--- title: "From Tradition to Transformation — Masruroh 2025" description: "Arabic grammar (nahw), with its case-ending system (I'rob), is hard for Indonesian learners." authors: ["Faida Masruroh", "Abdul Basith"] year: 2025 venue: "Lughawiyyat 8" source: "https://ejournal.uiidalwa.ac.id/index.php/Lughawiyyat/article/view/2329" doi: "10.38073/lughawiyyat.v8i1.2329" licence: "CC BY-SA (journal licence per DOAJ; Lughawiyyat)" licence_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" summary_licence: "Elamur Cosmic License" canonical: "https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/masruroh-2025-tradition-transformation-addressing-challenges-trends/" --- [Elamur Research](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/masruroh-2025-tradition-transformation-addressing-challenges-trends/) [home](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [papers](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/) / [2025](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/2025/page/3/) / From Tradition to Transformation: Addressing Challenges and Trends in Arabic Syntax Mastery via Problem-Based Learning # From Tradition to Transformation: Addressing Challenges and Trends in Arabic Syntax Mastery via Problem-Based Learning **Authors:** Faida Masruroh, Abdul Basith · **Year:** 2025 · **Venue:** Lughawiyyat 8 · **Licence:** [CC BY-SA (journal licence per DOAJ; Lughawiyyat)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Links:** [Publisher's page](https://doi.org/10.38073/lughawiyyat.v8i1.2329) · [PDF](https://ejournal.uiidalwa.ac.id/index.php/Lughawiyyat/article/download/2329/1012) · [DOI 10.38073/lughawiyyat.v8i1.2329](https://doi.org/10.38073/lughawiyyat.v8i1.2329) · [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W4411383194) **Citations:** 0 citations (OpenAlex, 2026-10-14) ## Summary Arabic grammar (nahw), with its case-ending system (I'rob), is hard for Indonesian learners. The authors argue that teacher-centred, memorisation-heavy teaching makes it harder. This study asks whether problem-based learning (PBL) helps students understand and use syntax better. In PBL, students work, often collaboratively, on concrete grammatical problems drawn from real examples. The design was quasi-experimental. An experimental class taught with PBL was compared with a control class taught conventionally, and both took a pre-test and a post-test. The authors checked normality with Shapiro-Wilk and group homogeneity with a covariance test before comparing post-test means with an independent-samples t-test. The PBL group scored higher on average, 78.3 versus 68.8, and the difference was significant (two-tailed p = 0.007). The authors conclude that PBL makes learners more active, independent and analytical. They call for longer, wider studies and comparisons against other methods. The work matters as one of the few empirical tests of PBL specifically for Arabic syntax rather than vocabulary or reading. ## Key points - Design: quasi-experiment with an experimental (PBL) group and a control group, each given a pre-test and a post-test. - Normality: Shapiro-Wilk was chosen because each sample had fewer than 50 students. Significance values were 0.397, 0.158, 0.385 and 0.142 (all above 0.05). - Homogeneity: the text names Bartlett, but the reported table is Box's M, with Sig. = 0.962. Separately, Levene's test in the t-test output gives Sig. = 0.033, which signals unequal variances. - Post-test results: - Means were 78.3 (SD 11.23) for PBL and 68.8 (SD 14.99) for control, a gap of 9.5 points. - The 95% CI of the difference is about 2.66–16.34. - The p-value is 0.007 assuming equal variances and 0.008 with the Welch correction (df ≈ 53.75). - Background claims: research on PBL for Arabic syntax in Indonesia is scarce, and PBL needs trained facilitators and adequate materials. ## Interesting ideas - Measure a method against a matched control group with pre- and post-tests, so gains are attributed to the intervention rather than to general improvement. — For Mova (learn): Evaluate each new repair rule or teacher tier against an untouched baseline run on the same items, scoring both before and after the change. - Run assumption checks (normality, equal variances) before choosing a statistical test; the paper's own output shows why the choice matters. Its Levene result argues for the Welch row even though it reports the equal-variance one. — For Mova (learn): When comparing parser or reader variants, default