Structured language immersion activities for developing oral proficiency among non-native Arabic-speaking students

Abstract

Language immersion is commonly classified into two forms: natural immersion, where learners interact with authentic second-language environments, and structured or planned immersion, which takes place in intentionally designed educational settings. Building on this distinction, the present study examines the effectiveness of a structured program of language immersion activities in developing oral proficiency among first-year African university students who are non-native Arabic speakers. The participants came from diverse linguistic backgrounds, with native languages including English, French, and various local languages. Over a two-month period at King Faisal University, the students engaged in a carefully crafted set of language immersion activities designed to enrich their exposure to meaningful, socially interactive, and communication-rich environments. The program incorporated a variety of experiential and communicative tasks, such as role-playing real-life scenarios, guided storytelling circles, peer dialogue workshops, interactive vocabulary-based games, and short reflective audio recordings. A quasi-experimental design was employed with a single group of 35 students, using an oral proficiency test to measure three key dimensions of speaking performance: structural competence, vocabulary breadth, and oral fluency. The findings revealed significant improvements between the pre-test and post-test scores across all three dimensions, with results favoring the post-test. These findings underscore the value of sustained exposure to structured, linguistically rich, and socially engaging immersion activities in promoting measurable gains in students’ oral Arabic proficiency. The findings also reaffirm that sustained exposure to a second language through well-designed, pre-planned activities within communication-rich environments can significantly enhance learners’ oral development.