Reforming the System of Teaching and Learning Arabic as a Second Language in Iran; An Attempt to Provide an Optimal Model

Authors
M. damirchili 1
S. B. Farzaneh 2
M. gholitabar 3
1 PhD student in Arabic Language and Literature, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran
2 Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran
3 Assistant Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran
10.48311/LRR.16.4.10
Abstract
Teaching and learning Arabic is of particular importance from a religious and legal perspective in Iran. Therefore, it is essential to always maintain the status of this language both domestically and internationally. The aim of this study is to present a model for reforming the system of teaching and learning Arabic as a second language by identifying the obvious and hidden factors affecting it, as well as identifying the obstacles to this issue. The basis for collecting information was based on qualitative methods, and in particular, structured interviews with 10 professors of sociology of language. The analysis of the collected data was carried out using the qualitative content analysis method. The (AHP) model and (Expert Choice) software were also used to weight the research components The results of this article show that the tendency to teach and learn Arabic as a second language is strongly influenced by basic factors such as social, psychological, and economic factors. The AHP coefficient was obtained for social indicators (0.403), psychological indicators (0.364) and economic indicators (0.234). The results also show that the obstacles and bottlenecks facing the process of teaching and learning a second language in Iran were identified and classified in order of importance in six areas: legal obstacles, political obstacles, structural obstacles, social obstacles, cultural obstacles and economic obstacles. These results provided the direction and direction of the optimal model of teaching and learning a second language, especially Arabic, by removing the obstacles and bottlenecks in order of priority and with a comprehensive view.



1. Introduction

One of the most important ways of progress and sometimes the only way to keep up with the different aspects of life in the process of globalization is the element of education, which is used in different ways by different countries. The main tool of the element of education is language, which enables the transfer of complex mental concepts in the simplest and most complete form possible. In the meantime, learning a second language, which was considered a personal decision in the past, has become an inevitable part of education for most users with its entry into the educational system of many countries from the lower levels. The category of learning a second language has characteristics that make it distinct from the first language and in this regard, it causes its increasing importance. First, learning a second language is easily influenced by numerous social factors, dominant cultural ideas, geopolitical factors, and dominant attitudes towards language. Second, learning a second language improves the ability of individuals to focus on communication, because each language depicts the world in a different way. Third, learning a second language leads to the adoption of a new cultural perspective appropriate to that language by users, which contributes to globalization thinking. Finally, learning a second language enhances brain function and stimulates individual creativity, and thus various cognitive variables are formed in individuals as a result of language acquisition.

Research Questions:

The main questions of this research can be formulated as follows:

1. What are the obvious and hidden factors affecting the quality of second language teaching and learning, especially Arabic, in Iran?

2. What challenges and obstacles does the second language teaching and learning system in general and the Arabic language in particular face in Iran?

3. What model can be presented for the optimal performance of second language teaching and learning, especially Arabic, in Iran?

2. Literature Review

This article required a method that would go beyond the surface layers and address the underlying layers of the main research problem. For this purpose, the use of qualitative methods, and specifically in-depth interviews with informants in the relevant field, was put on the agenda. The analysis of the information obtained from the interviews was carried out through the method of directional qualitative content analysis. The method of determining the sample size and selecting the samples was carried out using theoretical saturation and snowball methods, respectively. The (AHP) model was used to evaluate and weight the components obtained from the interviews.

3. Methodology

The work process was as follows: First, based on the theoretical model of the research, 10 professors in the field of sociology of language were interviewed in order to identify the factors affecting the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of second language teaching and learning as well as the existing and future obstacles and bottlenecks in second language teaching and learning. Then, the text of the interviews conducted with the aforementioned individuals was converted into meaning units based on the qualitative content analysis method, and finally, sub-categories and final categories were obtained in both areas of study. Next, in order to prioritize and assess the effectiveness of the above components, the above professors were asked to rate them based on the AHP model. The scores obtained were entered into the Expert Choice software and the final weight of the components was obtained. Finally, based on the total results obtained, the final model was presented to improve the second language teaching and learning system, especially the Arabic language.





4. Results

The findings of this article in general showed that as long as the underlying and basic issues in various social, economic, and psychological domains remain strong, the process of teaching and learning a second language, especially Arabic, in the country will face numerous shortcomings, which requires avoiding superficiality and employing in-depth methods and critical analyses in addressing such issues. By using such insight, the present article distinguished itself from other research conducted in this field. The initial results of this article showed that the process of teaching and learning a second language, especially Arabic, in Iran is influenced by various social, economic, and psychological dimensions. In the social domain, parental education, family social class, individuals' political attitudes, language skills, parental expectations, peer influences, teacher's academic and personality characteristics, and individuals' age were identified as mediating variables. In the economic domain, components such as parents' employment status, income status, economic capability, unemployment, assets, language learning costs, the country's economic status, and the economic outlook on the second language were identified, and in the psychological domain, variables such as sense of competence, meaningfulness, freedom of action, self-confidence, self-esteem, sense of independence, personal talent, and intelligence were discovered and quantified. The above-mentioned items were raised in response to the first question of this study. The results of the findings in response to the second question show that the extracted barriers in relation to teaching and learning a second language, especially Arabic, in Iran were identified and classified in order of importance in six areas: legal barriers, political barriers, structural barriers, social barriers, cultural barriers, and economic barriers in Iran.

Keywords

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Language Related Research
Volume 16, Issue 4 - Serial Number 88
September and October 2025
Pages 243-269