Demotivation of Pesantren-based Madrasah Students in Takallum al-‘Arabiyyah

Abstract

Motivation is a key factor to language learning success. On the other hand, demotivation will hinder the process and success of learning and mastering Arabic. By finding factors that can trigger demotivation, teachers and students can avoid demotivation and can motivate students appropriately.  This study aims to determine the factors that cause students' demotivation in speaking Arabic at the Karawang Islamic boarding school-based madrasah by involving 100 students of 9th -grade of Madrasah Tsanawiyah. To explore this demotivating phenomenon, the researcher used mixed methods at the data collection stage, then analyzed the data using qualitative methods. The results of this study indicate that among the factors that cause demotivation are; 1) teachers, 2) textbooks, 3) friends, and Arabic language learning environment. In addition, new things were found from the perspective of this pesantren-based madrasah student, namely the context of the pesantren tradition which was a factor in the occurrence of students' demotivation in mastering Arabic. Madrasah students who are also santri in Islamic boarding schools are accustomed and comfortable with patterns of learning Arabic in Islamic boarding schools such as lalaran, ngalogat, sorogan, and bandongan. When students accept different madrasah learning patterns, they feel uncomfortable and it’s causing demotivation.