Teaching Arabic Grammar and Morphology to Chinese Learners: A Pedagogical Analysis of the Al-Arabiyyah al-Kulijiyyah Textbook
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1611.34Keywords:
Arabic as a foreign language, grammar and morphology, Chinese learners, textbook evaluation, Al-Arabiyyah al-KulijiyyahAbstract
This study examines how Arabic grammar and morphology are taught to Chinese learners through a qualitative content analysis of Volumes 1 and 2 of Al-Arabiyyah al-Kulijiyyah, a university textbook used at beginning levels in China. Positioned within the Chinese instructional context, the study evaluates the textbook in terms of sequencing, mode of presentation, exercise types, use of Chinese as a mediating language, and the extent of cultural and instructional support. The analysis is guided by a functional view of grammar in which rules are treated as resources for communication rather than ends in themselves. The findings show that the textbook contains valuable contextual texts and substantial coverage of core grammar and morphology, but it remains largely shaped by a grammar-translation orientation, uneven progression, and a predominance of closed-form exercises that do not sufficiently support transfer from declarative knowledge to communicative performance. The study proposes a framework for teaching grammar and morphology in the Chinese context that emphasizes staged progression, contextualized rule presentation, focus on form within communicative activity, strategic use of the first language, and performance-based assessment. The study concludes with implications for textbook development, teacher preparation, and future empirical research on Arabic pedagogy in China.
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