Problems of teaching vocabulary to non-Arabic speakers (An applied study on specialized institutes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

This study reveals the problems of teaching vocabulary among non-Arabic speaking students, as applied to specialized institutes in Saudi Arabia. The types of these problems, their description, classification, causes, and treatments are listed. Following the descriptive approach based on analysis; Because it is closest to the nature of the study, it used as research tools a questionnaire for learners and an interview with professors. To find out their views on these problems, the study sample consisted of (58) learners, from the third level, and (36) teachers, in institutes specialized in teaching the Arabic language to non-native speakers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study aims to: identify the problems of teaching vocabulary among learners of the Arabic language as non-native speakers. Revealing its causes and how to treat it. Among the most prominent findings that I reached are: that there are two types of vocabulary: active and passive, and that one word may be active for one person and inactive for another, and that derivation helps in clarifying the meanings of new words, and that the non-Arabic speaking learner finds it difficult to understand new vocabulary, and that most students use Their mother tongue helps in understanding vocabulary, and one of the causes of problems in teaching vocabulary among non-Arabic speakers is: processing an unlimited number of vocabulary at one time. Expressions are fragmented, and they are not processed in their complete forms. Teaching vocabulary in unnatural contexts. At the end of the study, recommendations were made, including: the need for vocabulary to be appropriate to the students’ level. And taking into account the sequence in the vocabulary lesson (presentation, training, evaluation). And using modern methods in teaching Arabic vocabulary.