Isrun Abdurahman

Assessment in Arabic language learning as a foreign language (Arabic as a Foreign Language) is currently undergoing a significant paradigm shift. This transformation is influenced by the development of digital technology, the utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum in Indonesia, which emphasizes flexibility, differentiation, and learning personalization. This article presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aimed at identifying, examining, and synthesizing developments, innovations, methodological approaches, and various challenges in the assessment of the four Arabic language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing, during the period from 2020 to early 2026. The review employed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol to identify and analyze relevant literature. The findings indicate a shift from conventional evaluation systems based on discrete tests toward the implementation of Technology-Enhanced Assessment (TEA) and more authentic forms of assessment. The literature synthesis reveals several key findings. First, diagnostic assessment, encompassing both cognitive and non-cognitive aspects, plays an important role in designing differentiated learning within the framework of the Merdeka Curriculum. Second, the development of assessment instruments for Arabic language maharah is increasingly oriented toward measuring higher-order thinking skills (Higher Order Thinking Skills/HOTS). Third, the utilization of Generative AI, including ChatGPT, as well as various gamification-based learning platforms, has introduced new approaches to providing faster, more adaptive, and interactive feedback. Based on the synthesis, the effectiveness of modern assessment is not determined solely by the sophistication of the technology employed, but also by the alignment between technology and pedagogical objectives, the transparency of assessment procedures, and its ability to comprehensively represent learners' communicative competence while maintaining the principles of academic integrity.

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI), such as ChatGPT, has brought significant changes to higher education, including Arabic language learning for non-native speakers (Arabic as a Foreign Language). Writing skills (Maharah al-Kitabah) are considered a relatively complex productive skill. Learners are required not only to master word formation (Sarf) and Arabic grammar (Nahwu), but also to organize ideas coherently and logically. This article employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach based on the PRISMA 2020 standards to map the use of ChatGPT in Arabic writing, examine the reliability of AI in Arabic grammar, and identify research gaps that remain underexplored. The review findings indicate that ChatGPT can serve as a useful writing partner (human-AI co-writer), particularly for generating ideas, enriching vocabulary, and correcting basic grammatical errors. However, AI still frequently produces errors or “hallucinations” when dealing with morphologically complex words, variations in Arabic dialects, and unvocalized texts. As a result, AI-generated writing may appear linguistically polished on the surface while containing grammatical inaccuracies. Furthermore, excessive reliance on AI may pose risks to academic integrity, while AI detection tools themselves often produce inaccurate results when identifying Arabic-language texts (false positives). This review also finds that existing research remains overly focused on English, tends to examine only the final writing outcomes without investigating students’ cognitive processes, and has paid limited attention to AI models specifically developed for the Arab region, such as ALLaM and Jais. Therefore, the approach to AI-assisted learning needs to shift from merely using AI toward purposeful and reflective utilization through frameworks such as the Spiral Learning Model and Genre-Based Pedagogy, so that AI functions as a scaffold without diminishing students’ autonomy and critical thinking.