The Readability of Arabic Texts in Malaysia: A Need for a Suitable Measurement Instrument

Readability is the degree of difficulty or ease in understanding of a reading material, which may affect the reader’s comprehension level. This study focuses on two main issues: (1) the need to determine the Arabic text readability level and (2) the use of appropriate instruments to gauge the readability level. A reading material needs to be selected in accordance of the students’ readability level. An appropriate reading material eases the teaching and learning (T&L) process. A recent surge in the instruments to gauge Arabic text readability level bodes well to the dynamism of the field that often relies upon cloze and comprehension tests in determining the readability level.