Perception of Students of the Faculty of Business Management on Learning Arabic as a Third Language

Research on students’ perceptions of learning Arabic as a third language is well established, but little attention has been given to non-language major students in Malaysian higher education, particularly in business faculties. This study investigates the perceptions of students from the Faculty of Business Management at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Mukah toward Arabic learning. A quantitative descriptive design was employed using a structured questionnaire administered to 50 students. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests to examine differences by gender and prior Arabic learning experience. The results show that most students expressed positive perceptions, with 67.8% of responses in the “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” categories. Nevertheless, challenges related to the complexity of Arabic grammar and limited opportunities for exposure continue to hinder effective learning. No significant differences were found between genders or between students with and without prior exposure. These findings suggest that teaching strategies and supportive learning environments are more influential than demographic factors in shaping positive perceptions of Arabic.

Perception, Arabic, Third Language

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