Mr Kazuki Morimoto

Profile

After having taught Japanese in the United States for three years while completing the MA in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language, I moved to the UK in 2000.

From 2000 to 2005 I was a Japanese language instructor at the University of Durham, responsible for teaching upper-level Japanese language courses and a teaching methodology module for the MA Teaching Japanese as a Second Language.

Since joining the East Asian Studies team at the University of Leeds in 2005, I have taught Japanese grammar, conversation, speech, writing and translation from beginner to advanced levels. As a Japan Year Abroad Tutor from 2006 to 2018 and currently, I am responsible for pre-departure guidance, assessment and pastoral care for the Japan Year Abroad. From August 2024, I am also the Co-Director of Studies for the East Asian Studies and responsible for the EAST-based programmes, including Japanese, Chinese, Thai and East Asian Studies.  

Responsibilities

• Co-Director of Studies for East Asian Studies
• Japan Year Abroad Tutor

Research interests

I have conducted pedagogical research and studies, with a focus on teaching and assessing writing, English-Japanese translation, learning strategies and motivation. Recently, my research has primarily focused on post-beginner students and study abroad contexts, examining students' learning experiences and motivation.

From February 2018 to November 2020, I co-edited the Language Scholar, an online journal for language pedagogy.

Published Articles 

• Morimoto, K., and Oeda, Y. 2023. Poraitonesu sutorateji ni shoten o ateta irai meiru sakusei shido no jissen (A practical report on teaching students how to write request emails in Japanese with a focus on politeness strategies). Japanese Language Education in Europe. 27, 322-332.  
• Morimoto, K., and Ward, M. 2023. A case study into fluctuations in motivation towards learning Japanese language amongst British study abroad students during the COVID-19 pandemic. BATJ Journal. 24, 13–20.
• Morimoto, K., and Oeda, Y. 2021. Chujokyu nihongo gakushusha no nihongo oyobi eigo deno irai meiru ni okeru poraitonesu sutorateji no kosatsu (A study on politeness strategies used in request emails written in Japanese and English by intermediate and advanced learners of Japanese). Japanese Language Education in Europe. 25, 553–563.
• Fukasawa, N., Morimoto, K., Umezawa, K., and Netsu, M. 2021. Paburikku supikingu ni okeru higengo kodo no hyoka to kyoshi no ishiki (Students’ nonverbal behaviour in public speaking: evaluations and teachers’ perceptions). Research Bulletin. 3, 11–23.
• Morimoto, K. 2020. The assessment for the year abroad programme: how to incorporate language, culture, and personal development. In: Salin, S, Hall, D. and Hampton, C. eds. Perspectives on the year abroad: a selection of papers from YAC2018. Reserach-publishing.net, pp.89–97. 
• Takewa, M., Morimoto, K., and Ward, M. 2020. Collaborative activities in a Japanese-English bi-directional translation class for undergraduate students at a British university. BATJ Journal. 21, 60–64.  
• Morimoto, K. and Oeda, Y. 2019. Chujokyu nihongo gakushusha kara no irai meiru no bunseki – yomite eno hairyo no kanten kara (The analysis of request e-mails sent by intermediate and advanced learners of Japanese. from the aspect of consideration shown to the reader). Japanese Language Education in Europe. 24, 581–591.
• Ward, M., Morimoto, K., and Takewa, M. 2019. A Practical Example of a Japanese Translation Module for Undergraduate Students at a British University:―Characteristics and challenges―. BATJ Journal. 20, 89–93.
• Fujino, H., Hagiwara, J., Nishizawa, K., Morimoto, K. and Oeda, Y. 2018. Eikoku ni okeru nihongo kyoiku no saiko - ibunka rikai o meguru gakushusha oyobi nihongo kyoshi no ishiki chosa kara (Revisiting Japanese language education in the UK: A survey on learners' and teachers' perceptions regarding intercultural understanding). BATJ Journal. 19, 17–21.
• Morimoto, K. and Oeda, Y. 2017. Peer learning for post-beginner students of Japanese and Japanese students. The Language Scholar. 2, 37–48.
• Morimoto, K. 2017. Nihongo chujokyu gakushusha ni yoru nichiei honyaku ni okeru collocation no shiyo (Use of collocations in English-Japanese translation made by Intermediate-pre-advanced learners). BATJ Journal. 18, 27–31.
• Morimoto, K. 2016. Nihongo gakushusha no "L2 Self" wa ryugaku o toshite donoyoni kawatta ka (How has the "L2 Self" of learners of Japanese changed through their study abroad?). Japanese Language Education in Europe. 21, 324–329.
• Oeda, Y. and Morimoto, K. 2016. Nihonjin ryugakusei o majieta shochukyu nihongo kurasu deno peer learning no jissen (A showcase of peer learning for post-beginner students with Japanese students). Japanese Language Education in Europe. 21, 352–357.
• Morimoto, K. 2016. Chukyu nihongo gakushusha no sakubun ni okeru goi shiyo no goyo to mondaiten (Errors and problems in the use of vocabulary in compositions by intermediate learners of Japanese). The Three-Year-Project: "Japanese Language Research and Construction of Web Dictionary Based on Learners' Native Languages and Regional Characteristics. 2, 99–105.
• Morimoto, K. 2014. Nihongo gakushusha no daigaku deno gakushu keiken - mochibeshon no kanten kara (How do post-beginners feel about their experience of learning Japanese at a university - from a motivational point of view). Japanese Language Education in Europe. 19, 227–232.
• Morimoto, K. 2014. Nihongo gakushusha no shoki gakushu dankai deno tsumazuki no kokufuku (How can 'early-learning-stage-strugglers' of Japanese catch up?: from a perspective of learning strategies. BATJ Journal. 15, 20–27. 
• Morimoto, K. 2004. Chukyu sakubun shido to sono hyoka (Teaching and Assessing Intermediate Writing). BATJ Journal. 5, 14–28.
• Morimoto, K. 2003. Jokyu kikitori no sutorateji: noto tekingu no gijutsu (Listening Strategy: Note-taking Skills). Papers Presented at the 15th International Conference on Japanese Language Teaching. 15, 79–83.

