Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2008, 106,270-274. O Perceptual and Motor Skills 2008 READING SELF-CONCEPT AND ARAB-AMERICAN STUDENTS: A THREE-YEAR STUDY ' HAITHAM M. ALKHATEEB AND EIMAN F. ABUSHIHAB University of Indianapolir Summary.-Data were collected over a 3-yr. period from 110 Arab-American stu- dents, 38 boys and 72 girls, whose ages ranged between 9 and 12 years (M= 10.6 yr., SD= 1.1) and who were living in the USA and attending a private Arabic/Islamic weekend Sunday school. A self-report questionnaire, the Reading Self-concept scale of the Self-description Questionnaire, measuring students' perceptions of their reading self-concevt was translated from English to Arabic and administered on the Dresent - sample in both languages. Although these students scored high on both versions, anal- ysis showed that they scored significantly higher on the English reading self-concept than the Arabic reading self-concept. The English and Arabic reading self-concepts were highly correlated. Results were discussed in terms of providing appropriate read- ing programs for especially the boys, parents' education and expectations, and the Quran. Reading is one of the most important early learning activities children engage in during their first few years of schooling (Chapman, Tunmer, & Prochnow, 2000) and the ability to read is the traditional criterion of begin- ning school achievement and is basic to success in school (Perfetti & Curtis, 1986). In Chapman and Tunmer's study (1995) of development of reading self-concept in young children, reading self-concept was selected because reading is important in elementary grades. Chapman and Tunmer (1997) noted an increase in the relationship of reading-related performance and reading-concept in the beginning years of schooling and stated that learning to read is the central learning activity in the first few years of school. De- spite the central role of reading, researchers have devoted little attention to examining reading self-concept of students living in a bicultural situation. March, Hau, and Kong (2002) indicated that improved self-concept leads to greater achievement. Marsh and Yeung (2001) proposed that native and nonnative languages form separate areas of self-concept that provide distinct bases for self-concept in other academic areas. Marsh, Kong, and Hau (2001), for example, assessed the English and Chinese academic self-concepts using a sample of high school students. Kaminski, Shafer, Neumann, and Ramos (2005) studied self-concept in Mexican-American children. Abu-Hilal and Bahri (2000) conducted a self-concept study with a group of elementary students from the United Arab Emirates. Arab Americans may be ideal for -- -- - 'Please address correspondence to Haitham Alkhateeb, Department of Mathematics and Com- puter Science, University of Indiana olis, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46227 USA or e-mail (halkhateeb@ uindy.e%u).