Image Schema-Based Instruction in English Grammar

Page No.: 
285
Writer(s): 
Mayu Shintani, Tokyo Denki University; Kazumasa Mori, Bunkyo University; Takuya Ohmori, Tama University

Reference Data:

Shintani, M., Mori, K., & Ohmori, T. (2016). Image schema-based instruction in English grammar. In P. Clements, A. Krause, & H. Brown (Eds.), Focus on the learner. Tokyo: JALT.

Cognitive linguistics has been aimed at revealing the very nature of language for the last several decades. One of the field’s most significant contributions has been the abstraction of the general patterns, or image schemas, underlying grammatical concepts. In this paper, we propose that English grammar-teaching methods adopting image schema theory offer strong benefits for language teaching. As schematic explanations given to learners are more visible and comprehensible than ordinary verbal-based ones, this method offers a clearer and more engaging way to understand the target grammar. We also present data collected from experiments conducted with more than 400 native Japanese-speaking students at one national and one private university that support the effectiveness of this method.

認知言語学は産声をあげてここ数十年の間,人間の言語の真の姿を明らかにすることに専心してきた。この学問分野がつまびらかにしてきた数々の言語現象のうち,最も有益な成果のひとつにイメージ図式理論の構築があげられる。イメージ図式とは文法および語彙構造のひな形となるものである。本論文は認知言語学のイメージ図式理論を応用した英文法教材の学習効果を一国立大学と一私立大学に学ぶ400人以上の日本人学部生を対象に行った実験結果をもとに実証的な知見から論じている。

PDF: