An Analytical Field Study of the "Talk Arabic" Curriculum Based on the Integration of the Printed Textbook and the Interactive Platform in Enhancing Arabic Language Skills among Kindergarten Children

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the "Talk Arabic" curriculum, which is based on the integration of the printed textbook and the interactive digital platform, in enhancing the four Arabic language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—among kindergarten children, through an analysis of its methodological structure and a measurement of kindergarten teachers’ and parents’ perceptions before and after implementation. The study adopted a dual design combining critical descriptive analysis of the curriculum with a one-group pre-post quasi-experimental design, using a validated questionnaire (α = 0.91) applied to a purposive sample of 120 teachers and parents in educational institutions in the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, and Qatar during the first semester of the 2024–2025 academic year. Results of the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test showed a statistically significant improvement in all targeted skills (Z ≥ 7.29, p < .001), with a large effect size across all domains (η² = 0.44–0.56). The speaking and oral-confidence domain ranked highest (M = 4.38), particularly among children who had completed two years of kindergarten before moving to first grade (M = 4.61, per their teachers’ ratings). Structural analysis revealed that the curriculum offers a sixteen-level phonological progression, accommodates individual differences through four progressive learner personas, and satisfies six of the seven NAEYC (2020) standards. It should be noted that the absence of a control group and the reliance on respondents’ perceptions represent substantial methodological limitations