Assessing Readability of Arabic Grammar and Passages (1) Textbook, Based on Cloze Readability Technique

Considering the importance of Arabic language in Iran and in its integration with Persian literature, learning Arabic for better understanding of Persian literature, is necessary. Accordingly various textbooks are yearly written and published for teaching Arabic language to the Persian language and literature students. The point is that “How much is the content of these books understandable for readers?” Therefore, in order to determine the readability level of these textbooks, their content should be analyzed. A technique that is used for the analysis and evaluation of readability level of materials is Cloze Readability Index (CRI). The present study investigated the readability level of Arabic Grammar and Passages (1) textbook by using Cloze reading technique. The research method is content analysis based on CRI and the research instrument is a multiple-choice research-made test that was answered by 36 students of Persian language and literature at Shiraz University. Results indicated that the obtained mean of the test is 41/17%, which implies the difficulty of the content. It shows that the book content is at stress and mental pressure level and does not fit to learner’s level.