In this study, we consider learning methods in which learners solve problems independently and the points to be noted when implementing such learning approaches. To do this, we focus on the practice of unit learning, which teaches learners how to solve problems independently. As a model, we studied the work of Omura Hama, the teacher who put this approach into practice for students from the first year through to the third year of a junior high school. To solve a problem independently, it is necessary to set a viewpoint based on the prospect of arriving at a solution. In Omura's classes, students constantly learned about viewpoint setting from the first year to the third year. In this study, we refer to this accumulative learning process as the “viewpoint-setting curriculum.” We found that in Omuraʼs Japanese language classes, the viewpoint-setting curriculum followed certain steps using the available information materials. First, learners set the viewpoint themselves and discovered that the results of classification could differ depending on how they set the viewpoint. Next, by learning to set a viewpoint from which to consider the information materials through discussion, they realized that the viewpoint indicated by Omura was set with the prospect of solving the problem within the unit of study. Then, through viewpoint setting centered on mutual consultation among learners, individual learners finally set the viewpoint by themselves. When putting into practice a learning method in which the learners solve problems independently, the teacher must be aware of the steps involved in setting the viewpoint toward solving a problem, and the curriculum must be structured so that learners can set the viewpoint on their own over the course of several units.

This article attempts to clarify the effects of illustrations of novels on reading. A number of studies have focused on the effects of illustrations on “children's” reading activities. Not much is available on the effects on “adults'” reading activities, so the focus of this study is what effects illustrations have when adults read novels.

Thirty people were recruited and divided into two groups. The subjects in one group read a novel with illustrations, and the other read the same novel without illustrations. Next, the subjects were asked questions concerning the reading: 1)their understanding of the content, 2)imagination 3)the degree of interest. The answers of the two groups were then compared.

In conclusion, it was revealed that illustrations of novels did not affect the understanding of the content and the degree of interest; however, illustrations did have an impact on imagination. This indicates that illustrations have influence in case authors want to give readers common images and express their images more faithfully.

Schools located in areas with large populations of foreign workers have problems communicating, not only with the foreign children who need to learn Japanese, but also with their parents and guardians. To facilitate good communication in these circumstances, Easy Japanese, that is, Japanese with basic, simple words and expressions, is useful. However, not all Japanese people, including teachers, are able to use Easy Japanese fluently. One way to write intelligible and accurate text is to assume a certain level of text rhetoric that readers can understand. This study asked student teachers to assume the rhetorical level of second-grade primary school textbooks or picture books for lower grades, corresponding to the level of Easy Japanese, and to rewrite a school message using Easy Japanese. In the experiment, the text rewritten in this way included appropriate words, simpler expressions that were easy to understand, and more accurate expressions. This result is important to consider in designing a method for teachers to learn how to use Easy Japanese.

This study investigates certain aspects of the reading process including starting location, reading direction, and eye movements within an 8 x 8 matrix made up of Japanese katakana characters representing either meaningful or meaningless content. Two experiments were conducted with both involving two task-conditions. Within Experiment 1, participants in one task-condition were asked to merely read matrices without specific instructions about content meaning, while participants in another task-condition were instructed to read quickly. In Experiment 2, all participants were asked to search and report whether matrices were meaningful, but participants in one task-condition were asked to read quickly while those in another task-condition were instructed to read accurately. The results indicate that, when instructed to read quickly, participants were more likely to read from the top-left corner and move to the right. Regardless of content meaning or instructions, reading from the top-right corner and moving to the left was less frequently, which suggests that it is regarded as being more difficult. Experiment 1 results indicate that searching for meaning was not a significant factor. The findings from both experiments suggest that both starting location and reading direction are influenced by the instructions provided.