Pembangunan model pedagogi QISTARAH berasaskan terjemahan intersemiotik dalam pengajaran teks Arab klasik

[Development of the QISTARAH pedagogical model based on intersemiotic translation in the teaching of classical Arabic texts]

Abstract

The teaching of classical Arabic texts at the higher and secondary levels presents considerable linguistic, cultural and cognitive challenges, particularly for learners who are not native speakers of Arabic. Lengthy syntactic structures, archaic vocabulary and rhetorical density in literary works such as Kalilah wa Dimnah hinder readers’ comprehension and undermine learners’ motivation. In keeping with twenty-first-century pedagogy, which emphasises multimodal and learner-centred approaches, the integration of visual elements into the teaching of classical texts holds considerable promise for enhancing the effectiveness of learning. This article presents the development of the QISTARAH Pedagogical Model (Qissah–Visual–Tarjamah), a teaching framework based on bilingual (Arabic–Malay) visual-translation comics that integrates Intersemiotic Translation Theory, Dual Coding Theory, the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and Cognitive Load Theory. The study adopts a design and development research approach comprising three phases: theoretical needs analysis, theoretical synthesis and instructional design. The development of the model involved semantic analysis of the text, systematic visual transformation and multimedia design grounded in cognitive principles. The feasibility of the model is illustrated through a worked example applying all six components to a narrative unit from the chapter of al-Hamamah al-Mutawwaqah (the ring-necked dove). The elaboration of the model indicates that purposefully designed visual-translation comics have the potential to improve textual comprehension, reduce cognitive load and strengthen learners’ intrinsic motivation; the model nevertheless remains at the conceptual stage, and this potential has yet to be confirmed through any empirical testing. The article contributes a theory-driven pedagogical model for Arabic that may be extended to the teaching of other classical texts in higher education.