to variance-robust tests and report confidence intervals for the gain, not only a p-value. - Report the confidence interval of the difference alongside the mean gap. A 9.5-point gain whose interval reaches down to about 2.7 says more about reliability than significance alone. — For Mova (answer): Attach intervals to accuracy gains on school-course tests and fable QA, so small test sets are not over-read. - Teach grammar by having learners solve concrete analysis problems on real sentences instead of memorising rules, which makes knowledge usable rather than recited. — For Mova (tree): Build evaluation and training sets as diagnostic parsing puzzles, such as case or agreement ambiguities, that force the parser to explain its attachment choices. *Our summary of the paper, in our own words — not its text. The work belongs to its authors; read it at the links above.* Fields: [Linguistics & languages](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/shelves/linguistics/) Topics: [Semitic languages](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/topics/semitic-languages/) · [Syntax & grammar formalisms](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/topics/syntax-grammar/) ## Cite The paper itself, not this page. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. ```bibtex @inproceedings{masruroh2025tradition, title = {{From Tradition to Transformation: Addressing Challenges and Trends in Arabic Syntax Mastery via Problem-Based Learning}}, author = {Masruroh, Faida and Basith, Abdul}, booktitle = {Lughawiyyat 8}, year = {2025}, doi = {10.38073/lughawiyyat.v8i1.2329}, url = {https://doi.org/10.38073/lughawiyyat.v8i1.2329} } ``` - [← previous Features in Lexicography for Arabic Dialects: Multimedia Dictionary of the Syrian Dialect](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/novospasskaya-2025-features-lexicography-arabic-dialects-multimedia/) - [next → Head-initial and head-Final coordinate structures in two annotation schemes of dependency grammar](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/ud-2025-osborne-head-initial-head-final-coordinate/) - [↑ back to papers of 2025](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/2025/page/3/) ## References 5 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet. 1. Abu Ahmad, Hanadi, and David L Share. “Beginning Reading Instruction: Syllables or Phonemes? An Experimental Training Study with Arabic-Speaking Preliterate Preschoolers.” Developmental Psychology, 2024. Afsaruddin, Asma. “The Vocabulary of Revelation: Divine Intent and Self-Disclosure in the Qur’an.” Journal of Qur’anic Studies 22, no. 1 (2020): 192–215. Aladeemy, Amani A, Ali Alzahrani, Mohammad H Algarni, Saleh Nagi Alsubari, Theyazn H H Aldhyani, Sachin N Deshmukh, Osamah Ibrahim Khalaf, Wing-Keung Wong, and Sameer Aqburi. “Advancements and Challenges in Arabic Sentiment Analysis: A Decade of Methodologies, Applications, and Resource Development.” Heliyon, 2024. Al-Hamzi, Ali Mohammed Saleh, Mangatur Nababan, Riyadi Santosa, Djatmika Djatmika, Sumarlam Sumarlam, and Henry Yustanto. “Frequent Linguistic Errors in the Writing of Yemeni EFL Arabic-Speaking Learners.” Studies in English Language and Education 10, no. 1 (2023): 350–68. Al-Issa, Ali S M. “The Language Planning Situation in the Sultanate of Oman.” Current Issues in Language Planning 21, no. 4 (2020): 347–414. Almelhes, Sultan A, and Hussain E Alsaiari. “A Conceptual Framework for Teaching Arabic as a Second Language.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies 14, no. 7 (2024): 2110–18. Al-Qatawneh, Sami, Mohd Elmagzoub Eltahir, and Najeh Rajeh Alsalhi. “The Effect of Blended Learning on the Achievement of HDE Students in the Methods of Teaching Arabic Language Course and Their Attitudes towards Its Use at Ajman University: A Case Study.” Education and Information Technologies 25, no. 3 (2020): 2101–27. Anggraeni, Desak Made, Binar Kurnia Prahani, Nadi Suprapto, Noly Shofiyah, and Budi Jatmiko. “Systematic Review of Problem Based Learning Research in Fostering Critical Thinking Skills.” Thinking Skills and Creativity 49 (2023): 101334. Annansingh, Fenio. “Mind the Gap: Cognitive Active Learning in Virtual Learning Environment Perception of Instructors and Students.” Education and Information Technologies 24, no. 6 (2019): 3669–88. Basith, Abdul, and Nur Imamatun Nisa. “PENGARUH INTERAKSI EDUKATIF GURU SERTA DISIPLIN BELAJAR SISWA TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BAHASA ARAB.” BASA Journal of Language & Literature 4, no. 2 (2024): 66–72. Brosh, Hezi Y. “Arabic Language-Learning Strategy Preferences among Undergraduate Students.” Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 9, no. 2 (2019): 351–77. Bumblauskas, Daniel, and Nick Vyas. “The Convergence of Online Teaching and Problem Based Learning Modules amid the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Electronic Journal of E-Learning 19, no. 3 (2021): pp147-158. Chen, Ching‐Huei, Hsiu‐Ting Hung, and Hui‐Chin Yeh. “Virtual Reality in Problem‐based Learning Contexts: Effects on the Problem‐solving Performance, Vocabulary Acquisition and Motivation of English Language Learners.” Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 37, no. 3 (2021): 851–60. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Abu+Ahmad%2C+Hanadi%2C+and+David+L+Share%2E+%E2%80%9CBeginning+Reading+Instruction%3A+Syllables+or+Phonemes%3F+An+Experimental+Training+Study+with+Arabic%2DSpeaking+Preliterate+Preschoolers%2E%E2%80%9D+Developmental+Psychology%2C+20) 2. Chueh, Hao-En, and Chang-Yi Kao. “Exploring the Impact of Integrating Problem Based Learning and Agile in the Classroom on Enhancing Professional Competence.” Heliyon 10, no. 3 (2024). Debs, Luciana, Kurtis D Miller, Iryna Ashby, and Marisa Exter. “Students’ Perspectives on Different Teaching Methods: Comparing Innovative and Traditional Courses in a Technology Program.” Research in Science & Technological Education 37, no. 3 (2019): 297–323. Denham, Kristin. “Positioning Students as Linguistic and Social Experts: Teaching Grammar and Linguistics in the United States.” L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 2020, 1–16. Farisi, Mohamad Zaka Al, Hikmah Maulani, Adityo Baskoro Hardoyo, Shofa Musthofa Khalid, and Nalahuddin Saleh. “Investigating Arabic Language Teaching Materials Based on Indonesian Folklore: An Ethnographic Study on the Folktale of ‘Bandung.’” Asian Education and Development Studies 13, no. 2 (2024): 134–49. Fernandes, Heidi V J. “From Student to Tutor: A Journey in Problem-Based Learning.” Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 13, no. 12 (2021): 1706–9. Fidan, Mustafa. “The Effects of Microlearning-Supported Flipped Classroom on Pre-Service Teachers’ Learning Performance, Motivation and Engagement.” Education and Information Technologies 28, no. 10 (2023): 12687–714. Filimonova, Valentyna. “Problem-Based Learning in Introductory Linguistics.” Language 96, no. 1 (2020): e1–21. Fisher, Douglas, and Nancy Frey. Better Learning through Structured Teaching: A Framework for the Gradual Release of Responsibility. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Chueh%2C+Hao%2DEn%2C+and+Chang%2DYi+Kao%2E+%E2%80%9CExploring+the+Impact+of+Integrating+Problem+Based+Learning+and+Agile+in+the+Classroom+on+Enhancing+Professional+Competence%2E%E2%80%9D+Heliyon+10%2C+no%2E+3+%282024%29%2E+Debs%2C+Luciana%2C+) 3. ASCD, 2021. Ghosheh Wahbeh, Dua’, Eman A Najjar, Adel F Sartawi, Maysa Abuzant, and Wajeeh Daher. “The Role of Project-Based Language Learning in Developing Students’ Life Skills.” Sustainability 13, no. 12 (2021): 6518. Good, Melanie, Alexandru Maries, and Chandralekha Singh. “Impact of Traditional or Evidence-Based Active-Engagement Instruction on Introductory Female and Male Students’ Attitudes and Approaches to Physics Problem Solving.” Physical Review Physics Education Research 15, no. 2 (2019): 20129. Guedj, David. “Morocco’s Colonial Mutation of Arab Jewishness in the 20th Century, the Case of Elie Malka.” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 51, no. 3 (2024): 654–71. Guo, Qian, Halimah Jamil, Lilliati Ismail, Shujie Luo, and Zhubin Sun. “Effects of Problem-Based Learning on EFL Learning: A Systematic Review.” PloS One 19, no. 12 (2024): e0307819. Hsbollah, Hafizah Mohamad, and Haslinda Hassan. “Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences with Active, Fun, and Technology Elements in the Problem-Based Learning Approach and Its Implications.” Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction 19, no. 1 (2022): 147–81. Ibnian, Salem Saleh. “The Impact of Proposed Online Problem-Based Learning Activities on Developing University EFL Students’ Expository Essay Writing.” Jordan Journal of Modern Languages & Literatures 15, no. 1 (2023): 245–66. Ihwan, Muhamad Bisri, Sumari Mawardi, and Ulin Ni’mah. “Pengaruh Penguasaan Ilmu Nahwu Dan Sharaf Terhadap Kemampuan Membaca Kitab Fathul Qarib.” Tadris Al-Arabiyat: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Pendidikan Bahasa Arab 2, no. 1 (2022): 61–77. Jackson, Joshua Conrad, Joseph Watts, Johann-Mattis List, Curtis Puryear, Ryan Drabble, and Kristen A Lindquist. “From Text to Thought: How Analyzing Language Can Advance Psychological Science.” Perspectives on Psychological Science 17, no. 3 (2022): 805–26. