Education in mother tongue in the formal education of Iran: Opportunity or threat?

In this qualitative study, the opportunities and threats of education in mother tongue in Iran's formal education system from the perspective of experts and authorities has been investigated. Using qualitative content analysis method, a semi-structured interview was done with professors of linguistics, educational sciences and psychology and also with the authorities of education organization in the Kermānshāh province who were selected using purposive sampling method. 18 articles, four books and five theses also were examined in this context and their analysis was continued up to the saturation point. The unit of analysis was the theme. To ensure the validity of the findings, member checking was used and to determine the reliability, inter-rater agreement was applied. At the end of the inductive content analysis, and through continuous comparison of the obtained codes it was turned out that from the perspective of experts, cognitive development, mental health, national unity and the spread of democracy are the most important opportunities for education in mother tongue. Authorities also noted the realization of development, improvement of academic performance and the development of human resources as opportunities and the poverty of linguistic resources as a threat for education in mother tongue. The results of this study included valuable points to the benefit of education in mother tongue for Iran’s educational policy makers.