Aspect shows cross-linguistic variation, and the role of the first language in the acquisition of aspect is often discussed in second language literature. However, whether L1 transfer actually occurs in the areas of grammar is controversial. In this paper, I discuss the aspectual characteristics of English and Japanese associated with their aspectual verb classes, which show both similarities and differences between the languages. Japanese learners of English are predicted to have difficulty in associating the form with the meaning and transfer L1 features when learning aspectual properties of English. In order to investigate this prediction, I examine whether the learners transfer the L1 interpretations associated with the verb classes and the aspectual morpheme when learning English aspect. I then discuss effective instruction for teaching aspect and introduce instructional materials designed to be used for Japanese learners of English. アスペクトには言語特有の特徴が見られ、第二言語習得における母語の影響がしばしば指摘されている。しかしながら、文法習得において母語の転移が起こるか否については意見の統一が見られていない。本論文は、英語と日本語それぞれの動詞のアスペクトによる分類に基づく特徴と両言語の類似点及び相違点について述べ、日本語母語話者が英語のアスペクトを学ぶ際に母語の転移が起こるかについて考察する。さらに、日本語母語話者を対象とした英語のアスペクトの効果的な指導方法を考察しその教材を紹介する。