Chapter 2
Teaching Arabic as a Global Language
QFI views Arabic as one language that encompasses all its varieties.
This approach reflects the integration that happens naturally for a native Arabic speaker.
Research conducted by University of Leeds, Adelphi University, and American Councils for International Education, concluded in 2023 and all directly contributed findings to this approach.
In 2023, QFI celebrated the following milestones in research:
- Teacher perceptions and attitudes led to guidelines for use by any teacher curious about how to teach the sociolinguistics of Arabic in a school classroom.
- Research showed the need for more parent education programs to help Arab families understand the importance of mother-tongue preservation from birth.
- We finalized the first overview of existing public Arabic Dual Language Immersion school programs in the United States.
University of Leeds Guidelines
Championing integration of Arabic varieties in classrooms
The study from the University of Leeds began with teachers’ viewpoints on integrating varieties in their teaching. It investigated teachers’ experiences as they grapple with deciding which Arabic to use in their teaching.
The findings of this study resulted in guidelines to support teachers on to how to integrate Arabic varieties in their classrooms. Researchers from the University of Leeds have given keynotes and presentations on this research at conferences in the UK, US, Spain, and Egypt, to name just a few.
Adelphi University Study
Investigating the importance of children’s exposure to mother-tongue Arabic
Led by Adelphi University, the study on “Perceptions and Lived Experiences of Arab American Parent Participants in LENA Start: Lessons for Parent Education Programs in Minoritized Communities” investigated how exposure in the early years to a mother-tongue language is essential to children becoming truly bilingual.
The research highlighted parent education programs in New York City that assisted Arab American families in better understanding the importance of their mother tongue and how they can advocate for their child’s access to learning and maintaining their home language so they can continue to learn it in more formal settings.
Arabic Dual-Language Immersion
Exploring Arabic immersion in the US
In partnership with the American Councils for International Education, we finalized an exploratory study on Arabic Dual-Language Immersion (DLI) programs in the US. It focused on the four existing public and public charter school programs in 2018 to better understand student demographics, program structure, teacher feedback, and parental motivations. This study resulted in two publications. The first is a book chapter in “Mosaic of Tongues: Multilingual Learning for the Arabic-Speaking World,” and the second is a white paper.
