Cultural Immersion and Advanced L2 Arabic Speaking: A CEFR-Aligned Quasi-Experimental Study
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Abstract
This study investigates whether a culturally immersive pedagogy can measurably enhance advanced Arabic speaking proficiency among non-native learners within the CEFR framework. Using a quasi-experimental design at King Saud University, forty C1–C2 students were assigned to an experimental group receiving a 12-week immersion-based program (authentic interaction tasks, shadowing of literary/audio models, and targeted work on idiomaticity and pragmatic appropriateness) and a control group following conventional instruction. Pre/post oral assessments aligned to CEFR descriptors captured fluency, spontaneity, and sociocultural appropriateness; complementary questionnaires, focused interviews, and learner journals/audio logs documented engagement and perceived change. Quantitatively, SPSS was used to compute descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests on gain scores after assumption checks (Shapiro–Wilk; Levene). Qualitatively, NVivo supported inductive coding of interview/journal data to identify themes that might explain measured gains. Across outcomes, the immersion group demonstrated significantly larger improvements in CEFR-referenced fluency and pragmatic appropriateness (p < .05). Thematic analysis converged on three mechanisms—Cultural Awareness (calibrating register and formality, deploying culture-specific references), Spontaneous Fluency (reduced reliance on mental translation, smoother turn-taking), and Linguistic Confidence (greater command of idioms/proverbs)—which triangulated with the quantitative effects. Pedagogically, results suggest that integrating high-authenticity tasks (e.g., guided participation in community-style discussions, idiom/proverb workshops, situated simulations of service encounters) accelerates movement from accurate but monitored performance to spontaneous, contextually appropriate production targeted by CEFR C1/C2. We outline an implementable 12-week sequence and low-cost supports (record-and-reflect cycles; systematic feedback rubrics) that programs can adopt without sacrificing core grammatical progression. The study contributes (i) an operationalized immersion model for Arabic at advanced levels, (ii) mixed-methods evidence linking cultural mediation to measurable speaking gains, and (iii) practical assessment artifacts aligned with CEFR. Limitations include a single-site context and one-semester exposure; future work should examine longitudinal retention and compare face-to-face versus digitally mediated immersion.
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