Application of Communicative Methods to Improve the Istima’ Skills of Students in the Arabic Language Education Study Programme

Abstract

The ability to istima’ (listen) is a fundamental skill in learning Arabic that requires a proper methodological approach. This study aims to analyze the application of communicative methods in improving the istima’ ability of Arabic Language Education Study Program students. This study used a quasi-experimental design method with a quantitative approach involving 60 third-semester students who were divided into experimental groups and control groups. The research instruments include istima’ ability tests, learning observations, and student response questionnaires. The data were analyzed using a t-test to find out the significant differences between the two groups. The results showed that the application of the communicative method had a significant positive impact on improving students’ istima’ abilities with a t-count value (4,852) > t-table (2,001) at a significance level of 0.05. The experimental group that used the communicative method showed an average score increase of 23.5% from pre-test to post-test, while the control group only increased by 8.3%. Further analysis revealed that communicative methods are effective in improving contextual understanding, auditory response speed, and student learning motivation. The implications of this study suggest the application of communicative methods as the main alternative in learning Arabic in higher education.