A Study on Reading Passages in English Textbooks for Junior High Schools

Abstract

English textbooks for junior high schools tend to contain many conversational materials dealing with everyday topics. It is often said that literary materials have been gradually excluded from current English education in Japan in accordance with Japan’s recent emphasis on communication abilities. However, some textbooks include such literary materials as O. Henry’s short stories and Arnold Lobel’s picture book for the purpose of English reading. This paper will consider reading passages in English textbooks for junior high schools and make clear their problems, in particular those of literary materials.