The Consistency of the Embodiment of Spatial Expressions on Delayed Tests in Reading Instruction Using English Literature

Using literary texts in English education in Japan has come under question in general. Literary texts, however, have a strong relationship with the linguistic systems of everyday English language. This study has shown the reading instruction of literary texts with reference to cognitive linguistics. The instructions were 1) grammatical instruction with illustrations of schemas and Japanese translation by a lecturer, 2) drama activity in groups, 3) watching a film adaptation, 4) writing learning assessments. This paper aims to clarify whether students 1) draw the illustrations of the schemas of target spatial expressions which were given instruction during reading instruction, 2) understand from target words other related spatial expressions, and 3) extend prototypes to their psychological meanings. The experimental group (41 university students) were asked to draw illustrations of spatial expressions, and then to add their explanations and English examples to their illustrations in a delayed test performed 5 months after reading instruction. Students were divided into two groups, an experimental group and a control group. This paper showed that 1) the experimental group made more illustrations of schemas for target words than the control group did, 2) the experimental group understood from the target words other non-target words, and 3) a few subjects of the experimental group extended the prototypes to their psychological meanings