Reading Comprehension Associated with Oneself through Learning Through Discussion

Abstract

Content-based instruction aiming to cultivate intercultural competences was utilized in an intermediate Japanese language class. To encourage the students to, take the initiative to practice, associate with oneself, and develop problem solving skills, the Learning through Discussion (LTD) method was adopted. In this method, learners have meetings based on a prepared worksheet. After considering the content pertaining to association with oneself described in the learners' preparation worksheet and the discussions during class activities, it was observed that the learners’ understanding of the concepts improved while discovering inconsistencies between the individual experiences and concepts of the text.