Attitudes of Secondary School Students Towards Arabic Language Learning in Kwara State

Learner attitudes towards a target language are widely acknowledged as significant determinants of motivation, effort, and ultimate achievement in language acquisition. This study investigates the attitudes of senior secondary school students in Kwara State towards Arabic language learning, exploring the relationship between attitude, motivation type, and Arabic proficiency outcomes. Using a quantitative survey approach, the research administers a validated Arabic Language Attitude Scale to 400 students drawn from twenty senior secondary schools across Ilorin, Offa, and Kaiama through stratified random sampling. Background data on parental education, prior Quranic schooling experience, and religious affiliation are collected alongside attitudinal measures. Multiple regression analysis is employed to assess the relative contribution of attitudinal and motivational variables to Arabic proficiency scores obtained from a concurrent language test. Findings reveal that instrumentally motivated students, particularly those linking Arabic to future Islamic scholarly careers, demonstrate significantly more positive attitudes and higher proficiency than those with purely integrative or incidental motivations. Community perceptions of Arabic as a language of religion rather than wider professional utility are found to dampen broader positive attitudes. Recommendations include community sensitisation initiatives linking Arabic to economic and diplomatic opportunities and the redesign of school Arabic programmes to highlight diverse career pathways. Keywords: Language attitudes, Arabic learning, motivation, secondary students, Kwara State.