Abstract:
For Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) teachers and researchers interested in Japanese ER, knowing what reading goals for learners are feasible, or whether learners do develop an awareness of and ability to evaluate whether a text is at their comprehension level can be difficult. Only a handful of studies address aspects of the first question, and none appear to explore the second.
This presentation discusses the reading habits of nine JFL learners recruited for an exploratory project conducted in New Zealand. Nine readers read graded readers, children’s books, and websites written in easy Japanese for one to two semesters, recording what they read in weekly reading logs. Data collected contributes to clarifying whether learners display an awareness of appropriate difficulty levels and develop an ability to evaluate which reading materials are at their comprehension level, and also what volume of reading might count as “extensive” for Japanese learners.