Identifying Basic Vocabulary of Illiterate and Low-Literate Iranian Adults: The Case of Literacy Movement Organization of Iran Learners

Introduction
Language plays a crucial role in learning through hearing, reading, and writing. While learning often begins with listening, reading is the second linguistic tool for education, with the emphasis shifting from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" in later elementary grades. Writing, as the third linguistic mechanism, is a cognitive activity and a valuable tool for enhancing comprehension and learning.  While language encompasses various units, words are considered the building blocks and the "heart of any language". Words, unlike phonemes and sentences, are neither limited nor unlimited, and are viewed as the first mental unit of a language.
Just as different linguistic units vary in importance, so do various types of vocabulary. Experts in the field of education and learning have defined a category of words known as "basic vocabulary". According to Haghshenas, basic vocabulary includes words that are commonly shared among all speakers of a language. Ameri and Zolfaghari define it as a collection of words with the highest frequency of occurrence in the spoken and written forms of a language. Carter (1998) notes that basic vocabulary consists of a limited number of high-frequency words that are resistant to being replaced by other words. They are essential for language users to simplify communication in specific contexts, such as when communicating with children or foreigners. Additionally, basic vocabulary is a key component of plain language writing, which is crucial for authors of educational and academic books. While some basic words are specialized, others are general and used for routine communication, with adult basic vocabulary being the most familiar, frequently used, and everyday words.
The importance of basic vocabulary in the educational process is due to the continuous flow of information and messages in the classroom. The effectiveness of teaching and learning is directly tied to the success of communication between the teacher and the learner. A major challenge in Iran's education system, as noted by Nematzadeh and colleagues (1390), is that those involved in Persian language education and textbook authors do not have a precise understanding of the most common and suitable words for teaching. They often rely on intuition and experience to select words for educational texts. Furthermore, the difference between the native language of many adult learners and the language of instruction (Persian), as well as issues arising from socioeconomic factors that limit vocabulary, highlights the need to understand the lexical knowledge of learners. Experts in adult literacy believe that educational books should be localized to be appropriate and familiar to the audience, and understanding basic vocabulary is a crucial step in this process.
The key reasons for the importance and necessity of this research are: the role of basic vocabulary in education, the lack of a comprehensive study on the basic vocabulary of illiterate and low-literate learners in the Literacy Movement Organization, the difference between the native language of some of these learners and the instructional language (Persian), the varying levels of vocabulary among learners due to social and family factors, the need for authors of educational texts to be familiar with basic vocabulary to write appropriate content, and the difference between the basic vocabulary of adult literacy learners and school-aged children. Therefore, this research aimed to identify the basic vocabulary of illiterate and low-literate adults across the country and to answer the fundamental question: what is the basic vocabulary and the frequency of each word among illiterate and low-literate adults in Iran?
 
Literature Review
The field of basic vocabulary has been a subject of interest for researchers in various disciplines, such as language teaching, lexicography, and textbook writing. Below are some of the most important studies conducted in Iran and abroad.

Domestic Research

Fereydoun Badreh'i (1350): The first major work in Iran was his doctoral dissertation, "The Lexical Breadth of Elementary School Children Based on Their Writings". This study, which analyzed 98,769 words from 1,085 letters written by elementary students, identified 8,712 linguistic forms and 4,598 different words. Based on frequency and distribution, 775 words were determined as the basic vocabulary for this age group.
Leili Ayman (1357): Her ten-year research, titled "A List of the Most Frequent Words of Children (6 to 12 years old)," collected and analyzed approximately four million words from oral and written sources, resulting in a list of 2,398 words.
Zarghamian (1360s): In his doctoral dissertation, "Reading Vocabulary of Iranian Elementary School Children," he presented a list of 13,000 words with a frequency of over 90,000, based on 87 books and 9 articles and stories.
Safarpoor (1360s): His research titled "Basic Vocabulary of First to Fifth Grade Classes" analyzed words from elementary school textbooks and Literacy Movement books, presenting a list of about 26,000 words, of which 1,000 were from Literacy Movement books.
Nemat-zadeh et al. (1380-1384): The national research "Identifying the Basic Persian Vocabulary of Iranian Elementary Students" was conducted with the participation of 20,000 students and 750 teachers to identify words familiar to elementary students. The study produced three sets of vocabulary: productive, receptive, and teacher-identified.
Kookabi and Cheraghi (1392): Their exploratory study aimed to identify the basic reading vocabulary of elementary school children and compare it with their writing vocabulary. The study analyzed 162,650 linguistic forms and 6,155 words from children's storybooks, ultimately identifying 1,602 basic reading words.

