Application of basic Skills in Reading Arabic Text for Teaching and Learning Maharat Al-Qiraah

AbstractThe basic skill of reading Arabic text ought to be possessed by each at the Faculty of Islamic Studies (FIS) at UKM student in order to master other academic subjects. This study is the result of observing students’ weakness in the basic skill of reading Arabic text. The study sample consists of 45 Maharat al-Qiraah (Reading Skill) students. This study identifies this skill through observation and analysis of marks in the assesment test on student knowledge level of al-jarr and al-zarf (prepositions and adverbs) functions and level of basic skill in reading Arabic text. Research findings show that basic skill in reading Arabic text for FPI students is at moderate level. The result also show that there is a relationship between knowledge and skills levels, and that basic skill in reading Arabic text can be improved through workshops and continuous training

What are the Features of Quality for Arabic Teachers Agreed by Students and Teachers?

Teacher is an important factor swaying students’ achievement. The success of an educational entity reflects the quality of the teachers engaged. Teacher factor is identified as one of the main obstacles to the Arabic education. Assessment process of the teachers’ quality would help those concerned identify the weakness before preventive and remedial actions being taken. This study intends to identify the features of quality for Arabic teachers agreed by students and teachers as the first step in a continuous assessment of the teachers’ quality. The respondents of the qualitative approach are 9 excellent Arabic teachers and 90 students from SMKA throughout Malaysia. The qualitative data are analyzed through descriptive and comparative methods using the Atlas.ti. installer. The finding of this study regarding the experiences of excellent Arabic teachers shows that there are 17 GBA quality characteristics that are seen in 4 categories, i.e. 1) Personality, 2) Assessment and Feedback, 3) Class and Student Management, and 4) Teaching and Learning (T&L). The outcome also uncovers types of similarity and difference in determining the teachers’ quality based on teacher and student perspective. The teachers are found as leaning to more comprehensive assessment compared to the students who prioritize the quality of a good teacher-student relationship

Optimization and characterization studies of bio-oil production from Jathropa curcas L. husk by pyrolysis using response surface methodology / Salamiah Zakaria et al.

Biomass is one of the energy resources that can be exploited to replace fossil fuel. Combustion, pyrolysis and gasification are the main process to convert biomass into valuable fuel materials. In this study, Jathropa curcas L. husk was pyrolyzed to produce bio-oil. The effect of several parameters on the pyrolysis efficiency were tested to identify the optimal condition for the bio-oil production. The tested parameters include temperature, heating rate and gas flow rate. The experiments were conducted using vertical fixed-bed reactor. The response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design (CCD), were used for optimization the process parameters. From the study, the optimal conditions were obtained at pyrolysis temperature of 400oC, heating rate of 60oC/min and gas flow rate of 100ml/min with the amount of bio-oil produced was 28.9%. Furthermore, the bio –oil produced under optimum condition was characterized by using elemental analyser, bomb calorimeter, Fourier Transform Infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS)

Keberkesanan pendekatan Narrow Reading terhadap kefahaman membaca teks Islamik

Pelajar pengajian Islam perlu cekap menguasai sumber primer bidang pengajian Islam yang hampir keseluruhannya dalam bahasa Arab. Hal ini boleh direalisasikan melalui pembentukan dasar pengajaran dan pembelajaran pengajian Islam yang betul. Pendekatan Narrow Reading (NR) adalah salah satu teknik pemilihan teks bacaan ekstensif yang bertujuan meningkatkan kecekapan membaca berdasarkan topik atau bidang tertentu. Kajian ini bertujuan menilai keberkesanan teknik NR dalam meningkatkan kefahaman membaca teks Islamik oleh pelajar pengajian Islam. Seramai 47 pelajar fakulti pengajian Islam telah dipilih sebagai sampel. Reka bentuk kajian eksperimental digunakan dengan melaksanakan intervensi kepada sampel kajian. Hasil kajian diperolehi menerusi analisis Paired t-test dan eta squared. Dapatan menunjukkan perbezaan yang signifikan dalam kefahaman teks Islamik setelah intervensi NR diterapkan dan saiz kesan intervensi juga besar. Dapatan diperkukuhkan dengan analisis linguistik teks bacaan yang digunakan. Kajian mendedahkan beberapa implikasi penting dan mencadangkan kajian lanjutan sebagai kesahan keberkesanan teknik NR kepada pelajar pengajian Islam

Usability of QiraahBot for extensive Arabic reading activities

Today’s changing learning landscape urges the integration of mobile phone technology and Arabic learning as a foreign language. Learning through mobile phones is seen as a potential teaching aids which demonstrate effectiveness in teaching and learning activities. A QiraahBot prototype was built to aid the implementation of extensive Arabic reading activities. The user’s perspective on QiraahBot’s usability is essential for the effectiveness of learning through mobile phone applications. This study aims to identify the level of usability of the QiraahBot application prototype and to explore the deeper experience of users using the application. Therefore, a group of 30 student users was involved in the study. They were assigned tasks to be completed within the specified periods via the application, and then given an open-ended questionnaire adapted from the System Usability Scale. The findings show that the QiraahBot usability level is moderate. The study also revealed some of the advantages of QiraahBot as easy to use and the ability to help the learning process. In addition, there are weaknesses in applications, especially aspects of application usability, which needs to be improved in the next version. The researcher has provided some suggestions for further studies that are more comprehensive in the future

Usability of QiraahBot for extensive Arabic reading activities

Today’s changing learning landscape urges the integration of mobile phone technology and Arabic learning as a foreign language. Learning through mobile phones is seen as a potential teaching aids which demonstrate effectiveness in teaching and learning activities. A QiraahBot prototype was built to aid the implementation of extensive Arabic reading activities. The user’s perspective on QiraahBot’s usability is essential for the effectiveness of learning through mobile phone applications. This study aims to identify the level of usability of the QiraahBot application prototype and to explore the deeper experience of users using the application. Therefore, a group of 30 student users was involved in the study. They were assigned tasks to be completed within the specified periods via the application, and then given an open-ended questionnaire adapted from the System Usability Scale. The findings show that the QiraahBot usability level is moderate. The study also revealed some of the advantages of QiraahBot as easy to use and the ability to help the learning process. In addition, there are weaknesses in applications, especially aspects of application usability, which needs to be improved in the next version. The researcher has provided some suggestions for further studies that are more comprehensive in the future

Amalan pengajaran guru di Pondok Bantan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Historically, Pondok Bantan is a traditional Islamic educational institution that applies teacher-centered approach in teaching and learning programmes based on religious texts. However, in line with the changes in needs and time of society, the Pondok is now adopting Thai national curriculum which at the same time integrate with religious education curriculum based on the traditional (turath) texts of Malay scholars. The diversity in its educational curriculum components perceived as a strength for Pondok Bantan but becomes a challenge to the teachers’ ability to implement and ensure the teaching curriculum adopted is efficient for the holistic development of the students. Therefore, this study aims to identify attitudes and approaches applied by Pondok Bantan teachers’ in their teaching activities and the level of teaching aids application. The study applies quantitative research method involving 43 respondents among the teachers of Pondok Bantan. Data are obtained from the questionnaires and then analyzed using the descriptive statistics tehnique to measure the frequency, ranges, mean and standard deviation. The findings show that the teachers’ attitudes and practices toward teaching activities are high either before of the classrooms. However, the use of teaching aids need to be improved in the future by the teachers and the management of Pondok Bantan since its practices are in between moderate and high level