Activation, Integration, and Validation Processes of Inference Generation in Japanese EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16879
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Tohoku Gakuin University (2018-2021); Tohoku Fukushi University (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: SHIMIZU Haruka 東北学院大学, 文学部, 准教授 (20646905)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 英語教育 / リーディング / 推論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigated the inference generation in Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ reading comprehension. Data during reading were collected from English native speakers and Japanese EFL learners and compared regarding processing times and inference generation. The results showed that Japanese EFL learners had difficulty generating inferences during reading and processed reading texts slower than English native speakers. Moreover, it is suggested that Japanese EFL learners did not always identify the necessity information related to inference generation and they tried to understand more general text information, which is not directly related to inferences, for their better understanding.

Free Research Field

英語教育

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

学習者が第二言語 (L2) で読解を行う際には，語彙や統語といった処理に躓き，深い理解に至らないということが課題となる。本研究では日本人英語学習者の推論生成プロセスを検証することで，字義的な理解に留まらない英文読解指導への示唆を与えることを目指した。英語母語話者が読解中に推論を生成するのに対し，日本人英語学習者は読解中に推論を生成するかどうかには個人差の要因が大きく影響すること，また推論を生成するのに手がかりとする情報が英語母語話者とは異なることが示された。