Foreign Research

Thorndike (1944): He analyzed 4.5 million words from 120 books to estimate about 20,000 basic words in the English language.
Rinsland (1945): His study, "Basic Vocabulary of Elementary School Students," examined the writings of students from different parts of the United States.
West (1953): He presented a list of high-frequency words in his book, "A General English Word List," to serve as a guide for creating simple reading materials.
Dalton (1999): He created a list of high-frequency English words for Japanese learners, which included 734 basic words selected from West's 2,000 most frequent words.
Angelo (2005): His research on Japanese students showed that focusing on basic words in the curriculum is a key strategy for English language development.
Chambubotter et al: (2009).
 They identified the basic vocabulary of the Thai language from credible written sources.
 
Methodology
This research is a descriptive and applied study. The descriptive method involves collecting data to test hypotheses or answer questions about the current state of the subjects.
Measurement Tool: A 24-page booklet was used, designed by the researcher based on the tests from Nematzadeh et al.'s research on elementary school basic vocabulary. The booklet had 24 topics, each with images of four to five examples of the topic. The topics included: Art/Literature, Sports/Games/Entertainment, Tools/Technology, Body, Clothing/Makeup, Education, Animals, Family, Home/Living Environment, Food, Religion/Ethics, Social Relations/ Communication, Events, Behavior, Colors, Travel/Transportation, Health/Hygiene, Nature, Work/Skills, Quantity, Quality, Plants, Concepts, and Materials/Elements. During the individual interviews, participants were asked to tell a story or say whatever came to their mind about each of the 24 topics. This allowed for the identification of the most frequent words used by the participants.
Statistical Population, Sampling Method, and Sample Size: The statistical population of the study included all illiterate and low-literate adult men and women in the Literacy Movement Organization's literacy classes in Iran. Based on the need for at least 100 participants for each subgroup in a survey study, a sample size of 600 people was initially planned. The study used a purposive sampling method to cover different strata and provinces. The three groups studied were industrial-worker, agricultural, and women. The provinces of Alborz, Isfahan, Khorasan-Razavi, and Tehran were selected for industrial-worker populations, while Markazi, Fars, Mazandaran, and Khuzestan were chosen for agricultural populations. Additionally, Khorasan-Razavi, Mazandaran, Tehran, Kermanshah, and Khuzestan were selected for the women's group. Due to the low participation of men in the classes, women were used as replacement samples where necessary.
Data Analysis: The research was conducted in several stages. After selecting the provinces, researchers went to the Literacy Movement centers to identify and interview the participants. The interviews were fully recorded and transcribed. The data was then analyzed using a content analysis method. Descriptive statistics (frequency) and frequency distribution tables were used to present the findings.
 
Results
The research data was analyzed using content analysis. The findings are presented in the following frequency distribution tables:
Discussion
The findings of this research highlight the most frequently used words by illiterate and low-literate adults in Iran. The analysis of the data revealed that words like "good," "work," "child/childhood," "home," and "use" are among the most common, reflecting the daily realities and concerns of the target population. The high frequency of words related to family, daily life, health, and social interactions suggests that these topics are central to the lives and conversations of illiterate and low-literate adults.
 
This study's findings are of significant importance for educational policymakers and authors of literacy materials. The identified basic vocabulary can serve as a foundation for developing educational books that are more relevant, familiar, and effective for adult learners. By incorporating these high-frequency words into textbooks and instructional materials, educators can bridge the gap between the learners' existing vocabulary and the language used for instruction. This approach can make the learning process more accessible and engaging, ultimately leading to higher rates of success in literacy programs. The study's results also underscore the need to localize educational materials to better suit the specific linguistic and cultural contexts of adult learners.
The contrast between the vocabulary of adult learners and that of school children, as noted in the introduction, further emphasizes the need for tailored materials. While previous studies have focused on the vocabulary of children, this research fills a crucial gap by focusing on the specific needs of adult learners in the Literacy Movement Organization. The findings provide a valuable, evidence-based list of words that can be used to improve the content of educational resources for this underserved population.
 
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