Unveiling the Teaching and Learning Journey of Mastering Arabic at UniSHAMS: A Literature Review Exploration

Abstract

The proficiency level of the Arabic language among students is a global issue, particularly involving the Teaching and Learning process (TL) in the field of Islamic Studies at the university level. Furthermore, for internationally recognized Islamic universities like UniSHAMS, this issue becomes increasingly relevant to explore. The Arabic language has played a crucial role as the language of knowledge and serves as the medium of instruction in the academic world of Islamic Studies. Despite students undergoing the Arabic language TL process since early schooling stages, their proficiency level in this language still requires continuous improvement. Some of the constraints encountered during the learning process include students’ inability to communicate in Arabic, lack of extensive vocabulary and fear of making errors in speech. All these constraints have evidently posed challenges in the teaching process for UniSHAMS lecturers. Moreover, this situation also affects the achievement of Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) targeted throughout the Diploma in Islamic Studies (DIS) program. Therefore, this study aims to explore literature regarding the proficiency levels of the Arabic language among DIS students at UniSHAMS. This study adopts a qualitative design, utilizing the library research method. Meanwhile, data analysis is conducted using content and content and thematic analysis approaches. The study findings demonstrate that the proficiency level of the Arabic language among DIS students at UniSHAMS, particularly in the aspect of TL, is unsatisfactory. Indeed, there are several problems and challenges that need to be addressed as they hinder the smooth progress of students’ TL. This study is hoped to assist UniSHAMS, especially the program provider, in designing effective TL activities aimed at enhancing the proficiency level of the Arabic language among DIS students at UniSHAMS.