Reading and Its Relationship to Intellectual Development and Creativity

Abstract

This study examines reading as an intellectual, cultural, and educational act that goes far beyond a basic school skill, presenting it instead as a foundation for personality formation, intellectual development, and creativity. It begins by stressing the central role of reading in shaping individual and social awareness, then discusses its concept, importance, and relationship to comprehension, analysis, and imagination, while also highlighting the value of reader guidance in cultivating and directing reading interests. The study further explores forms and functions of reading and links the development of reading habits to broader cognitive growth and academic enrichment.

The study then analyzes the major factors that shape reading development. It devotes a full محور to the role of the family in forming the child reader through home culture, parental follow-up, example-setting, time organization, and resistance to the competing attractions of television and electronic games. It also discusses the relationship between reading, academic achievement, school libraries, classroom activities, competitions, and student research, arguing that both free and guided reading contribute to stronger thinking and performance. In addition, it presents Sharjah as a supportive reading environment through its cultural institutions, libraries, book fairs, awards, magazines, and educational media initiatives. The study concludes that transforming reading into a productive intellectual activity requires the integrated efforts of the family, school, library, media, and cultural institutions within a sustained developmental framework.