Fundamental research to investigate the function of academic language in JSL students' subject learning

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K02191
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 09010:Education-related
• Research Institution: Utsunomiya University
• Principal Investigator: Tachibana Yuki 宇都宮大学, 国際学部, 准教授 (60736198)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小池 亜子 (田中亜子) 国士舘大学, 政経学部, 准教授 (10439276)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 外国人児童生徒教育 / 学習言語 / 第二言語習得

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The prior research review and school interviews revealed a lack of a consistent understanding of the academic development of JSL students and a shortage of teaching materials and methods to support JSL students' learning in their own classrooms. Our analysis of the academic performance of JSL students in a certain city based on National Survey by MEXT confirms that children of foreign origin born in Japan are underachieving and that their gap increases as the school year progresses. The current situation cannot be explained by the naive view of language development that everyday language is acquired in two to three years, but academic language takes five to seven years, and should be seen as the cumulative result of unlearning. To improve this situation, it is essential to develop teaching materials to enable JSL students to participate in subject learning in their enrolled classes. The prototype teaching materials were found to be effective to a certain extent.

Free Research Field

比較教育学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

学術的には、日本語教育研究と教科（算数・数学科）教育研究とを架橋し、双方に新たな課題を示した。社会的には、JSL児童生徒の学力形成に資する教材開発の具体的提案により、外国人児童生徒教育の実践的、実際的な改善のみちすじを示した。