Japanese Lower Secondary Learners’ Recognition of Meanings of Postmodified Noun Phrases and Effectiveness of Early Practice

Abstract

This study investigates how Japanese junior high school students recognize noun phrases postmodified by prepositional, present participial, and past participial phrases. The survey began in 2012, and was repeatedly conducted until 2015, so that reliable data and results were achieved. Participants took a multiple choice translation test which consisted of twelve items. The test was designed to have two parts for the participants to answer utilizing not only their vocabulary and common knowledge, but also knowledge of the target form in terms of the head noun and the other noun in the modifier being switched in the noun phrase (e.g., ‘The boy walking a dog is my friend.’ ‘The dog walking a boy is my friend.’). The students who participated in the survey in 2014 practiced the target form during their daily English lessons by distinguishing pairs of noun phrases contrasting meaning and form (e.g., ‘The desk in that box is fine.’ ‘The box in that desk is useful.’). Results showed that 30% to 40 % of the participants who gained high scores in the test recognized the form of postmodified noun phrases but the others did not do as well. Participants in 2014 gained the highest mean score of the four groups. Despite the statistical analysis slightly showing significant differences between the groups, the implication tells the importance of providing students with the opportunity to make form-meaning mappings in learning postmodification.