علاقة الرغبة في تعلم اللغة العربية بالقدرة على كتابة الإنشاء لطلبة المرحلة المتوسطة

Abstract

Arabic essay writing ability (al-insya') is a productive skill that Islamic junior high school (madrasah tsanawiyah) students often find challenging. These difficulties stem not only from grammatical mastery but also from affective factors such as learning interest. This study aims to examine the correlation between students' interest in learning Arabic and their ability to write insya' among eighth-grade students of madrasah tsanawiyah. The study employed a quantitative approach with a bivariate correlational design. The participants included all 25 eighth-grade students at MTs Modern Islamic Boarding School Ta'dib Al-Syakirin Medan, North Sumatra, selected through a saturated sampling technique due to the limited population size. Data were gathered using two validated instruments: a 4-point Likert scale questionnaire on learning interest consisting of 25 items (Cronbach's Alpha reliability of 0.758) and a performance test of guided composition (insya' muwajjah) based on serial pictures and structured sentence arranging (Cronbach's Alpha reliability of 0.611). The questionnaire assessed three indicators: enjoyment, attention, and active participation, while the writing test evaluated content relevance, vocabulary choice, grammar, and spelling mechanics. Data analysis involved assumption tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality and linearity) and Pearson Product Moment correlation testing using SPSS. The findings showed an average learning interest score of 69.53 (fairly high) and an average writing score of 65.78 (moderate). The correlation analysis yielded an obtained coefficient of r_count = 0.857 (p < 0.05), exceeding r_table at both the 5% (0.396) and 1% (0.505) significance levels. The coefficient of determination (R^2) was 0.734. In conclusion, there is a strong and significant positive correlation between Arabic learning interest and students' insya' writing ability, with learning interest accounting for 73.4% of the variance in writing performance.