Contents of Reading Material for High School Japanese Language Beginner-Level Students

Abstract

One of the characteristics of suitable learning materials is that they provide benefits to language learners. Significantly, few beginner-level textbooks specifically created for Indonesian students relate to the lives of Indonesian-Japanese language students. This study aims to find reading material topics closer to the daily lives of Indonesian beginner-level students, especially those studying at high schools in Indonesia so that they can be more useful in their lives. This research is qualitative descriptive research using interview research techniques. The respondents in this study were five beginner-level Japanese language learners studying at high schools in Indonesia. The result of the survey found several reading material topics, such as reading the composition of ingredients on Japanese food packaging, profiles of idols or celebrities they like on social media, phrases on the typography of clothes, restaurant names, and several other topics. This study concluded that the reading materials related to the lives of Japanese high school students in Indonesia are related to Japanese products used, things they like or hobbies, and cultural comparisons.