Exploring Arabic language learning practices in a remote Arab village: An ethnographic study of Islamic boarding school students

Mubarak, Muhammad Zaki ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1446-0393, Bahruddin, Uril ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8599-7281 and Aziz, Abdul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1506-1597 (2026) Exploring Arabic language learning practices in a remote Arab village: An ethnographic study of Islamic boarding school students. Al-Muyassar: Journal of Arabic Education and Studies, 5 (3). pp. 1262-1287. ISSN 2829-095X

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Abstract

Arabic language learning in Islamic boarding schools develops not only through formal instruction but also through repeated practices embedded in students’ everyday lives. This study explores how Arabic language learning practices are manifested among students at Darussalam Islamic Boarding School in the remote Arab Village of Parmeraan, North Padang Lawas, Indonesia. Using an interpretive qualitative approach with an ethnographic design, data were generated through participant observation, ethnographic interviews, and documentation. Six students representing Grades 7, 8, and 9 served as primary informants, supported by Ustadz Bustaman (the school leader), an Arabic teacher, and the language-program coordinator. Data were analyzed inductively through Spradley’s domain, taxonomic, componential, and cultural-theme procedures. The findings reveal three interconnected patterns. Students processed Arabic through note-taking, reviewing, imitation, rewriting, and memorization through repetition; organized learning through discipline, continuity, and self-monitoring; and learned socially through consideration for peers, collaborative learning, self-confidence, respect for teachers, and humility in seeking knowledge. These recurring practices formed relatively stabilized learning patterns through repeated participation in a consistent educational ecology, rather than remaining isolated or purely situational learning actions. Respect for teachers and humility also provide a context-sensitive interpretation of the social-affective domain within this Islamic educational setting. These findings imply that Arabic pedagogy should cultivate repeatable learning routines and relational conditions that allow productive practices to develop into sustainable learning patterns.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	arabic language; arabic learning; learning practices; ethnography; islamic boarding school
Subjects:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2004 Linguistics > 200401 Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics 13 EDUCATION > 1301 Education Systems
Divisions:	Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teaching Training > Department of Arabic Language Education
Depositing User:	Prof Dr Uril Bahruddin, MA
Date Deposited:	05 Oct 2026 09:27

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