Conference Presentations 

• September 2021, “Changes in student motivation towards Japanese language study before, during and after the year abroad in a time of COVID-19“ (Joint Presentation), The 3^rd Year Abroad Conference (online).
• September 2019, “Collaborative activities in a Japanese-English bi-directional translation class for undergraduate students at a British university” (Joint Presentation), The 22nd BATJ Annual Conference at the University of Newcastle.
• August 2019, “The Analysis of request e-mails sent by Intermediate and Advanced Learners of Japanese — from the aspect of consideration shown to the reader” (Joint Presentation), The 23rd Japanese Language Symposium in Europe (AJE) at the University of Belgrade, Serbia.
• September 2018, "The assessment for the Japan Year Abroad programme - How to incorporate language, culture and personal development", The Year Abroad Conference 2018 at the University of Newcastle.
• September 2018, "A practical example of a Japanese translation module for undergraduate students at a British University -Characteristics and challenges" (Joint Presentation), The 21st BATJ Annual Conference at the University of Bristol.
• May 2018, "Understanding the 'hook' - from a survey on learners' motivation" (Joint Presentation), May 2018 JF /BAJS/BATJ Spring Symposium on (Re)defining and Promoting Japanese Studies in UK at Regent's University London.
• April 2018, "Japanese language education in the UK and the learners' concept of their learning experience", (Invited Speech), International Center for Japanese Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
• September 2017, "Review of the assessment and support methods fro the Japanese year abroad programme - from the motivational point of view", The 4th Symposium for Applied Linguistics and Japanese language pedagogy at Cardiff University. 
• September 2017, "Fostering intercultural communicative competence in Japanese language education in the UK: a survey of learners' and teachers' perceptions" (Joint Presentation), The 4th Symposium fro Applied Linguistics and Japanese language pedagogy at Cardiff University.
• August 2017, "Revisiting Japanese language education in the UK - a survey on learners’ and teachers’ perceptions regarding intercultural understanding" (Joint Poster Presentation), the 20th BATJ Annual Conference at York St. John University. 
• April 2017, "Japanese studies and language education in the UK" and "Japanese language education in the UK universities and the study of error analysis based on the written corpus of learners of Japanese" (Invited Speech), International Center for Japanese Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
• September 2016, "Use of Collocations in English-Japanese Translation made by Intermediate-Pre-Advanced Learners", The 19th BATJ Annual Conference at University of East Anglia.
• July 2016, "How has the "L2 Self" of learners of Japanese changed through their study abroad? ", The 20th Japanese Language Education Symposium in Europe at Ca' Foscari University of Venice.
• July 2016, "A showcase of peer learning with Japanese students for post-beginner students" (Joint Presentation), The 20th Japanese Language Education Symposium in Europe at Ca' Foscari University of Venice.
• April 2016, "The study of error analysis based on the written corpus of learners of Japanese at the University of Leeds", International Center for Japanese Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
• August 2014, "How do post-beginners feel about their experience of learning Japanese at a university? - from a motivational point of view", The 14th EAJS Conference at University of Ljubljana.
• August 2013, "How can 'early-learning-stage strugglers' of Japanese catch up? ?from a perspective of learning strategies", The 16th BATJ Annual Conference at University of Nottingham. 
• June 2013, "Case Study: Translation at Leeds University", BATJ Early Summer Conference - Translation in Japanese Language Teaching at University of Edinburgh.
• September 2011, "Intermediate-advanced learners' speaking skills - Persuasiveness" (Joint Presenation), The 14th BATJ Annual Conference at University of Oxford.
• March 2011, Invited talk "The Japanese education in the UK: current situations and future tasks", International Workshop for Japanese Learners Corpus and Error Analysis" at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• September 2010, "Teaching translation into the second language via the Wiki tool of the Blackboard", Language for 21st Century: Training, Impact and Influence by the Higher Education Academy at University of Sheffield
• September 2010, "The use of grammar and vocabulary in English-Japanese translations and Japanese compositions written by intermediate-advanced learners", The 13th BATJ Annual Conference at University of Reading

Qualifications

• MA in Asian Civilization, TJFL (Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language), University of Iowa, USA
• BA in Commerce, Doshisha University, Japan
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching, accredited by the Higher Education Academy

Professional memberships

• BATJ, The British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language
• AJE, The Association of Japanese Teachers in Europe

Research groups and institutes

• East Asian Studies
• Japanese