The Effectiveness of Arabic Language Immersion Programmes in Building Functional Proficiency: Evidence from the National Arabic Language Village, Ngala

Arabic language immersion programmes represent one of the most intensive approaches to accelerating language acquisition, and the National Arabic Language Village in Ngala, Borno State, stands as Nigeria's most distinctive example of residential immersion-based Arabic learning, yet its effectiveness has not been empirically measured and reported in peer-reviewed literature. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the National Arabic Language Village immersion programme in building functional Arabic proficiency, using a longitudinal pre-post assessment design to measure proficiency gains among participants in a six-month immersion cohort. Proficiency assessments adapted from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview and standardised reading and writing tasks are administered to 80 participants at the start, midpoint, and conclusion of the immersion period. Participant learning journals, weekly reflective interviews with a sample of 20 participants, and observation data from 30 classroom and community Arabic interaction sessions provide qualitative insight into the mechanisms of proficiency development. The study controls for pre-programme proficiency, age, prior Arabic education, and amount of daily Arabic exposure in its analysis. Findings show highly significant proficiency gains particularly in oral production and listening comprehension, though gains in formal writing remain modest. The immersion environment's social Arabic use is identified as a key driver of oral gains. Keywords: Arabic immersion, language proficiency, National Arabic Language Village, evaluation, Nigeria.