Paper long abstract

This presentation examines the potential of learning beyond linguistic boundaries by focusing on “collaborative extensive reading” (kyōshū tadoku), in which Japanese students and learners of Japanese (international students) participate together. Building on practices of extensive reading and Book Talk implemented at a Japanese university, the study explores their implications for Japanese language education. While extensive reading and Book Talk have also been increasingly practiced in Japanese language education, the perspective of collaborative learning, in which learners with different linguistic backgrounds learn together, has not been sufficiently examined.

In this study, students engaged in extensive reading using easy texts, followed by small-group Book Talk sessions in which they shared their reading experiences. Questionnaire data and open-ended responses from these classroom practices were analyzed. The results indicate that (1) the combination of easy books and dialogic interaction reduces learners’ psychological burden associated with speaking, and (2) using reading experiences as a basis for discussion provides opportunities for initiating communication and enhances learners’ Willingness to Communicate (WTC). Based on these findings, the study implemented collaborative extensive reading as the central practice.

In the collaborative extensive reading classes, learners of Japanese joined English classes for Japanese students, and they engaged together in extensive reading and dialogic activities. This arrangement created a situation in which both groups participated as second language users, thereby mitigating the asymmetry between native and non-native speakers and fostering a more equal environment for interaction. In Book Talk sessions, Japanese students were encouraged to use English, while learners of Japanese were encouraged to use Japanese, with flexible language switching allowed as needed. As a result, flexible communication prioritizing mutual understanding was observed.

These findings suggest that collaborative extensive reading can reconstruct relationships among learners through shared reading experiences and promote dialogic learning. This presentation argues that collaborative learning based on extensive reading and Book Talk can function across linguistic boundaries and offers practical implications for Japanese language education in European contexts, where Japanese exchange students can be incorporated into classroom practices.

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References

八島智子（2019）『外国語学習とコミュニケーションの心理』関西大学出版部．

Day, R. R., & Bamford, J. (1998). Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press.

Mikhail Bakhtin (1981). The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. University of Texas Press.