Speaker
KEYWORDS
writing , young learners, Romaji, English spelling
ABSTRACT
Writing English is hard for young learners, and many students struggle with spelling. In addition, they learn Romaji to represent sounds with the alphabet or write Japanese names with Romaji, for example, さくら becomes “sakura”. On the other hand, using Romaji can interfere with writing correct English words, and some students can not distinguish between correct English spelling and Romaji when writing essays. Investigating this dilemma, the presenter conducted a 6-month action research (AR) study with 7 students (aged 12-14) to observe and analyze: 1) how students improve their essay writing, 2) how Romaji can help students write essays, and 3) how Romaji can interfere with essay writing. Results showed that some students improved their writing skills through making errors and revising step by step, but other students did not due to Romaji-driven writing styles. This presentation discusses how Japanese young learners develop writing skills and why some of them failed to write sentences correctly. In spite of the study’s limitations this study potentially contributes toward understanding some of the difficulties young learners in Japan face in developing English writing skills.
| TITLE | Teaching Writing to Young Learners: Bright Side and Dark Side |
|---|---|
| RELEVANT SIG | Teaching Younger Learners (TYL) |
| FORMAT | Research-oriented Oral Face-to-face presentation (25 minutes, including Q&A) |
