The Impact of the (M.S) and (Z.M) Models on the Acquisition of Arabic Grammar Rules among Second Intermediate Grade Students

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of the Mental Stimulation (M.S) model, which is based on the cognitive acceleration approach of Adey and Shayer, and Zimmerman’s self-regulated learning (Z.M) model on the achievement of Arabic grammar rules among second intermediate grade female students. A quasi-experimental design with two experimental groups and one control group and a post-test was adopted. The sample comprised 90 students of a girls’ intermediate day school of the General Directorate of Education in Babil Governorate, Iraq, in the 2023–2024 academic year; the three classes were randomly assigned to the M.S group, the Z.M group and a control group taught by the conventional method. The groups were statistically equated in chronological age, previous achievement in the Arabic language and Raven’s intelligence test. A 40-item multiple-choice achievement test was constructed; its face and content validity were established by expert judgement, and its split-half reliability reached 0.86 after Spearman–Brown correction. One-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant difference among the three groups (F(2, 91) = 8.659, p < 0.05, η² = 0.16). Scheffé post hoc comparisons showed that both the M.S group (M = 25.45) and the Z.M group (M = 27.24) outperformed the control group (M = 21.07), whereas the difference between the two experimental groups was not significant. The findings indicate that both models are effective alternatives to conventional grammar instruction, and the study recommends training Arabic language teachers in their classroom application.