competence (85.3%) and cultural authenticity (78.9%), while Indonesian educators prioritized grammatical accuracy (82.1%) and vocabulary acquisition (76.4%). Student performance patterns differed markedly: Jordanian students excelled in oral communication (M=4.2, SD=0.8) but showed lower formal grammar scores (M=3.1, SD=1.2), whereas Indonesian students demonstrated superior grammatical knowledge (M=4.5, SD=0.6) with limited communicative fluency (M=2.8, SD=0.9). The study reveals that assessment practices in native Arabic-speaking environments prioritize functional language use, while foreign language contexts emphasize structural competence. These findings suggest the need for balanced assessment frameworks that incorporate both communicative and structural elements, adapted to specific learning contexts and objectives.
References
Abdelbary, A., Panascì, L., & Solimando, C. (2024). Leveraging artificial intelligence and digital technologies to enhance sociolinguistic competence and Arabic language skills. Proceeding International Collaborative Conference on Multidisciplinary Science. https://iccms.ifrel.org/index.php/ICCMS/article/view/65
Abdelbaset, M. (2020). Arabic language teaching evaluation process for non-native speakers. International Journal of Education and Learning. https://pubs2.ascee.org/index.php/ijele/article/view/157/0
Al Musawi, A., Al Hashmi, A., Kazem, A. M., Al Busaidi, F., & Al Khaifi, S. (2016). Perceptions of Arabic language teachers toward their use of technology at the Omani basic education schools. Education and Information Technologies, 21(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-013-9305-5
Albarqi, G. (2025). Speech fluency among L1 Arabic elementary and intermediate learners of English as a foreign language. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2024-0176
Alfian, A., Yusuf, M., & Nafiah, U. (2022). Integrating Islamic values in teaching English: Lessons learned from an integrated Islamic school. Elsya: Journal of English Language Studies, 4(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i1.7322
Al-Khalifa, H., & Al-Ajlan, A. (2023). Approaches, methods, and resources for assessing the readability of Arabic texts. ACM Transactions on Asian and Low-Resource Language Information Processing, 22(4), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1145/3571510
Al-Najar, H., et al. (2025). From guidelines to practice: A new paradigm for Arabic language model evaluation. ArXiv. https://arxiv.org/html/2506.01920
Al-Rajhi, I., Bartlett, D., & Altman, Y. (2013). Research note: The development of an Arabic cross‐cultural adjustment scale. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 20(3), 449-463. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCM-12-2011-0120
Asadi, I. A., & Kasperski, R. (2024). Reading comprehension in the Arabic diglossia: The SVR between the spoken and literary varieties. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 53, 27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-024-10054-z
Astuti, R., Mustofa, M. L., & Nisak, N. M. (2024). Integration of Islamic values into English language teaching in the digital era: Challenges and prospectives. Halaqa: Islamic Education Journal, 8(1), 26–34. https://doi.org/10.21070/halaqa.v8i1.1680
Asy'ari, H., Naifah, N., & Setyawan, C. E. (2025). Characteristics of Arabic language learning in Indonesia era 4.0. Mantiqu Tayr: Journal of Arabic Language, 5(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.25217/mantiqutayr.v5i1.5098
Azizah, N. L., Naifah, N., Afrianingsih, B. I., Hamidah, M., & Ramadlan, M. A. A. (2024). Development of Arabic language learning in Indonesia at 19th – 21st century. Jurnal Al Bayan: Jurnal Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Arab, 16(1), 219-238. https://doi.org/10.24042/albayan.v16i1.22767
Babbie, E. R. (2020). The Practice of Social Research (15th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Bergstrand Othman, L. (2025). Arabic diglossia: Advocating for a non-deficit model in comparative analysis of reading and language acquisition. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1518728. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1518728
Clark, T., Foster, L., Sloan, L., & Bryman, A. (2021). Bryman’s Social Research Methods (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
DeKeyser, R. M. (2020). Skill acquisition theory. In B. VanPatten, G. D. Keating, & S. Wulff (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition (3rd ed., pp. 83-104). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429503986-5
Doughty, C. J., & Long, M. H. (2003). The handbook of second language acquisition. Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008413100003868
Ellis, R. (2015). Understanding second language acquisition (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444820000038
Ghawi, L., et al. (2024). The impact of diglossia on executive functions and on reading in Arabic. Brain Sciences, 14(10), 963. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100963
