The Application of ‘Can-Do’ Statements in an Introductory German Language Classroom at a Japanese University

In this paper, I write about my students’ use of A1 can-do statements that correspond to level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in an introductory German as a Second Language course. I briefly explain the CEFR, the academic direction it has taken in Japan, foreign language education at Japanese universities in general, and discuss how the A1 level can-do statements were received by my students. The purpose of this paper was to determine whether the use of CEFR A1 level can-do statements can play an effective role in an A1 level German as a Second Language classroom. Keywords: foreign language education, CEFR, CEFR-J, can-do statement