国語科におけるクリティカル・リーディングについての考察 : C. Wallace の理論を中心に

A series of studies on “critical” reading have been carried out in the field of Japanese language education. However, general methods of critical reading for use in high school Japanese language classes have not yet been established, which as a result has failed to develop a sense of language in learners which may inspire them to demand social changes. In this research, I propose a new critical reading approach which fosters skills and an attitude of actively interpreting social texts in learners. I discuss its potential, applying the Critical Reading theory formulated by Catherine Wallace, professor of pedagogy in the U.K. Wallace’s Critical Reading aims at encouraging the growth of independent readers who are expected to reform society by being aware of the authority which lies within language. Her method draws on theories such as Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy, Norman Faireclough’s Critical Language Awareness, and Michael Halliday’s Systemic Functional Theory. As well as an overview of these theories, in this paper, I examine individually the Goal of Critical Reading, Text Selection and Learning Process defined in Wallace’s theory in order to find a way of applying it to Japanese language education.