Beyond Digital Participation: Monitoring and Feedback in WhatsApp-Based Arabic Language Practice

Digital participation does not by itself establish the quality of Arabic language practice. This qualitative case study examines how digital monitoring and feedback support vacation-period Arabic video assignments at Raudlah al-Lughah al-‘Arabiyah (RLA) Annuqayah, East Java, with particular attention to WhatsApp. Data was collected through interviews with twelve informants (the RLA head, five administrators, and six members) together with observation and documentation. Analysis involved data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification, meanwhile source and technique triangulation supported data credibility. The findings identify a connected workflow of assignment completion checks, documentation of WhatsApp Story views, video review, feedback, and recognition of members’ work. Within this workflow, submission records document participation, viewer counts document content reach, and video review provides a basis for feedback on language performance. The study provides a contextual account of digital monitoring and feedback in pesantren-based Arabic language practice rather than evidence of measured proficiency gains. Future research could develop explicit video-evaluation benchmarks and examine changes in speaking performance over time.