Recreational Reading in the Arab World: A Critical Review of the Arab Reading Index (ARI)

Abstract

This study explores the concept and significance of recreational reading in the Arab world. Recreational reading, often termed Reading pleasure, (Clark & Rumbold, 2006), voluntary reading (Krashen, 2004), or independent reading (Cullinan, 2000) is the reading carried out by personal choice. However, recreational reading in the Arab world rarely gets attention through comprehensive of scholarly studies. Thus, this textual study also examines the context of recreational reading and the initiatives taken to enhance this activity in the Arab region.