Project AGHSAN: Bridging Literacy and Cognitive Development in Early Arabic Education Through Guided Reading
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54878/h2rz8p66Keywords:
Arabic Literacy, Cognitive Development, Guided Reading, Early EducationAbstract
Background: Project AGHSAN introduces an innovative graded reading program designed to enhance Arabic literacy and cognitive skills among young learners. This pilot study assessed the program’s impact on reading confidence, fluency, comprehension, and overall student engagement among Year 2 and Year 4 students at Al Futtaim Schools.
Methods: The study employed a pre-test and post-test control group design, with the intervention group participating in structured guided reading sessions using AGHSAN materials over a five-week period. Data were collected through teacher observations, student surveys, and interviews, with a focus on measurable gains in literacy.
Results: Analysis revealed significant improvements in reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and student engagement within the intervention group, supported by both quantitative and qualitative data.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that Project AGHSAN provides an effective framework for addressing critical reading challenges in Arabic, promoting both literacy development and cognitive growth. These results advocate for broader implementation and call for further longitudinal studies to explore the program's long-term benefits.
References
Al Ghanem R, Kearns DM. Orthographic, phonological, and morphological skills and children’s word reading in Arabic: A literature review. Read Res Q. 2015;50(1):83–109.
Asaad H, Eviatar Z. Learning to read in Arabic: The long and winding road. Read Writ. 2014;27:649–64.
Saiegh-Haddad E, Schiff R. The impact of diglossia on voweled and unvoweled word reading in Arabic: A developmental study from childhood to adolescence. Sci Stud Read. 2016;20(4):311–24.
Myhill J. The effect of diglossia on literacy in Arabic and other languages. Handb Arab Lit Insights Perspect. 2014;197–223.
Hashem R. Diglossia and Arabic Literacy: From Research to Practice. Br J Educ. 2022;10(11):1–13.
Yassin R, Share DL, Shalhoub-Awwad Y. Learning to spell in Arabic: The impact of script-specific visual-orthographic features. Front Psychol. 2020;11:2059.
Abu-Hamour B, Al-Hmouz H, Kenana M. The effect of short vowelization on curriculum-based measurement of reading fluency and comprehension in Arabic. Aust J Learn Difficulties. 2013;18(2):181–97.
Saiegh-Haddad E, Shahbari-Kassem A, Schiff R. Phonological awareness in Arabic: The role of phonological distance, phonological-unit size, and SES. Read Writ. 2020;33(6):1649–74.
İlerten F, Haznedar B, Babür N. Cognitive and linguistic predictors of word reading fluency in Turkish–Arabic bilingual and Turkish monolingual children. Int J Biling. 2024;13670069241305284.
Issa I. Morphological complexity in Arabic spelling and its implication for cognitive processing. J Psycholinguist Res. 2023;52(1):331–57.
Taha HY. Reading and spelling in Arabic: Linguistic and orthographic complexity. Theory Pract Lang Stud. 2013;3(5):721.
Shahbari-Kassem A, Asli-Badarneh A, Hende N, Roby-Bayaa A. Reading stories in Arabic: the impact of lexico-phonological and diglossic distance level on comprehension and receptive and productive vocabulary among Arab kindergarten children. Front Educ [Internet]. 2024;9. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1394024
Ayari S. Diglossia and illiteracy in the Arab world. Lang Cult Curric. 1996;9(3):243–53.
Molfese VJ, Modglin A, Molfese DL. The role of environment in the development of reading skills: a longitudinal study of preschool and school-age measures. J Learn Disabil. 2003;36(1):59–67.
Maroun L, Ibrahim R, Eviatar Z. Visual and orthographic processing in Arabic word recognition among dyslexic and typical readers. Writ Syst Res. 2019;11(2):142–58.
Treiman R, Hulslander J, Olson RK, Willcutt EG, Byrne B, Kessler B. The unique role of early spelling in the prediction of later literacy performance. Sci Stud Read. 2019;23(5):437–44.
Layes S, Layes K. Study on the Concurrent Role of Phonological Processing and Visual Perception Abilities in Word Reading in Arabic- A Follow-up Study. Arab J Appl Linguist [Internet]. 2023 Dec 31;8(2 SE-):1–37. Available from: https://www.arjals.com/ajal/article/view/382
Elbeheri G, Everatt J. Literacy ability and phonological processing skills amongst dyslexic and non-dyslexic speakers of Arabic. Read Writ [Internet]. 2007;20(3):273–94. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-006-9031-0
Ullah MZ, Ahamd M. “Qaida Al-Nooraniyya” is an effective basis for learning the Holy Quran and the Arabic language with the development of modern teaching methods:" القاعدة النورانية" أساس فعال لتعلم القرآن الكريم واللغة العربية مع تطور وسائل التعليم الحديثة. Al-Aijaz Res J Islam Stud Humanit. 2024;8(1):1–17.
Tibi S. Cognitive and linguistic factors of reading Arabic: the role of morphological awareness in reading. Queen’s University (Canada); 2016.
Mannai H al, Everatt J. Phonological processing skills as predictors of literacy amongst Arabic speaking Bahraini children. Dyslexia [Internet]. 2005 Nov 1;11(4):269–91. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.303
Duke NK, Pearson PD. Effective practices for developing reading comprehension. J Educ. 2009;189(1–2):107–22.
Gay G. Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. teachers college press; 2018.
Slavin RE, Lake C, Chambers B, Cheung A, Davis S. Effective Reading Programs for the Elementary Grades: A Best-Evidence Synthesis. Rev Educ Res [Internet]. 2009 Dec 1;79(4):1391–466. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309341374
Gove A, Brombacher A, Ward‐Brent M. Sparking a reading revolution: Results of early literacy interventions in Egypt and Jordan. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 2017;2017(155):97–115.
Al-Khalifa HS. A system for decoding and coloring arabic text for language learners. IEEE Access. 2019;7:104810–22.
