Causes of Students Facing Difficulties in Speaking Arabic and Methods to Overcome It Among Arabic Students at UPSI

Abstract

This study explores the challenges faced by Arabic language students at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in speaking Arabic and examines methods to improve speaking skills. This study is a quantitative study, using a questionnaire as the main instrument. The study involved 108 participants selected through simple random sampling. The results of the study revealed several key challenges, including shyness and fear of ridicule when speaking in Arabic, insufficient mastery of grammar, and lack of encouragement to use Arabic in an academic setting. Although the teaching materials are seen as sufficient, students express the need for more interesting teaching to increase motivation and interest in speaking skills. To address this challenge, among the methods that can be used is to create a learning environment that supports speaking skills, improve the teaching of grammar through interactive methods, encourage the use of Arabic in an academic setting, and provide additional speaking practice opportunities. This study contributes to the existing literature on the teaching of Arabic as a second language and provides insights for educators and researchers who wish to improve the teaching of Arabic.