Arabic Language Teaching Strategy in Improving Student’s Reading Skills at Ira Islamic Junior High School Medan

Abstract

This study is motivated by the low level of Arabic reading skills (maharah qirā’ah) among students at MTs IRA Islamic Junior High School Medan, particularly in grades VII and VIII, where many students have not yet mastered the recognition of Arabic letters. This condition highlights the need for an effective instructional strategy that can systematically improve students’ reading abilities. The study aims to describe the implementation of a constructivist-based Arabic language teaching strategy to enhance students’ reading skills and to identify the supporting and inhibiting factors in its implementation. A qualitative descriptive method was employed in this research. Data were collected through observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentation. The participants included an Arabic language teacher, the school principal, and selected students using purposive sampling. Data analysis followed the Miles and Huberman model, consisting of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that the teaching strategy was implemented through a constructivist approach combined with habituation of reading the Iqro’ book before the main lesson. The learning process was carried out gradually, starting from recognizing Arabic letters, practicing pronunciation, and progressing to reading simple texts with individual guidance. The results indicate an improvement in students’ reading skills, particularly in letter recognition and reading comprehension. Supporting factors include the active role of teachers, availability of learning media, school support, and student motivation. In contrast, the main obstacles are limited instructional time and lack of reading practice at home. The study concludes that integrating constructivist learning with Iqro’ habituation is effective in improving basic Arabic reading skills.