Strategi Komunikatif dalam Pembelajaran Maharah al-Kalam: Praktik, Respons Siswa, dan Problematika di Madrasah Tsanawiyah

Abstract

This study examines the implementation of mahārah al-kalām learning strategies and the problems encountered by eighth-grade students at MTs Ma’had Al-Zaytun. A descriptive qualitative design was employed. Data were obtained from Arabic language teachers and fifteen eighth-grade students through classroom observation, interviews, open-ended student responses, and documentation. The data were analyzed through open coding, thematic categorization, data reduction, data display, and conclusion verification; credibility was strengthened through source and technique triangulation. The findings show that speaking instruction was organized progressively through vocabulary introduction, teacher modeling of pronunciation, repetition, question-and-answer practice, guided and paired dialogues, vocabulary games, interactive media, and habituation of Arabic expressions. Students generally perceived these strategies as understandable and helpful for fluency and confidence. Nevertheless, implementation was constrained by limited vocabulary, pronunciation difficulties, heterogeneous proficiency, speaking anxiety, limited practice time, digital distraction, and insufficient Arabic use outside the classroom. The study indicates that effective mahārah al-kalām instruction at the lower-secondary level depends on the integration of linguistic scaffolding, repeated communicative practice, supportive classroom interaction, and a low-anxiety language environment.