Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Yazd, Yazd, Iran
2 PhD Graduate of Arabic Language and Literature, Yazd University, Iran
3 Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
An instructional textbook comprises interconnected and coherent components that collectively contribute to achieving the desired educational objectives. The importance of designing and organizing these components lies in their role as the foundation upon which the effectiveness of the learning process is built. A mismatch between the educational content and learners' cognitive characteristics and perceptual levels can lead to confusion in the learning path and weaken its outcomes. Accordingly, the present study aims to evaluate Kitāb al-Inshā’ from the “Al-Ra’id Series in Teaching Arabic,” authored by Mas‘ūd Fikrī, based on the cognitive approach. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology to identify the pedagogical strengths and weaknesses in the book’s content. The findings suggest that the book enhances learners' linguistic competence when its content is well understood and its practical activities are effectively implemented, which represents one of its key strengths. However, the study also reveals several methodological shortcomings, most notably: (1) an overreliance on literary texts that exceed learners’ linguistic levels and cognitive capacities, and (2) the design of exercises that are not sequenced by difficulty, lacking gradual scaffolding and failing to consider the principles of constructivist learning and the specific needs of learners of Arabic as a foreign language. These gaps highlight the urgent need to reconstruct the textbook content based on precise scientific standards that balance linguistic components with the cognitive processes of Arabic learners to ensure greater effectiveness and better alignment with their learning levels.
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