The aim of this study is to clarify the characteristics of critical integration among junior high school students based on opinion pieces written by a total of 78 third-year junior high school students who were required to read three texts about the abolition of the 1-yen coin . The results revealed that more than 80% of the students tended to disregard information that was offered from different perspectives. In addition, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted on students' positions and their evaluations of each text. The results showed that students significantly rated texts supporting their own position more highly. This suggests that the students exhibited a my-side bias. On the other hand, 41.1% of the students struggled to identify and select valid evidence. Students' performance was weakly but significantly correlated with their critical thinking disposition (p<.05), and moderately and positively correlated with multiple-text comprehension (p <. 01). The qualitative analysis identified two key reading comprehension difficulties: (a) misreading the logic of a single text and (b) difficulty in correlating information on a given issue from multiple texts. Two responses that may be due to the task model were identified: (c) active use of rhetorical expressions and (d) strategic refutation. Strategic refutation involves ignoring unfavorable information or offering brief suggestions in favor of a different position. On the basis of these findings, we recommend that the task model be adjusted and that teachers implement activities that elaborate on the relationship between the points of argument.

　This study develops a self-assessment checklist for Japanese writing skills for university students and working adults. After examining the learning process of Japanese writing, we proposed the checklist's specifications and created a 23-item checklist based on the principles of technical writing. In Study 1, we surveyed university students and categorized the checklist items into three components: basic format, sentence and text structure, and document planning. The categorization was based on means, factor analysis, and item content that considered the two perspectives of "current situation" (current level of performance) and "effort" (potential for improvement through effort). In Study 2, we surveyed working adults to confirm the replicability of the results. In Study 3, we surveyed university students and demonstrated the validity of the categorization according to three external criteria: Japanese writing, Japanese literacy, and mathematics skills. Based on these results, we propose a 23-item checklist for Japanese writing skills with a three-level categorization.

　This study investigates the writing processes of Japanese junior high-school students (N = 23) for a writing unit based on information and communication technology (ICT). More specifically, the study focuses on a real-time writing class, where third-year students typed their compositions and data concerning their writing processes was collected using keystroke logging. The first research question analyzes how writing times varied as a function of the quality of the final compositions. The results revealed that students worked on their compositions outside of the class time and that writing paces were not constant, with most writing occurring during the middle phrase of the unit. Students who produced compositions of higher quality tended to devote more time to writing with the larger proportion of that time expended outside of the class. The second research question analyzes whether writing behavior varied with the quality of the final compositions. The results indicated that the students generally revised their written expressions during the early stages of the unit. Students who produced compositions of higher quality engaged in revisions more frequently from the beginning, focusing not only on form but also on content. Those students engaged in recursive writing where they refined their ideas by repeatedly alternating between expressive form and content to improve both the clarity and coherence of their compositions. In contrast, students who produced compositions of lower quality engaged in revising less frequently, focused primarily on surface-level modifications, and wrote in an associative mode without deep elaboration. Accordingly, significant differences were observed between the compositions of different quality in terms of both time investments and writing behaviors. Indicating that typing-based composition classes tend to elicit more superficial revisions, these results highlight the importance of allowing adequate time for revising compositions when designing writing activities. Thus, when using ICT tools, such as typing, teachers should consciously support students to develop content that fosters deeper engagement with ideas. The present findings have important implications for students, practitioners, and researchers.

　This study aims to compare the linguistic features of the picture books and TV/online videos that young children regularly experience, and to explore the factors that influence language development. In recent years, the digital media that children increasingly experience has significantly changed their linguistic environments. To investigate the shift, we conduct a mixed-method study combining a survey of caregivers and a linguistic analysis of media content. A web-based survey of 530 caregivers of children aged 3 to 5 revealed that children spend approximately three times more time watching TV/online videos than reading picture books. The analysis of the linguistic features of 15 picture books and 15 TV/online videos commonly experienced by young children focused on three aspects: namely, sentence complexity, vocabulary appropriateness, and lexical diversity (measured by MATTR). The results indicated that picture books have more complex sentence structures and that, reflecting their oral and performative style, TV/online videos often include fragmented or incomplete expressions. Moreover, picture books include a higher proportion of words suitable for young children, in contrast to TV/online videos that have fewer age-appropriate words with more vocabulary typically used with older children. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, lexical diversity was unexpectedly higher in the TV/online videos. However, that may reflect the inclusion of words beyond the developmental level of young children, such that greater diversity does not necessarily imply more effective language input. Overall, these findings indicate that picture books provide more developmentally appropriate and structurally rich language. These results highlight the importance of a balanced media environment to ensure consistent exposure to high-quality linguistic input through both age-appropriate picture books and carefully selected audiovisual content.