The importance of L1 ability: Influence on the thinking skills of Japanese university students

In Japan, insufficient mother tongue (L1) ability among university students has been recognized in recent years. To deal with this situation, many universities offer L1 education in their liberal arts curriculum. However, there seems to be a deficient understanding of the importance of L1 ability. In other words, educators should teach L1 more seriously, focusing on thinking skills, not just language itself. We need language skills, not only to communicate but also to solve problems and/or understand complicated matters and analyse/explain them. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between language ability and thinking skills to demonstrate the importance of enhancing L1 ability among Japanese university students.