en روان شناسی تکاملی Evolutionary Psychology پژوهشي Original <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#3300ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height:2;">This study quantitatively examined the level of emotional engagement generated by literary texts in Persian language textbooks and identified factors influencing this engagement among fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade elementary students. Utilizing a descriptive-survey design, the study sampled 90 students (30 per grade) and 37 teachers from Tehran during the 2019&ndash;2020 academic year via stratified random sampling. Data were collected through researcher-developed five-point Likert scale questionnaires (9 items for students; 11 for teachers) and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed a significant decline in text attractiveness as grade levels increased; 50% of fourth-graders rated texts as &ldquo;very attractive&rdquo; compared to only 13.3% of sixth-graders (p<0.001). Story topic and content&rdquo; was identified as the primary driver of interest (mean: 4.2 out of 5). Additionally, the closeness of topics to lived experiences differed significantly across grades (p<0.001), with sixth-grade students reporting a substantial disconnect between textbook content and their personal lives. Persian textbooks in higher elementary grades, particularly the sixth grade, fail to sufficiently foster emotional engagement or affective development. To enhance educational effectiveness, curriculum developers should revise literary selections to better align with students&rsquo; evolving lived experiences and developmental needs.</span></span></span></span></div> Persian Language Textbook, Upper Elementary Education, Affective Development, Text Attractiveness 413 423 http://ieepj.hormozgan.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1203-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Seyyed Mehdi Mousavi Mirkalai Mi_mousaviii@yahoo.com 100319475328460012577 100319475328460012577 No PhD in Persian Language and Literature, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran. Rasoul Behnam Rasoolbehnam@cfu.ac.ir 100319475328460012578 100319475328460012578 Yes Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Urmia, Iran Seyedeh Fatemeh Shams-Ollahi S.shamsollahi1364@gmail.com 100319475328460012579 100319475328460012579 No M.A., Department of Persian Language and Literature, Khorramabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lorestan, Iran Elham Yekkalam Kashani e.yekkalamkashani@iau.ac.ir 100319475328460012580 100319475328460012580 No PhD student in Persian Language and Literature, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.