Persian for Academic Purposes: Analysis of a Textbook: Persian Specific for Social Sciences

Study of the educational resources that have been developed for academic purposes takes place to evaluate the extent to which the goals have been achieved and the extent to which students’ educational needs are met. This research attempts to evaluate a textbook, Persian Specific for Social Sciences: Integrated Teaching of Language Strategies and Skills that has been written for non-Iranian university students of social sciences.The present research is applied and the research data were collected through field study, and the method of data analysis is descriptive. McDonough and Shaw’s evaluation model (2003) is the research tool that collects data through direct questionnaire and interview. Exploratory factor analysis has been used for the factor validity of the research questionnaire. The results show that the textbook is in accordance with educational standards and the standards for developing materials in the field in terms of specialized content and educational strategies. The results of statistical survey also show that the textbook is significantly in accordance with the needs of the students. Integrated teaching of advanced language skills is one of the most important strengths of this textbook. And its weakness deals with the fact that it has not been developed for the basic and intermediate Persian language learners who want to learn Persian at the outset for academic purposes.