Difficulties and Solutions in Learning Qowaid Nahwu for Beginners: A Case Study
Abstract
Learning qowaid nahwu (Arabic grammar) at the beginner level is often challenging because students must understand abstract grammatical concepts and apply complex linguistic rules in authentic language use. This study aims to identify the learning difficulties experienced by beginner students at LPBA Nurul Jadid, examine the factors contributing to these difficulties, and explore the pedagogical strategies employed to address them. The study adopted a post-positivist paradigm using a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, diagnostic tests, and document analysis, and analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings revealed that students experienced difficulties in understanding i‘rab rules, distinguishing between jumlah ismiyyah and jumlah fi‘liyyah, applying grammatical rules in context, and determining correct word-final inflections. These challenges were attributed to memorization-oriented instruction, limited visual learning resources, and insufficient scaffolded practice. To overcome these problems, instructors implemented i‘rab charts, structured drills, gradual scaffolding, and contextualized communicative activities. These pedagogical strategies improved students’ grammatical understanding and facilitated more effective application of nahwu rules in practical Arabic communication.
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This study reveals that beginner students at LPBA Nurul Jadid experience significant difficulties in learning qowaid nahwu, particularly in understanding and applying grammatical concepts such as mubtada’, khabar, fi‘il, fa‘il, and maf‘ul bih. The main problems are not limited to memorization, but extend to deeper issues in syntactic comprehension, cognitive overload, and the inability to apply grammatical rules in new sentence contexts. The findings show high error rates in i‘rab analysis, confusion in distinguishing sentence structures, and weak procedural knowledge, indicating that students tend to understand nahwu theoretically rather than functionally. The difficulties are influenced by several interrelated factors, including the dominance of memorization-based instruction, limited use of visual learning media, lack of gradual and structured practice, heterogeneous student backgrounds, and psychological barriers such as anxiety and low confidence. These conditions are further reinforced by instructional practices that are still heavily theoretical and insufficiently contextualized, causing students to struggle in connecting grammatical rules with real language use. As a result, nahwu learning remains abstract and difficult to internalize for beginner learners. To address these challenges, LPBA Nurul Jadid has implemented pedagogical solutions such as i‘rab visualization, pattern drills, gradual scaffolding, and contextual language practice within the pesantren environment. The findings indicate that these strategies significantly improve students’ understanding of sentence structures, reduce i‘rab errors, and increase learner confidence. Therefore, a shift toward more contextual, visual, gradual, and practice-based instruction is essential to transform nahwu learning from rote memorization into meaningful grammatical competence that supports functional Arabic language use.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v11i4.2640
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