Development of Verb and Noun Word Patterns in Arabic: A Comparison Between Typically Developing Children and Those With Reading Difficulties.

Purpose: The study aims to investigate the developmental process of producing morphological word patterns of verbs (such as /sˤɑnɑʢ/, which means "he produced") versus nouns (such as /mɑsˤnɑʢ/, which means "factory") among Arabic-speaking children from first to sixth grades, including children with and without reading difficulties.

Method: The research involved 1,469 Arabic-speaking children from first to sixth grades, among whom 177 children were identified as having reading difficulties. All children were tested by a morphological production task.

Results: The analysis of variance on the retrieved word patterns showed significant main effects for word patterns, grade level, and reading proficiency, with a consistent advantage observed for verb patterns and higher performance among children with typical reading compared to those with reading difficulties. Furthermore, interactions of word patterns with both grade level and reading proficiency were found.

Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of morphological acquisition in literacy development, particularly in the intricate relationship between morphology and semantics in Arabic. The findings suggest the potential benefit of specialized morphology instruction, particularly for students with reading challenges. Although the need and impact require further research, this study offers a valuable starting point, indicating developmental trajectories that educators should consider when integrating explicit instruction of verb and noun patterns as a potentially supportive element in literacy education.