Auditorium of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA SPs UIN Jakarta, SPs NEWS – The Graduate School (SPs) of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held the 1732nd Doctoral Promotion Exam in the Auditorium Room of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA Graduate School on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 with the promovenda of Iis Susiawati.

Iis is a student of the Doctoral program in Islamic Studies with a concentration in Arabic Language Education. His dissertation is entitled "Mahārat al-Qirā'ah Learning and Cognitive Ability in Reading Arabic Texts: A Comparative Study on PBA and BSA Students at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta".

In the open session, promovendus Iis Susiawati successfully defended her dissertation which examined the comparison of learning mahārat al-qirā'ah (reading skills) and cognitive abilities of students of the Arabic Language Education Study Program (PBA) and Arabic Language and Literature (BSA).

This research departs from the dynamics of Arabic language learning in Islamic religious universities, where PBA and BSA are often seen as having different orientations. Through her study, Iis thoroughly explored the characteristics of learning, cognitive profiles, to the extent to which students' perception of the learning process and cognitive abilities can predict their success in understanding Arabic texts in depth.

Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory, this study combines the strength of quantitative data and the depth of qualitative analysis. The initial stage involved 88 students from both study programs through test instruments and questionnaires, which were then deepened by interviews with 18 participants, class observations, and comprehensive study of learning documents.

The results of the research revealed that the differences in learning styles are quite contrasting between the two study programs. PBA students tend to be formed through a gradual learning process (progression), the use of graded materials, and the re-delivery of the meaning of the text. Meanwhile, BSA students are more dominant in strengthening sentence structure analysis, mastery of i'rāb, translation techniques, and exploration of varied texts.

Interestingly, the difference in approach turned out to result in the total achievement of cognitive ability and mahārat al-qirā'ah which was relatively balanced between PBA and BSA students. Descriptively, BSA students slightly excelled in the level of application (C3) and basic level thinking skills (LOTS), while PBA students showed higher scores in analysis (C4), evaluation (C5), and higher level thinking skills (HOTS).

From the analysis of predictive models, this study found that cognitive ability plays the most crucial and consistent role as the main determinant of success in reading Arabic texts. Meanwhile, students' positive perceptions of learning factors do contribute, but the greatest influence remains rooted in the extent to which the cognitive processing and linguistic foundations of the students themselves develop.

The integration of qualitative data further emphasizes that an equal level of achievement does not mean that it is processed in the same way. Differences in text types, assignment characteristics, lecturer assistance, and individual reading habits are unique paths for each PBA and BSA students in achieving mature language understanding.

These findings strengthen and expand the reach of previous Arabic literacy studies. Iis Susiawati's research proves that different learning paths and methods in higher education can still lead students to a proficient level of reading Arabic texts, as long as their cognitive and linguistic foundations are firmly built.

Iis successfully defended his dissertation under the guidance of Prof. Dr. H.D. Hidayat, MA, Prof. Dr. Sukron Kamil, M.Ag, and Dr. Maswani, MA, and was tested in front of a board of examiners consisting of Prof. Dr. Zulkifli, MA, Prof. Dr. H.D. Hidayat, MA, Prof. Dr. Sukron Kamil, M.Ag, Dr. Maswani, MA, Prof. Muhammad Zuhdi, M.Ed, Ph.D, Prof. Dr. Ratna Sari Dewi, M.Pd, Dr. H. Muhbib, M.Ag.

After paying attention to the dissertation writing, the comments of the examiner team and the answers of the promovendus, the examiner team determined that Iis Susiawati graduated with the title of Very Satisfactory. Iis Susiawati is the 1732nd Doctor in the field of Islamic Studies, the doctoral program of the Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. (Jay A)