Implementation of Pegon Script in Nahwu Instruction: A Qualitative Descriptive Study at Sunan Drajat 7 Islamic Boarding School Tuban

Abstract

Pegon writing is still widely used in many Islamic boarding schools as a supporting medium for understanding Arabic texts, especially in Nahwu (Arabic grammar) learning. The use of Pegon writing is considered important because it helps students understand vocabulary meanings, sentence structures, and grammatical rules that are often regarded as difficult by beginner students. However, studies discussing the direct implementation of Pegon writing in Nahwu learning activities in the classroom are still relatively limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to describe the implementation of Pegon writing in Nahwu learning at Sunan Drajat 7 Islamic Boarding School, Palang Tuban, to identify the supporting and inhibiting factors, and to examine the female students’ responses toward its use. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. The data were analyzed through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results showed that the implementation of Pegon writing in Nahwu learning was carried out systematically through text reading activities, meaning-giving (maknani), explanation of grammatical rules, and exercise sessions. Pegon writing functioned not only as a translation aid, but also helped female students understand sentence structures and relationships between words in Arabic. Supporting factors in the implementation of Pegon writing included a conducive boarding school environment and the teacher’s competence in explaining the material. Meanwhile, the inhibiting factors included differences in students’ learning motivation and the tendency of some students to depend too much on translation. Although some female students initially experienced difficulties, the use of Pegon writing gradually improved their understanding and participation in Nahwu learning. Based on these findings, Pegon writing can be considered an effective learning medium for facilitating the understanding of Nahwu in Islamic boarding schools because it helps connect Arabic with the students’ daily linguistic background.