Paradoks Peminatan Bahasa Arab: Analisis Distribusi Mahasiswa Baru Program Studi Bahasa dan Sastra Arab di Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Mandailing Natal

Rani Ismil Hakim (Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Mandailing Natal, Indonesia)

Journal of Arabic Education, Linguistics, and Literature Studies
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025): Journal of Arabic Education, Linguistics, and Literature Studies

The Arabic Language and Literature study program (BSA) holds a strategic position in developing linguistic, literary, and religious competencies, yet its enrollment does not always reflect its importance. This study analyzes the distribution of new students at State Islamic University of Mandailing Natal across 20 study programs, determines the BSA program's position within that distribution, and proposes directions for further research into factors that may explain its low enrollment. A descriptive quantitative approach was applied using population data, namely all 707 new students recorded across the 20 programs, without a sampling procedure. The analysis involved frequency distribution, percentage calculation, ranking, and inter-program comparison. The results show that BSA enrolled only 4 students (0.57%) of all new students, the lowest among the 20 programs. Arabic Language Education enrolled 11 students (1.56%), so the two programs directly oriented toward Arabic together accounted for 15 students (2.12%) of the total intake. In contrast, the Islamic Elementary Teacher Education program had the largest enrollment, with 187 students (26.45%). These findings reveal a stark gap in student distribution between BSA and other programs in an environment with a strong tradition of Islamic education. This condition is identified as an "Arabic-language enrollment paradox" that still requires further empirical verification, since this study did not measure the strength of that Islamic tradition or psychological interest; the enrollment figures are therefore interpreted as registration-based preference rather than a direct measure of interest. This evidence does not yet explain the causes of the low enrollment but provides an empirical basis for further research examining perceptions of Arabic, career prospects, family and social influence, program information, program image, and promotional strategy. The study recommends a data-based evaluation of BSA's academic branding, publicizing graduates' career prospects, promotion based on student and alumni experience, and further survey- and interview-based research.