READABILITY OF THE SECOND GRADE ARABIC LANGUAGE BOOKS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Abstract

Purpose of the study: This study aims to measure the readability of Second Grade Arabic Language books in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methodology: This paper discusses a quantitative survey conducted, based on previous studies which include Momni and Momni (2011), Nasser and Ibrahimi (2013) and Lami and Zoaeni (2014), to examine readability problems in Arabic language books used in UAE schools. The researchers developed a Cloze Test and performed the test on a randomly selected sample of 387 Second Grade students. Both descriptive and inferential statistics (T-Test, ANOVA) were analysed using SPSS version 22 and to examine the readability of Second Grade Arabic Language books. Main Findings: The result indicates that the students’ average score in all the readability levels to the total score of the Cloze Test is at an unsatisfactory level. There are significant differences in the level of the poetic and prose texts’ readability among the genders and different academic averages. Applications of this study: This study provides evidence that the long-term goal of the Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) has yet to be achieved. The outcomes suggest that there is a need to improve students' readability of Arabic Language books in the UAE, starting from the Second Grade. Novelty/Originality of this study: Readability of Arabic Language Book was widely explained by other researchers, but there is no study conducted on Second Grade students in UAE.