Evaluating the Perceived Effectiveness of Arabic-for-Fiqh-and-Judiciary Course Content in Developing Academic and Professional Language Competencies in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence: An Empirical Study at Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Arabic language instructional content in developing discipline-specific language competencies among students in the Department of Fiqh and Judiciary, Faculty of Shariah, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Brunei Darussalam. It was grounded in the importance of Arabic for Specific Purposes (ASP) in addressing the academic and professional needs of students specialising in Shariah-related disciplines. A quantitative evaluative design was employed to assess the effectiveness of the instructional content and the extent to which it addressed learners’ discipline-specific linguistic needs. The study population comprised 43 first-year students, of whom 29 participated in the study, representing 67.5% of the total population. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire developed based on the literature on ASP, language needs analysis, and academic language competencies. The data were subsequently analysed using appropriate descriptive statistical techniques. The findings revealed that students perceived the course content as highly effective in developing their discipline-specific language competencies, with an overall effectiveness score of 77.8%. The alignment of the content with specialised Shariah-related topics received the highest rating (80.6%), followed by practical activities and academic writing (80.0%), academic speaking (79.3%), and academic listening (77.9%). The findings further indicated that the content successfully addressed students’ academic and professional needs while appropriately incorporating Islamic and Arab cultural dimensions. Nevertheless, the results identified areas requiring further improvement, particularly specialised reading skills and the sequencing and difficulty levels of the instructional materials, to better accommodate individual differences among learners. The study recommends developing ASP content through a competency-based and needs-driven approach, strengthening analytical and inferential reading activities, and expanding the integration of contemporary educational technologies. These measures may contribute to improving the quality and relevance of Arabic language programmes in Islamic higher education institutions.