This study reports on similarities and differences in the treatment of structural items among the Japanese language textbooks predominately used by post-secondary language programs in the United States. The study reveals how each of the textbooks treats grammar in terms of selection, presentation, and sequencing of items, and investigates if any general consensus exists among these textbooks. The study also summarizes the viewpoints of the authors on the role of grammar in formal instruction of Japanese.
Five textbooks -- Genki, Nakama, Japanese: The spoken language, Situational Functional Japanese, and Yookoso -- are investigated in this study, adopting the chart by Kawarazaki et al. (1992). The results indicate that, among the 305 structural items identified, 212 items (about 70% of all items) appeared in four or more of the textbooks, showing some agreement among the textbook authors. These 212 items are organized in order of appearance and summarized in a chart to illustrate the general trend in the order of their introduction. These findings are compared with the results of a similar study concerning U.S. high school Japanese textbooks (Japan Foundation, 1994). The findings are further compared with the developmental sequence of negative patterns proposed by Kanegy (2001), and with the developmental stages proposed by Yoshioka (2001).
The role of explicit, formal grammar instruction is a contentious topic in the field of Second Language Acquisition (Ellis, 1994). This study is intended to help program directors and instructors at post-secondary institutions make informed decisions when selecting a textbook, creating a syllabus, or when starting a new language curriculum. Suggestions for the use of this data includes: as an aid in placing students who have studied using a different textbook; as a resource for further research on second language acquisition; and for the development of assessment batteries, such as standardized tests.