The Implementation of Differentiated Learning: An Effort to Address the Challenges of Arabic Language Learning

Abstrak

Arabic language learning continues to evolve in line with the times. However, the challenges remain the same over the years: students struggle to understand what they are learning. To date, students still rely on memorization as a learning strategy, leading to difficulties when applying the vocabulary they have memorized in communicative contexts. Specifically, Arabic language learning for university students, which should be a continuation of what was learned at previous levels, often faces the issue that many students have never studied Arabic beyond the basic alphabet (a-ba-ta). This problem also affects students at the Faculty of Economics and Islamic Business (FEBI) at UIN Walisongo, where the majority of students are non-Islamic boarding school alumni. To address this issue, and as a manifestation of implementing the independent curriculum, lecturers have applied a differentiated learning approach. This study uses a qualitative method, incorporating observation, interviews, and documentation. Some of the strategies employed in differentiated learning include conducting initial assessments to group students according to their educational backgrounds to tailor learning needs, adopting various approaches to accommodate the diverse profiles of students, preparing engaging and varied teaching materials, and conducting final assessments.