The elucidation of the validity of "Ruby" in learning kanji

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 15530589
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Education on school subjects and activities
• Research Institution: Nara University of Education
• Principal Investigator: TANAHASHI Hisato Nara University of Education, The department of education, Assistant professor, 教育学部, 助教授 (20272271)
• Project Period (FY): 2003 – 2005
• Keywords: furigana / learning kanji / mixed indication / Indication with furigana to every kanji / learning will

Research Abstract

The purpose of this study is to show if "Ruby" or "furigana" (the kanareading put to a kanji) is effective in learning kanji for primaryschoolchildren.
In recent years, as the number of general used kanji increased, we see much more so-called "notation of kanji with furigana". That is the notation form of kana reading to a kanji that isn't listed in the List of Kanji Normal usage, and that often appears on newspapers and other printed medias. With the recent popularity of reciting model passages, we see many notations with furigana to every kanji in the books that schoolchildren look at. Saito Takashi, who increased the popularity of reciting model passages, evaluates putting furigana to every kanji, and he says that it is effective so that schoolchildren can master reading kanji. In addition to Saito, many intelligent people continued pointing out the good effects that learning kanji with furigana has on a lot of primary schoolchildren. However, according to the multifaceted investigat ions that Tanahashi did in 1999, she found that it was still hard for primary schoolchildren with low kanji skills, to learn whether or not furigana is used.
In this study, based on such results, I investigated whether kanji with furigana is effective in learning kanji by two surveys, the attitude survey of teachers and the kanji acquisition survey of schoolchildren.
As a result, from the attitude survey of teachers, I can say that 30% of the teachers (108) think furigana is also effective in writing kanji as well as reading, whether the teachers noticed furigana was effective or not when they mastered kanji.
Furthermore, I conducted the survey of schoolchildren. I divided 1,699 primary schoolchildren into two groups. One was a group of schoolchildren learning kanji with furigana ) and another was a group of schoolchildren learning kanji without furigana ). I found that learning kanji with furigana has a great effect on mastering not only how to read kanji but also writing kanji.
Therefore, it is possible to be concluded that the effectiveness of furigana in learning kanji, which has been indicated by each researcher's experiences, is recognized scientifically through this study.