Attitudes of the Teachers of Arabic Language to Non-native Learners at the Level of Bachelor Degree in Iranian Universities towards the Communicative Approach

 Methods of teaching are emphasized at all stages of the Arabic language teaching process. Most non-Arabic language learners suffer from poor language skills and are unable to express their thoughts and feelings fluently in this language. That is why changes in teaching methods, to better teach the language in a way that the learner is eager to learn, is a must. When we look at the current state of Arabic language teaching, we find that the most important challenge facing Arabic language teaching in Iran and other countries that teach this language to non-Arabic speakers is the unfamiliarity of Arabic language teachers with the four language skills with the latest teaching methods. The present study aimed to find out how Arabic language teachers in the undergraduate course of Iranian universities treat non-native students with an attitude towards communication. To do this, the researcher used the Karavas-Doukas method to examine perspectives on the communicative approach. It was made up of 22 paragraphs and five sections. This method was based on group work, the importance of grammar rules, error correction, teacher role, and evaluation. The statistical sample of the research was some students in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature in Iranian universities. The research instrument of the study was a questionnaire and an interview. The study was a field study, with the questionnaire distributed among 447 students and 35 professors. The research question of the study was: from the point of view of professors and students, what do the teachers who teach Arabic to non-native speakers say about the communicative approach in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers? The results showed that students’ views on this issue were different from those of professors. Many teachers claimed to use communication methods, but in practice, they often followed old teaching methods. This is due to the teachers’ subconscious belief that it is necessary to control the educational situation. Also due to the specific time allotted for lectures, a large number of students, the lack of teaching aids, and other reasons, teachers tended to focus more on teaching. The authors of the present study also analyzed the most important reasons that have led to the marginalization of many effective and valuable curricula, including teachers’ lack of commitment to speaking Arabic and the use of Persian in the classroom, lack of practical examples, the teacher being unable to speak fluent Arabic, and students refusing to do assignments.