Comparative Analysis of Persian Oral Language Skills among Bilingual (Turkish–Persian) and Monolingual Primary School Students: A Causal–Comparative Study

The purpose of the present study was to comparatively examine Persian oral language skills among bilingual (Turkish–Persian) and monolingual students in the first cycle of primary education. The research adopted a causal–comparative design. The statistical population consisted of students in Grades 1 to 3 of primary schools located in the suburban areas of Qom County. A purposive sample of 60 students (30 bilingual and 30 monolingual) was selected. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire for assessing oral language skills, comprising 18 items across 10 components. Content validity was confirmed using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI), and reliability was established via Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.88). Data were analyzed using independent-samples t tests and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results indicated that bilingual students outperformed their monolingual peers across all oral language components (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that bilingual experience—particularly within linguistically rich and interaction-oriented contexts—can contribute to the enhancement of oral skills in the second language (Persian). Accordingly, the promotion of bilingual education and the application of environmental–linguistic instructional strategies in primary education are recommended.