Exploring a Digital Pedagogy Framework that Embeds an Interactive E-Book for Arabic as a Foreign Language Instruction

Abdelghlel Abdelaziz Abdelrhem, Hany and Passey, Don (2026) Exploring a Digital Pedagogy Framework that Embeds an Interactive E-Book for Arabic as a Foreign Language Instruction. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This design-based research (DBR) study addresses the lack of script-sensitive digital pedagogy for Arabic as a foreign language (AFL), focusing on the acquisition of Arabic writing systems by non-native learners in higher education. Motivated by the scarcity of appropriate digital tools and mixed evidence regarding e-books in Arabic contexts, the project developed, implemented, and iteratively refined the Alif Ba’a interactive e-book. The study employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design within the DBR. Cycle 1 involved exploratory focus groups with AFL teachers to identify classroom challenges and the desired characteristics of the tools. Cycle 2 consisted of semi-structured interviews with teachers and focus groups with students following prototype use, highlighting usability and pedagogical issues. Cycle 3 deployed adapted Technology Acceptance Model (Davis et al., 1989) surveys examining perceived usefulness (PU), ease of use (PEOU), behavioural intention (BI), and constructs including compatibility, media richness, and interactivity. Qualitatively, teachers’ and students’ findings revealed recurrent challenges in online alphabet instruction, including letter-formation guidance, timely feedback, pronunciation modelling, and sustained engagement, specifying design requirements such as multimodal cues, guided letter formation, immediate feedback, concise task instructions, right-to-left interface alignment, and offline resilience. Iterative revisions addressed these issues. Quantitatively, teachers and students reported high PU, PEOU, and BI for the refined e-book. Teachers endorsed audio and interactive components as effective for beginners, while students expressed strong intentions to continue using and recommending the tool, noting minor workflow frictions. The study makes three research contributions: (i) it proposes a digital pedagogy framework aligning cognitive task design— guided by Passey’s Learning Elements Framework (2011) and Widyantoro’s (2018) Presentation-Practice-Production approach—with acceptance constructs critical to adoption; (ii) it offers an empirically derived set of design principles for Arabic script e-books; and (iii) it provides evidence from iterative authentic classrooms across iterative cycles. These outcomes establish a replicable DBR pathway for developing script-specific digital interventions and practical guidance for integrating e-books into AFL curricula, advancing evidence-informed digital pedagogy. Keywords: Arabic as a foreign language pedagogy, e-book, interactive exercises, design-based research, learning elements framework, technology acceptance model