Scientific reading in Qatari preparatory independent schools

Qatar’s educational reform has been in progress for over ten years, and its many changes have affected reading programs and thus students’ reading achievement. One important change was the language of instruction in mathematics and science; students who were previously taught science in Arabic had to switch to English as the new language of instruction. Two years ago, another decision was taken by the Supreme Education Council to change the language of instruction from English back to Arabic for mathematics and science. The change in the language of instruction made scientific reading in both languages more challenging and less appealing for students. Students within Qatar’s public system are finding it difficult to read, and even those who do read are usually reading by sounding out words but not necessarily understanding the overall meaning of the passage they are reading. It is important to look at how students are being taught reading since the way they are taught has an important role in how students...