Analysis of Students’ Difficulties in Applying Arabic Grammatical Rules When Reading Texts at Imam Institute تحليل صعوبات الطالبات في تطبيق القواعد النحوية عند قراءة النصوص بمعهد الإمام

Abstract

This study is motivated by the gap between students’ theoretical understanding of Arabic grammatical rules and their ability to apply them when reading unvowelled Arabic texts among third-level secondary students at Ma’had Imam Sukabumi. The study aims to identify the types of grammatical application difficulties, analyze their contributing factors, and propose pedagogical solutions. A qualitative descriptive field research design was employed. Data were collected through classroom observations, unstructured interviews, and document analysis, and analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model, consisting of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that students experience difficulties in identifying the subject and object with correct grammatical endings, applying prepositional case rules, and understanding construct phrases (idafah), despite possessing theoretical grammatical knowledge. These difficulties are influenced by internal factors such as limited vocabulary, weak conceptual understanding, lack of practice, and low self-confidence, as well as external factors including limited instructional time, inconsistent teaching methods, and insufficient language environment support. The study concludes that grammar instruction should be integrated with continuous reading practice and contextual language use to improve grammatical competence and Arabic reading proficiency.