Reorienting Arabic Language Learning: Designing a Linguistic Immersion Model as an Academic Identity

Abstract

A persistent challenge in Arabic language education within Islamic higher education is the disconnect between students’ theoretical mastery of grammar and their limited communicative competence in authentic campus settings. This study aims to design an integrative linguistic immersion model that reorients Arabic learning as a core element of academic identity at IAI Tihamah Cirebon. Employing a qualitative conceptual design complemented by field observations, data were collected through systematic literature review, non-participant campus observations, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews with lecturers, students, and administrators, then analyzed via qualitative content analysis with triangulation and member-checking. The findings reveal three interrelated challenges—program fragmentation, absence of language zoning, and instrumental student perceptions—that informed the formulation of a three-pillar immersion model comprising curricular immersion, co-curricular immersion, and institutional language policy. A phased partial-immersion approach, beginning with approximately 50 percent Arabic-mediated instruction, is recommended as contextually feasible. The model advances both theoretical understanding of immersion in faith-based higher education and practical pathways for cultivating a sustainable Arabic-speaking academic ecosystem.