A Critical Analysis of the Textbook Darsnāmih-yi Mahārat-hā-yi Pajūhishī (Research Skills Textbook)

The course “Research Skills” (Mahārat-hā-yi Pajūhishī) is one of the Level 1 seminary courses. For several years, the Seminary’s Research Department has established local research offices in all schools across the country to teach this subject. During this time, the course was taught without any official or standardized textbook. After years of anticipation, the Research Department, in collaboration with the Center for Compilation of Seminary Textbooks and Resources, has produced an instructional text entitled Darsnāmih-yi Mahārat-hā-yi Pajūhishī (Research Skills Textbook). This textbook is designated for seminary students at the diploma level in the second semester of the second year, and for those with lower secondary education in the first semester of the fifth year. In this article, the textbook is critically analyzed based on content, structural, formal, linguistic, and methodological criteria. Some of the findings of this analysis include: (1) the use of the plural form “skills” (mahārat-hā) in the textbook’s title is incorrect; (2) the lessons should be delivered in a workshop format; (3) the textbook requires content, literary, and technical editing; and (4) the selection of content does not sufficiently consider the needs and interests of the learners.