The Dual Function Dilemma of Madrasah: A Comparative Analysis of Structural and Communicative Orientations in Grade X Arabic Textbooks

Abstract

This study comparatively analyzes the content dimensions and presentation approaches of Grade X Madrasah Aliyah (MA) Arabic textbooks published by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, namely the 2013 Curriculum (2014 Edition) and the 2020 Transition Edition. Using a qualitative method with a descriptive-comparative approach and document analysis (content analysis), this study aims to map the shift in pedagogical orientation amidst curriculum policy transitions. The results reveal a fundamental transformation from a structural-behaviorist paradigm to a communicative-constructivist one, substantiated by analytical indicators including syllabus organization, language skills (maharah) distribution, and grammar (qawa'id) presentation. Specifically, the 2013 Curriculum textbook adopts a segmented syllabus, dominant receptive skills, and deductive grammar presentation oriented towards grammatical accuracy for turats (Islamic classical texts) literacy. Conversely, the 2020 Transition Edition offers a thematic-integrative syllabus, balanced skills distribution, inductive grammar presentation, and Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) tasks oriented towards communicative fluency. The primary novelty of this study identifies a pedagogical trade-off dilemma rooted in the "dual function" of madrasah education: balancing grammatical foundation for Islamic knowledge access and 21st-century communicative competence. The study concludes that no textbook is universally perfect. The practical implication demands teachers to transform from mere textbook deliverers to curriculum adapters through a pedagogical hybridization strategy, combining the communicative framework of the Transition Edition with the explicit grammar deepening of the 2013 Curriculum as a supplement, to balance structural accuracy and communicative fluency. Theoretically, this study proposes a novel conceptual framework mapping the trajectory from curricular transition to pedagogical hybridization, positioning the 'dual function' of madrasah Arabic along a continuum between structural-textual literacy and communicative competence.