Pemanfaatan YouTube dalam Pembelajaran Mufradat: Praktik Belajar Mandiri Mahasiswa Pendidikan Bahasa Arab

Abstract

This study examines how students in an Arabic Language Education program use YouTube for Arabic vocabulary learning and identifies the conditions that support or constrain this practice. A descriptive qualitative design was applied at Institut Agama Islam Al-Zaytun Indonesia. All 15 students from cohorts 11 and 12 were invited to participate; 12 returned an open-ended questionnaire, and 11 responses met the completeness and relevance criteria. Data were collected through ten open-ended questions administered via Google Forms from 25 November to 21 December 2025 and through supporting documentation. The data were coded, categorized, developed into themes, reduced, displayed, and interpreted. The findings show uneven adoption: several students used YouTube frequently, while one student reported no prior use for Arabic learning. Students who used it selected contextual content, connected spoken and written word forms through subtitles, controlled input through pause, rewind, and playback speed, imitated pronunciation, and recorded new words for review. Accessibility, audiovisual presentation, contextual examples, and exposure to native speakers supported engagement. Distraction, connectivity, uneven content quality, and variation between Modern Standard Arabic and colloquial dialects limited use. The study concludes that YouTube functions most productively as a flexible supplementary environment for micro-regulated vocabulary learning when students receive guidance in selecting credible, level-appropriate content. The findings describe learning practices and perceptions; they do not establish measurable gains in vocabulary mastery.