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=ASCD%2C+2021%2E+Ghosheh+Wahbeh%2C+Dua%E2%80%99%2C+Eman+A+Najjar%2C+Adel+F+Sartawi%2C+Maysa+Abuzant%2C+and+Wajeeh+Daher%2E+%E2%80%9CThe+Role+of+Project%2DBased+Language+Learning+in+Developing+Students%E2%80%99+Life+Skills%2E%E2%80%9D+Sustainability+13%2C+) 4. Kim, Yoonjeon, Tahany Albeiz, Saeed Aburizaizah, Margaret Bridges, Bruce Fuller, and Manal Qutub. “Cognition and Participation: Classroom Reform in the Arab World.” Comparative Education Review 63, no. 4 (2019): 529–61. Lonergan, Robyn, Therese M Cumming, and Susan C O’Neill. “Exploring the Efficacy of Problem-Based Learning in Diverse Secondary School Classrooms: Characteristics and Goals of Problem-Based Learning.” International Journal of Educational Research 112 (2022): 101945. Lopes, Renato Matos, Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis, Manildo Marcião Oliveira, Max Fonseca Pierini, Cristina Alves Magalhães de Souza, Ana Luiza Michel Cavalcante, Carlucio Rocha Dos Santos, Michele Waltz Comarú, and Luís Alexandre da Fonseca Tinoca. “Principles of Problem-Based Learning for Training and Professional Practice in Ecotoxicology.” Science of The Total Environment 702 (2020): 134809. MacIntyre, Peter D, Tammy Gregersen, and Sarah Mercer. “Setting an Agenda for Positive Psychology in SLA: Theory, Practice, and Research.” The Modern Language Journal 103, no. 1 (2019): 262–74. Putri, Azila Munawaroh, Eva Iryani, and Firman Afrian Pratama. “The Influence of Self-Efficacy on Understanding Arabic Syntax in Arabic Language Education Study Program Students, Jambi University Class.” Lisanan Arabiya: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab 8, no. 1 (2024): 56–69. Snell, Julia, and Ian Cushing. “‘A Lot of Them Write How They Speak’: Policy, Pedagogy and the Policing of ‘Nonstandard’English.” Literacy 56, no. 3 (2022): 199–211. Stavans, Ilan. Translation as Home: A Multilingual Life. University of Toronto Press, 2024. Suastika, I Nengah, I Kadek Suartama, Dewa Bagus Sanjaya, and Ketut Sedana Arta. “Application of Multicultural-Based Learning Model Syntax of Social Studies Learning.” Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences 16, no. 4 (2021): 1660–79. Sun, Lixuan, Adelina Asmawi, Hui Dong, and Xiaotian Zhang. “Empowering Chinese Undergraduates’ Business English Writing: Unveiling the Efficacy of DingTalk-Aided Problem-Based Language Learning during Covid-19 Period.” Education and Information Technologies 29, no. 1 (2024): 239–71. Wang, Bin, Yukun Liu, Jing Qian, and Sharon K Parker. “Achieving Effective Remote Working during the COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Work Design Perspective.” Applied Psychology 70, no. 1 (2021): 16–59. Wilson, Donna, and Marcus Conyers. Five Big Ideas for Effective Teaching: Connecting Mind, Brain, and Education Research to Classroom Practice. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kim%2C+Yoonjeon%2C+Tahany+Albeiz%2C+Saeed+Aburizaizah%2C+Margaret+Bridges%2C+Bruce+Fuller%2C+and+Manal+Qutub%2E+%E2%80%9CCognition+and+Participation%3A+Classroom+Reform+in+the+Arab+World%2E%E2%80%9D+Comparative+Education+Review+63%2C+no) 5. Teachers College Press, 2020. Yang, Wanjun, Hui Li, Aonan Su, and Liping Ding. “Application of Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Case Based Learning (CBL) in the Teaching of International Classification of Diseases Encoding.” Scientific Reports 13, no. 1 (2023): 15220. Zakraoui, Jezia, Moutaz Saleh, Somaya Al-Maadeed, and Jihad Mohamed Alja’am. “Arabic Machine Translation: A Survey with Challenges and Future Directions.” IEEE Access 9 (2021): 161445–68. Zein, Subhan, Didi Sukyadi, Fuad Abdul Hamied, and Nenden Sri Lengkanawati. “English Language Education in Indonesia: A Review of Research (2011–2019).” Language Teaching 53, no. 4 (2020): 491–523. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Teachers+College+Press%2C+2020%2E+Yang%2C+Wanjun%2C+Hui+Li%2C+Aonan+Su%2C+and+Liping+Ding%2E+%E2%80%9CApplication+of+Problem+Based+Learning+%28PBL%29+and+Case+Based+Learning+%28CBL%29+in+the+Teaching+of+International+Classificatio)