Current status and prospects related to writing ability in elementary school Japanese language education:

Through a decade-long analysis of the National Assessment of Academic Ability

Abstract

   Writing ability is determined through two aspects. One is the ability to create sentences from the writer’s view point. The other is the ability to write based on the comprehension of a written text under a certain condition. This study examined the National Assessment of Academic Ability, which measured the latter aspect.

   The ten-year national survey revealed four major problems related to writing ability in Japanese language classes at the elementary school level. The first is how to connect writing to the one’s thought process. The second problem pertained to writing by extracting information in accordance with the purpose of the writing. Writing based on clear reading comprehension of non-linear texts was the third problem area. The last problem pertained to writing in order to correspond to a given condition. It is necessary to examine the cause of each of these problems and improve teaching in alignment with the aims and content of the revised course of study.