Blended Learning as a Tool for Promoting Academic Literacy in Arabic: Effects on Students with Different Ability Levels

This study investigated the effects of “The Golden Triangle”, a blended-learning intervention program designed to promote academic language literacy among Arabic-speaking seventh-grade students in Israel. Receptive and productive academic vocabulary and academic reading comprehension were assessed before and after the intervention (Grade 7), and again five months later at the beginning of the eighth grade. Participants were 70 Arabic-speaking students from four middle schools, divided into a high/average reading comprehension (HRC) group and a low reading comprehension (LRC) group. Results showed that the LRC group improved its reading comprehension immediately after the intervention but declined at follow-up, whereas the HRC group improved during the program and maintained gains. Moreover, in the HRC group, baseline receptive academic vocabulary predicted reading comprehension at follow-up, whereas no similar predictive effect was found in the LRC group. These findings highlight the need to address persistent heterogeneity in reading abilities and to design differentiated interventions that support the long-term consolidation of academic language among struggling readers.