Improving Maharah Kitabah Through Differentiated Learning in Madrasah Tsanawiyah

Abstract

Writing skill (maharah kitabah) is one of the most challenging aspects of Arabic language learning for students at the Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) level. Many students experience difficulty structuring sentences, selecting appropriate vocabulary, and developing coherent written texts, partly because classroom instruction often remains uniform and teacher-centered. This study aims to examine the implementation of differentiated learning as a strategy to improve students’ maharah kitabah in Arabic language learning at MTsN Pacitan. This study employed a qualitative descriptive design involving one Arabic teacher and 28 eighth-grade students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through classroom observation, interviews, and writing assessments, and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that differentiated learning was implemented through variation in learning content, process, and writing tasks according to students’ readiness levels. The results show that this approach improved students’ writing competence in terms of vocabulary use, grammatical accuracy, and coherence, while also increasing their motivation, confidence, and classroom participation. The contribution of this study lies in demonstrating that differentiated learning provides a practical and pedagogically sound framework for addressing learner diversity in Arabic writing instruction within MTs contexts. It also strengthens theoretical support for learner-centered and scaffolded approaches in second language writing pedagogy. Practically, the findings suggest that Arabic language teachers at MTs can apply differentiated learning by adjusting writing tasks, instructional support, and learning materials according to students’ readiness levels to enhance writing achievement more effectively.