A Study on the Issues Arising from Learning Roman Characters in Elementary School Japanese Language Courses

Abstract

The aim of this study was to ascertain the modern relevance of teaching Roman characters in elementary school Japanese language courses, clarify the subjects of Roman character learning, and provide suggestions for improvements.

First, I summarized the changes in the relevance of learning Roman characters in elementary school Japanese language courses based on the changes in the courses’descriptions.

Next, I investigated the issues of learning Roman characters, which have been highlighted from the perspective of English education and computer input, and my findings revealed issues in the following four areas: 1) guidance centered on the “Kunrei-shiki” system, 2) handling of multiple Roman character notations, 3) how Japanese language and foreign language courses (English courses) should be linked, and 4) contents of Roman character input learning in the Japanese language course.

Finally, I proposed that after the teaching content of Roman character learning in a Japanese language course is clarified, it should be linked with an English course. Moreover, I highlighted the necessity of teaching and developing the Roman character input method related to understanding the spelling of Roman characters.