Hasan, Moh. F. (2025). Transmitting ideological values: Classroom teacher strategies in Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah elementary schools in Indonesia. Forum for Education Studies, 3(3), 2193. https://doi.org/10.59400/fes2193
Koto, F., et al. (2024). ArabicMMLU: Assessing massive multitask language understanding in Arabic. ArXiv. https://arxiv.org/html/2402.12840
Kumar, R. (2019). Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2021). How languages are learned (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Liu, M., et al. (2024). Cross-cultural comparative analysis of student motivation and autonomy in learning: Perspectives from Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1393968. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1393968
Luo, Z. (2024). A review of Krashen's input theory. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 26, 130-135. https://doi.org/10.54097/3fnf5786
Mohamed, S. (2023). The development of an Arabic curriculum framework based on a compilation of salient features from CEFR level descriptors. The Language Learning Journal, 51(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2021.1923781
Monita, D., & Hasan, Moh. F. (2023). The Dynamics of Affective Assessment in MI Schools: Challenges and Solutions. Ideguru: Jurnal Karya Ilmiah Guru, 9(1), 112–119. https://doi.org/10.51169/ideguru.v9i1.769
Muhammad, I. M., Nurhadi, A., & Abdurrahim, M. (2024). Bridging theory and practice in Arabic language education. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Studies. https://ijis.umsida.ac.id/index.php/ijis/article/view/1724
Neuman, W. L. (2020). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (8th ed.). Pearson.
Puasa, B. (2023). I-Kalam: A CEFR based mobile gamification app for Arabic speaking skills. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374132612_I-Kalam_A_Cefr_Based_Mobile_Gamification_App_For_Arabic_Speaking_Skills
Rahmi, L., Hasan, Moh. F., & Monita, D. (2025). Elementary School Class Teacher Strategy in Instruding Ideological Values Nahdlatul Ulama – Muhammadiyyah. Ideguru: Jurnal Karya Ilmiah Guru, 10(1), 905–911. https://doi.org/10.51169/ideguru.v10i1.1064
Rakhlin, N. V., Aljughaiman, A., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2021). Assessing language development in Arabic: The Arabic language: Evaluation of function (ALEF). Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 10(1), 37-52. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2019.1596113
Rakhlin, N. V., Aljughaiman, A., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2021). Assessing language development in Arabic: The Arabic language: Evaluation of function (ALEF). Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 10(1), 37-52. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2019.1596113
Ritonga, M., Wahyuni, S., & Novigator, H. (2023). The future of Arabic language learning for non-Muslims as an actualization of Wasathiyah Islam in Indonesia. F1000Research, 12, 27. https://f1000research.com/articles/12-27
Saiegh-Haddad, E. (2025). Diglossic and orthographic features of reading comprehension in standard Arabic: The primacy of the spoken language. Reading Research Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.598
Saiegh-Haddad, E., et al. (2024). The role of story mode in the narrative skills of children in Arabic diglossia: Comparing children with typical language development and developmental language disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-24-00013
Shtayat, S., et al. (2025). Arabic-English bilingual language preference in Jordan context. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v15-i3/24929
Spada, N. (1997). Form-focused instruction and second language acquisition: A review of classroom and laboratory research. Language Teaching, 30(2), 73-87. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444800012799
Spada, N., & Lightbown, P. M. (2008). Form-focused instruction: Isolated or integrated? TESOL Quarterly, 42(2), 181-207. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2008.tb00115.x
Vanpee, K., & Soneson, D. (2019). Arabic proficiency improvement through a culture of assessment. In P. Winke & S.M. Gass (Eds.), Foreign Language Proficiency in Higher Education (pp. 205-228). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01006-5_11
Watson, J. (2024). Language variation on Arabic undergraduate degree courses in England: Students' perspectives. The Language Learning Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2024.2351938
White, L. (1987). Against comprehensible input: The input hypothesis and the development of second-language competence. Applied Linguistics, 8(2), 95-110. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/8.2.95
Yang, H. (2024). Factors influencing second language learning based on the research of Lightbown and Spada. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1347691. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347691
Zulkarnaen, F., et al. (2024). Research trend of Arabic language teaching in the world: Systematic literature review based on Scopus database. Research and Development in Education (RaDEn), 4(1), 27-48. https://doi.org/10.22219/raden.v4i1.31847
