"I No Longer Saw Students Daydreaming or Sleeping in Class": Exploring Perceptions of Active Leaning Among Elementary Teachers of Arabic in Beirut

Abstract

Active learning is widely associated with improved student achievement, engagement, motivation, and higher-order thinking. However, limited research has examined how active learning is understood and implemented in Lebanese schools, particularly in Arabic language instruction. This qualitative study investigated how elementary teachers of Arabic in Beirut, Lebanon, conceptualize active learning, the instructional practices they reported using, their perceptions of its effectiveness in fostering student engagement and learning, and the contextual factors influencing implementation in K–6 classrooms. Ten in-service teachers participated in semi-structured interviews conducted via Zoom. Data were transcribed and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: (a) teachers conceptualized active learning as a student-centered process emphasizing participation, interaction, discovery, and knowledge construction; (b) teachers reported using collaborative learning, experiential activities, questioning, differentiated instruction, and selective lecture; (c) teachers perceived these strategies as increasing student engagement, confidence, and meaningful learning; and, (d) teachers identified contextual influences, including curriculum demands, workload, resources, school leadership, socioeconomic inequalities, and sociocultural attitudes toward Arabic. Findings suggest that teachers value active learning but implement it within broader institutional constraints.