This study examined the quality of paratextual elements and their relationship with the cognitive level of reading‑comprehension questions in the fourth‑grade Persian textbook.

A descriptive‑analytical content analysis based on the operational PMF‑7 framework assessed seven paratextual dimensions: organization, reading guidance, image – text alignment, punctuation and tone, interactivity/questioning, multimedia, and cognitive load/layout. The sample comprised eight representative lessons from different chapters, each independently coded by two raters using a 28‑item checklist. Quantitative analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank correlation to examine the association between overall paratext scores and mean cognitive intensity of questions, Cohen’s kappa for interrater reliability, and Cronbach’s alpha for subscale internal consistency
Results: Results showed an average total paratext score of 37.25 out of 56 (≈66.5%); interrater reliability was acceptable (Cohen’s Kappa ≈ 0.79), and Cronbach’s alpha for subscales ranged from 0.71 to 0.86. Correlational analysis indicated a positive and significant relationship between overall paratext quality and the cognitive intensity of questions. Dimension‑level findings revealed that organization and image–text alignment most strongly supported higher‑order, analytical questions, whereas reading guidance and multimedia alignment require strengthening.
Conclusions:The study concludes that targeted revisions—such as structured before‑during‑after reading templates, clear instructions for audio clips, and technical editing—could effectively raise the cognitive level of questions and improve reading learning; these redesigns should be tested in a classroom pilot intervention.