The effectiveness of the direct teaching method on students achievement in Arabic language in Tong Xin Ningxia College, China

Teaching methods play a vital role in the success of teaching and learning in general and in particular, it is pertinent in teaching and learning of Arabic as a forign language. The   purpose  of  this  study  was  to  explore  the  effectiveness  of  the  direct  teaching method on  students’ achievement in Arabic  language in Tong Xin Ningxia College, China. Direct teaching  method used in this study was based on Berlitz theory. A case study methode was used  as the  research design.  For the quantitative part, a total of 100  students  (50  males  and  50   females)  were  selected.  For  the  qualitative  part,  9 participants were selected (9 males and  2 females) were selected. For the qualitative part, 9 participants were selected. The instruments  in this study consisted of a set of questionnaires  and  an  interview  protocol.  The   questionnaire  was  validated  by  the three  experts  in  the  field.  The  quantitative  data   were  analysed  using  descriptive statistics and the qualitative data were analysed using thematic  analysis. The result of the quantitative analysis via questionnaire suggested that the direct  teaching method in  Arabic  was  effective  in  enhancing  the  students’  listening  and  speaking   skills. However, based on the interview data, the participants revealed that teacher’s lack of  experience in using the direct method and students’ low performance in Arabic have impeded the  adoption of the direct method in teaching Arabic language in the Tong Xin Ningxia College in China.  The finding also showed that the learners who learned Arabic  directly  without  using  the  mother   tongue  have  an  enormous  effect  in  their Arabic  performance.  In  addition,  the   participants  asserted  that  there  was  no  best teaching method but the teaching milieu and  situation dictated the appropriateness of a method used in certain conditions. In conclusion, the  main finding showed that the direct method in teaching Arabic was effective in certain domains such  as enhancing the listening and speaking skills of the students. In implication, the study suggested  that  direct  method  could  be  used  to  enhance  learners’ Arabic  language  proficiency.  However, certain conditions should be fulfilled before learner can fully benefit from direct teaching method.