The Arabic Reading Challenge Initiative’s Impact on Young Learners in Bahrain a Case study

Abstract

This case study research investigated the effect of the Arabic Reading Challenge Initiative (ARCI) on young learners aged between six and twelve years old. The sample consisted of three children: Eyad (M, 11), Retaj (F, 9), and Raneem (F, 7). They were enrolled in Bahraini Primary governmental schools. They are under the guardianship of the researcher and this made it easy to observe them closely. Seven teachers and librarians who were members of ARCI teams at school level as well as the chairperson of the ARCI committee in Bahrain were surveyed. The research investigated the following skills: word knowledge, speaking, reading, writing and other personal skills. Three questionnaires were developed by the researcher and judged by jury. About 500 titles of different genre were available for the students. The books and 15 Reading Passports to register their reading achievements (five passports per each participant) in addition to the participants’ school notebooks were examined. The research found that ARCI had a positive effect on enhancing word knowledge, speaking, reading and writing skills. In addition, the close observations suggested that girls were more self-motivated than boys, and that parental support was crucial to motivating children to read.