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Evaluation of Al Manaahil: An Original Arabic Children's Television Series in Reading USAID

Author(s):
Murphy, Richard T.
Publication Year:
1988
Report Number:
RR-88-45
Source:
ETS Research Report
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
123
Subject/Key Words:
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Al Manaahil, Arabic, Educational Television, Program Evaluation, Reading Programs, Reading Tests

Abstract

Between April 1985 and January 1988, Educational Testing Service conducted an evaluation of Al Manaahil (The Sources), a children's television series in reading for Arab children. The series, produced and broadcast in Jordan, contained 65 half-hour shows in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) designed for children in Grades One through Four. The shows were intended to expose children to modern vocabulary and examples of accurate uses of MSA in everyday situations. More than 5,000 children in Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia were tested in the evaluation. Based on the Jordan test data, Al Manaahil had a positive impact on children's reading skills. The positive findings were replicated in government schools, United Nations schools, and private schools. The findings were similar for boys and girls. They held up across different tests. The positive results were more pronounced on items more clearly related to specific goals of the series than on items less clearly related. The majority of children who participated in the testing program reported that they watched the Al Manaahil series and liked it. Responses of teachers, parents, and other adults to an ETS survey about the series were also positive. (123pp.)

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