A Syllabus Proposal for Language Proficiency in Preparation Programs of Researchers and Experts in Teaching Arabic to Speakers of Other Languages

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a syllabus of the Language Proficiency course in terms of objectives, teaching plan, activities, and suggested references. This paper responds to the growing interest in proficiency frameworks. As a result of the proficiency literature revision, the research determined that there are three main dimensions to consider. The first is the terminology of the field that has been tainted by ambiguity and confusion over the past 70 years. The second dimension of this topic is that existing proficiency models reflect their individual authors' concepts regarding what humans need to understand and communicate in language, too closely. The third dimension is the framework that emerged in response to the need of foreign and second language stakeholders for standard scales to measure individuals' language proficiency. Those frameworks have become numerous over the past seven decades, and each was developed to work best in a specific context. There are also calls to develop a scale for Arabic that befits the language and those who speak it. This paper has attempted to contribute to deepening the understanding of the issue of proficiency and its models and frameworks among those interested, by proposing a detailed conceptualization of a course to be taught in graduate programs concerned with qualifying researchers and experts in our field of teaching Arabic.