| I feel privileged to be the Coordinator
of the Japanese Language Program at Georgetown because
I can create a foreign language program about which I
have always dreamed. Due to my academic background,
I have a very strong commitment to the quality of foreign
language education. I received a BA in English from
Nanzan University, an MA in applied linguistics from Ohio
University, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
My entire training focused on the theories and practice
of language learning. My position gives me an excellent
opportunity to apply my expertise and experience to the
teaching of Japanese as a foreign language. Learning
Japanese is both an intellectual and cultural challenge,
but a very rewarding one. We make our program
exciting by combining linguistic and cultural studies.
Our language instruction emphasizes the development
of fundamental learning skills in both oral and written
communication. Intensive language courses focus
on the learning of basic vocabulary and grammar through
various speaking, reading, and writing activities.
Advanced language courses continue to provide integrated
training, using authentic written Japanese materials.
In our teaching, we also incorporate various out-of-classroom
activities, including multimedia and internet technologies,
to encourage students to independently increase their
knowledge of Japanese.
I mainly teach advanced reading courses and linguistics
courses at Georgetown, but I enjoy teaching other courses,
too. Before starting my graduate studies, I had
taught English in both private and public high schools
in Japan for almost seven years. During my graduate
studies, I taught Japanese as a foreign language ranging
from introductory to superior levels. Teaching
is very time-consuming, but I feel rewarded when I see
students motivated to learn whatever I teach.
My research interests are in second language acquisition
and instruction from a psycholinguistics perspective.
I am particularly intrigued by issues related to second
language reading and learner perception, especially
in the acquisition of kanji (i.e., characters
borrowed from Chinese into Japanese). My research
focuses on the effects of first language on kanji recognition,
kanji learning strategies, and the role of metalinguistic
and/or metacognitive awareness in language learning.
Currently, I am investigating individual differences
in vocabulary learning strategies.
Selected Publications
Koshiyama, E., Shibata, S., & Mori, Y. (2008).
"Kodomo no me kara mita amerika deno gengo, gakkou
taiken: Ankeeto choosa o fumaete [Language and school
experience from children's perspectives]." In G.
Sato, G., & H. Kataoka (Eds.), Amerika de sodatsu
nihon no kodomo--bairingaru no hikari to kage [Japanese
children growing in the U.S.: The light and shadow of
being bilingual.]. Tokyo: Akashi-shoten.
Mori, Y. & Shimizu, H. (2007). "Japanese language
students' attitudes toward kanji and their perceptions
on kanji learning strategies." In Foreign Language
Annals, 40, 472-490.
Mori, Y., Tsujioka, T., Omori, M., Sato, K., &
Muroga, I. (2007). "Quia o tsukatta onrain kanji
gakushuu kyoozai [Online kanji learning lessons using
Quia]". In S. Makino (Ed.), Proceedings of
the Fifth Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Forum (pp.
156-164). Princeton: Princeton University.
Mori, Y., Sato, K., & Shimizu, H. (2007). "
Japanese language students' perceptions on kanji learning
and their relationship to novel kanji word learning
ability". In Language Learning, 57, 57-85.
Mori, Y. (2005). "Nigengo-no hazama de sodatsu
hoshuukoo-no kodomo-tach [Language problems faced by
children attending hoshuukoo]" In O. Kamada, M.
Tsutsui, Y. Hatasa, F. Nazikians, & M. Mayumi (Eds.).
Gengo kyooiku-no shin-tenkai: Makino Seiichi kyooju
koki kinenronnshuu [New perspectives on language
education--in honor of Prof. Seiichi Makino]. Tokyo:
Hitsuji-shoboo (pp. 425-446).
Mori, Y. (2004). [Lecture] "Individual differences
in word inference strategies." In Japanese
Language Education, November 2004 Special Issue,
14-37.
Mori, Y. (2003). "The roles of context and word
morphology in learning new kanji words." In Modern
Language Journal, 87, 404-420.
Mori, Y. (2003). "Vocabulary acquisition in Japanese."
In Y. Hatasa (Ed.). Daini gengo kenkyuu eno shootai
[Introduction to second language acquisition research].
Tokyo: Kuroshio-shuppan (pp. 47-66 in Japanese, pp.
171-186 in English).
Mori, Y. (2002). "Individual differences in the
integration of information from context and word parts
in interpreting unknown kanji words." In Applied
Psycholinguistics, 23, 375-397.
Mori, Y. (1999). "Beliefs about language learning
and their relationship to the ability to integrate information
from word parts and context in interpreting novel kanji
words." In Modern Language Journal, 83,
534-547.
Mori, Y. (1999). "Epistemological beliefs and
language learning beliefs: What do language learners
believe about their learning?" In Language
Learning, 49, 377-415.
Mori, Y., & Nagy, W. (1999). "Integration
of information from context and word elements in interpreting
novel kanji compounds." In Reading Research
Quarterly, 34, 80-101.
Mori, Y. (1999). "Beliefs about vocabulary learning
and strategies for interpreting novel words." In
O. J. Nicholas, & P. Robinson (Eds.). Pragmatics
and pedagogy: Proceedings of the Third Pacific Second
Language Research Forum. Vol. 2. (pp. 93-100).
Tokyo: Aoyama Gakuin University.
Mori, Y. (1998). "Effects of first language and
phonological accessibility on kanji recognition."
In Modern Language Journal, 82, 69-82.
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