Difficulties in Learning Arabic Vocabulary Among Ninth-Grade Students at the Twelfth State Islamic Junior High School of Jakarta صعوبات تعلم المفردات العربية لدى الطلاب في الصف التاسع بالمدرسة الثانوية الإسلامية الحكومية الثانية عشرة بجاكرتا

Abstract

Difficulties in learning Arabic vocabulary are among the major problems faced by students in learning Arabic. This study aims to identify the psychological and linguistic difficulties in learning Arabic vocabulary among ninth-grade students at the Twelfth State Islamic Junior High School of Jakarta. This qualitative study adopted a descriptive method with a case study approach. The sample was purposively selected from class 9.5, which consists of thirty-four students. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the Arabic language teacher and fifteen students, direct classroom observation conducted on two different days, and school document analysis. Data validity was verified through source and methodological triangulation. The results revealed psychological difficulties including language anxiety and fear of making mistakes which prevent students from active participation, shyness and lack of self-confidence which generate a vicious cycle that inhibits language acquisition, and low motivation which varies notably among students. As for linguistic difficulties, they include difficulty in memorization and rapid forgetting due to the large number of new vocabulary in each session without sufficient time for review, difficulty in understanding words from context because most students rely on direct translation, difficulty in writing Arabic script due to students' unfamiliarity with it, and lack of practice outside the classroom due to the absence of a supportive language environment. These results indicate the necessity of adopting integrated teaching approaches that address both psychological and linguistic aspects together to improve Arabic vocabulary learning in Indonesian state Islamic schools.