The Role of Persian and Arabic Poetry Translations in Vocabulary Acquisition for EFL Learners at Iranian-Iraqi Border Universities

Isam  Saadoon Abdulameer; Moslem Zolfagharkhani; Seyed Mohammad Reza  Amirian

doi:10.61838/kxjz2395

Authors

Isam Saadoon Abdulameer Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4879-1166
Moslem Zolfagharkhani Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1124-6807
Seyed Mohammad Reza Amirian Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3719-3902

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/kxjz2395

Keywords:

: Poetry Translation, Vocabulary Acquisition, Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge, Productive Vocabulary Knowledge, Vocabulary Depth, EFL Learners

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Persian and Arabic poetry translation-based instruction in enhancing receptive vocabulary knowledge, productive vocabulary knowledge, and depth of vocabulary knowledge among undergraduate EFL learners at universities located in the Iranian-Iraqi border region.

Methods and Materials: A quantitative quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design was employed. Seventy third-year undergraduate EFL students were selected through cluster sampling and assigned to an experimental group (n = 35) and a control group (n = 35). The experimental group received vocabulary instruction through translation activities based on selected Persian and Arabic poems with published English translations, whereas the control group received conventional vocabulary instruction. Vocabulary development was assessed using the Vocabulary Levels Test, Productive Vocabulary Levels Test, and Word Associates Test. After examining baseline equivalence and statistical assumptions, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to compare posttest performance while controlling for corresponding pretest scores.

Findings: ANCOVA revealed a statistically significant effect of poetry translation-based instruction on receptive vocabulary knowledge, F(1, 67) = 671.56, p < .001, partial η² = .909. A significant intervention effect was also found for productive vocabulary knowledge, F(1, 67) = 596.87, p < .001, partial η² = .899. Similarly, vocabulary depth differed significantly between the groups after controlling for baseline scores, F(1, 67) = 538.94, p < .001, partial η² = .889. Thus, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvement across all three dimensions of vocabulary knowledge, with very large treatment effect sizes.

Conclusion: Persian and Arabic poetry translation-based instruction appears to be a highly effective pedagogical approach for developing multiple dimensions of English vocabulary knowledge among EFL learners. Integrating culturally familiar literary materials with translation activities may facilitate lexical recognition, active vocabulary use, and deeper semantic knowledge more effectively than conventional vocabulary instruction.

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