LET Kanto Journal
Online ISSN : 2432-3071
Print ISSN : 2432-3063
Article
Trends in Question Types for Fostering Thinking Skills in Elementary School Textbooks in Japan
Yusuke Kubo
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2024 Volume 9 Pages 29-54

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Abstract

Foreign language education at elementary school aims not only to establish a base of communication but also to foster thinking skills for problem-solving and opinion formation. Since activities aimed at cultivating thinking skills also require learners to apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom, such activities could contribute to knowledge acquisition (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). That is, it would be meaningful to investigate the question trends that contribute to the development of thinking skills in elementary English textbooks. To foster and assess thinking skills, a Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT) can be employed. The RBT is a framework including educational objectives for a wide range of levels from superficial to deep learning. Thus, this study conducted a textbook analysis based on this RBT to provide educational suggestions for encouraging the cultivation of thinking skills using textbooks. The results showed most questions are designed to familiarize young learners with language knowledge such as phrases and expressions, with only a few questions encouraging the application of language knowledge and the development of thinking skills. This indicates teachers need to design question types aimed at utilizing language knowledge to carry out tasks and cultivating thinking skills by applying language knowledge as required.

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© 2024 The Japan Association for Language Education and Technology, Kanto Chapter
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