Basic Survey on Difficulties in Rewriting to Plain Japanese

Abstract

I report the results of a survey of University students’ difficulties in transcribing to plain Japanese, with the aim of improving class activity quality. At the first and final classes of the Spring 2022 term, students were tasked with rewriting in plain Japanese. The products were then analyzed and compared on essential points of transcription. Students found it hard to judge which words to rewrite based on difficulty. They also had issues in: making whole structures easier; placing kana alongside difficult words; writing with spaces between words; and using illustrations and diagrams. These results informed future teaching plans.