Exploring the Possibilities of Mother Tongue Tutorials:
Case Study of Japanese Language Class Preparation for a Chinese Child in Japan*
Kiyota Junko,
Graduate School, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
Although the number of language minority (LM) students enrolled in Japanese schools has been increasing in recent years, the use of these children’s mother tongue has in general been limited to textbook translations and the dispatch of translators in Japan, despite the fact that Crawford (1994) and others have pointed out the importance of L1 support to ensure LM children’s cognitive development and maintain their motivation to study. To help develop concrete images of the possibilities for mother tongue use in elementary schools, this study reports on the content of an L1 preparatory tutorial for an LM child’s Japanese language arts class as well as the kind of support given by the native L1 speaking tutor.
The focus of this case study is a Chinese boy who had recently moved to Japan and enrolled in the fifth grade in an elementary school and was being given after-school lessons aimed at preparing him for his Japanese language arts class. The lessons were designed by the author and a native Chinese speaking graduate student based on Okazaki’s (1997) concept of comprehensive subject instruction combining L1 and L2 (Japanese) preparatory tutorials. The content of the L1 tutorial and the kind of support provided by the L1 tutor were analyzed at three different periods: immediately after arrival and 6 months and 8 months later. At the start of the tutorial, Chinese instruction covered the same kinds of questions as the child would later be asked in the school classroom. Six months later, in addition to the kinds of questions that the student would face in the Japanese classroom, the L1 tutorial included questions on the writing techniques used in the Japanese reading passages and also taught four-character Chinese idioms related to the passages. After eight months, the tutorial also included tasks aimed at activating the child’s previously acquired knowledge of subjects covered in the reading passages, as well as activities designed to help the boy discover the purpose of the reading. Thus, the L1 tutorial was seen not only to serve as a foundation for the LM student’s understanding of the reading passages taught in his Japanese language arts class, but also to secure a place where he could demonstrate his L1 proficiency and understanding of subjects, and thus heighten his motivation to study the subject.
