Shiraz University Studies in Arabic Teaching and Learning 2538-4678 3 1 2019 03 01 A Comparative Study of Aspects of Vocabulary in the Old and New Official Seventh-grade English and Arabic Textbooks A Comparative Study of Aspects of Vocabulary in the Old and New Official Seventh-grade English and Arabic Textbooks 47 62 5177 10.22099/jsatl.2019.32169.1056 AR Mahmood Haidari Associate professor in Arabic Language and Literature, Yasouj University, Iran Reza Rezvani Associate professor in TEFL, Yasouj University, Iran Somayeh Noroozi M. A. Graduate in TEFL, Yasouj University, Iran Journal Article 2019 01 15 Foreign language teaching textbooks play an important role in Iran’s Educational system. Vocabulary knowledge, as an important sub-skill contributing to learning foreign languages, is considered as one of important pillars of the four language skills. That being so, this comparative study seeks to uncover those aspects of vocabulary which have drawn the attention of Iranian textbook developers (Arabic and English). The paper also looks into any possible changes from the older textbooks to the more recent ones after the education change with respect to vocabulary. To this end, vocabulary exercises in both sets of seventh-grade textbooks were analyzed employing a checklist which embraced different aspects of vocabulary knowledge and was developed by the current researchers. Descriptive analysis of the findings indicated that the new English textbook has addressed a larger number of aspects although there are yet some aspects which were either neglected or not sufficiently attended. The new Arabic textbook, however, needs more attention to several aspects. The new English textbook, in comparison to the new Arabic one, has more varied and diverse vocabulary aspects. Finally, the study discusses the significance and implications of the findings and suggests that materials developers and teachers take into consideration more varied and complex aspects of teaching vocabulary. Foreign language teaching textbooks play an important role in Iran’s Educational system. Vocabulary knowledge, as an important sub-skill contributing to learning foreign languages, is considered as one of important pillars of the four language skills. That being so, this comparative study seeks to uncover those aspects of vocabulary which have drawn the attention of Iranian textbook developers (Arabic and English). The paper also looks into any possible changes from the older textbooks to the more recent ones after the education change with respect to vocabulary. To this end, vocabulary exercises in both sets of seventh-grade textbooks were analyzed employing a checklist which embraced different aspects of vocabulary knowledge and was developed by the current researchers. Descriptive analysis of the findings indicated that the new English textbook has addressed a larger number of aspects although there are yet some aspects which were either neglected or not sufficiently attended. The new Arabic textbook, however, needs more attention to several aspects. The new English textbook, in comparison to the new Arabic one, has more varied and diverse vocabulary aspects. Finally, the study discusses the significance and implications of the findings and suggests that materials developers and teachers take into consideration more varied and complex aspects of teaching vocabulary. https://jsatl.shirazu.ac.ir/article_5177_6d645298d8ffdc6891ea5ff10360e021.pdf