Japan Society for the Promotion of Science:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
Date (from‐to) : 2015/04 -2019/03
Author : Ota Etsuko
This study investigated the gap between the readability of English language textbooks used in 2186 Japanese senior high schools and students’ English reading levels, as assessed using Lexile Measures (LM). The aim of the study was to obtain an understanding of how to foster students’ language learning as well as their active participation in class activities. The results showed a large mean LM gap (577L) between the students' mean LM (294L) and the textbooks’ mean LM (871L). This unproductive gap suggests that students may only have a 20% comprehension rate of their textbooks. However, a teachers’ follow-up questionnaire showed that 80.6% of the teachers conducted half or more of each class in English, and 50.1% spent at least half the class-time on communicative activities in which students used English. The results indicate that textbook level adjustment is not necessarily the only or even the best solution. How to arrange and utilize the textbooks well is also important.