Dari Keterbatasan Mufradat hingga Speaking Anxiety: Strategi Guru Mengatasi Hambatan Maharah al-Kalam pada Siswa Madrasah Tsanawiyah

Abstract

This study examines how linguistic and affective barriers interact in seventh-grade students' mastery of maharah al-kalam and how Arabic teachers respond to these barriers. A qualitative case-study design was employed at MTs Ma'had Al-Zaytun, Indramayu, from 14-28 April 2026. Participants comprised 17 purposively selected informants: two Arabic teachers and fifteen students drawn from three Grade VII classes. Data were collected through classroom observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentation, then analyzed through data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. Credibility was strengthened through source and technique triangulation. The findings reveal a connected pattern of barriers. Heterogeneous prior educational backgrounds are associated with limited mufradat and slow lexical retrieval, which add to the cognitive burden of constructing tarakib spontaneously. At the same time, speaking anxiety, shyness, fear of making mistakes, going blank, fear of negative peer evaluation, and classroom noise heighten affective barriers and encourage passivity. Teachers respond through a dual strategy: pedagogical measures, including staged vocabulary input, hiwar, drilling, modeling, and cooperative practice; and persuasive-affective measures, including a supportive classroom climate, gentle correction, scaffolding, Mahfuzhot-based motivation, and rewards. The qualitative evidence indicates that this combination helps reduce speaking tension and strengthens students' confidence and willingness to produce Arabic orally. The study highlights the need to address linguistic and affective difficulties as interacting rather than separate problems.