Investigating the attitude, interest, and knowledge of foreign Persian learners of cultural elements of the Persian language and Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Persian Language Teaching Center, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

2 Adjunct Lecturer, Persian Language Teaching Center, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

10.48310/rpllp.2026.23480.1359

Abstract

Background and Objectives: A very close, bilateral relationship exists between culture and language. Modern language pedagogy actively incorporates cultural factors, systematically guiding language learners toward acquiring vital intercultural competence. Methods: This comprehensive descriptive-survey quantitative study was conducted using field methods and a validated researcher-made questionnaire. It carefully evaluated the attitudes, interest levels, and knowledge of 58 Persian language learners regarding specific cultural elements. Collected data were fully analyzed via SPSS 26 software using one-sample t-tests, paired t-tests, Friedman tests, and the LibQUAL model. Findings: The empirical analyses indicate that participants hold a highly positive attitude toward learning cultural elements, viewing them as complementary rather than conflicting with their own native culture. While learners demonstrate significant interest in cultural indicators, their actual baseline knowledge is limited to customs and traditions. The mean gap difference between interest and knowledge is positive, indicating a strong desire to learn more. Tourism, customs and traditions, and architecture ranked as the top three areas of interest. Furthermore, greater familiarity with an element directly increases the desire to learn it. Conclusion: Language teaching remains completely inefficient without cultural integration. Understanding learners' specific interests and cultural knowledge is crucial for developing effective educational measures and excellent curriculum content/

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics