Resources on teaching and learning Arabic as an Additional Language (AL2).
In recent decades, the demand for teaching Arabic as an additional language (AL2) has expanded due to globalisation, shifting economic powers, and geopolitical events (Tinsley, 2015). However, despite its prominence, Arabic is often considered to be very difficult to learn as an additional language, in particular for speakers of English as a first language (Belnap, 2006). It has been categorised by the US Foreign Service Institute as one of only five ‘Category IV’ languages, which are described as ‘super-hard languages’ to learn for native English speakers, requiring over three times as many class hours as languages such as Spanish and French (US Department of State, n.d.). Arabic is further complicated by the language’s ‘multiglossic’ nature, consisting of standard, classical, and colloquial varieties, each with its own realms of application.
The pedagogical challenges presented by this unique and complex linguistic and sociolinguistic situation are significant (Nielsen, 2015). Debate continues in the Arabic practitioner and research community over the most appropriate approaches for teaching Arabic in order to equip students with the tools to function in authentic contexts.
We believe that research into the teaching and learning of AL2 can and should make a crucial contribution to this debate. However, in order for this to be possible, it is important for research findings to be appraised, synthesized and distilled into clear and usable implications for teachers and policymakers.
As a first step towards this goal, we have conducted a systematic scoping review, which aims to provide a clear picture of the extent and nature of existing research into the learning and teaching of AL2. Our review provides a ‘map of the landscape’ of research published in English, signposting teachers and researchers to publications that may be relevant to them, and identifying gaps in the existing literature which highlight the need for further research.
