Details of the Researcher

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Aki Tsunemoto
Section
Graduate School of International Cultural Studies
Job title
Associate Professor
Degree
  • Ph.D.(コンコーディア大学)

  • M.A.(ユニバーシティカレッジロンドン)

  • 修士(教育学)(北海道教育大学)

Research History 9

  • 2025/04 - Present
    Miyagi University of Education Faculty of Education Adjunct Lecturer

  • 2025/04 - Present
    Tohoku University Graduate School of International Cultural Studies Associate Professor

  • 2024/04 - Present
    Hosei University Graduate School of Humanities Part-time lecturer

  • 2023/04 - 2025/03
    Kansai University Faculty of Foreign Language Studies Assistant Professor

  • 2022/09 - 2023/03
    Tokyo University of Science Institute of Arts and Sciences Katsushika Division, Institute of Arts and Sciences Adjunct lecturer

  • 2018/09 - 2022/12
    Concordia University Department of Education Research assistant

  • 2018/09 - 2022/08
    Concordia University Department of Education Teaching assistant

  • 2015/04 - 2016/03
    Hokurei Junior-Senior High School English language teacher

  • 2012/04 - 2015/03
    Hokkaido University of Education Teaching Assistant

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Education 5

  • Concordia University Department of Education PhD in Education

    2018/09 - 2023/05

  • University of London, University College London UCL Institute of Education TESOL Programme

    2016/09 - 2017/09

  • Hokkaido University of Education Graduate School of Education Course of English Education

    2012/04 - 2015/03

  • University of London School of Oriental and African Studies English Language and Academic Studies Programme

    2013/04 - 2014/03

  • Hokkaido University of Education Faculty of Education Course for Teachers Training

    2008/04 - 2012/03

Research Areas 2

  • Humanities & social sciences / Linguistics /

  • Humanities & social sciences / Foreign language education / Applied linguistics

Papers 12

  1. Coherence and Comprehensibility in Second Language Speakers’ Academic Speaking Performance Peer-reviewed

    Aki Tsunemoto, Pavel Trofimovich

    Studies in Second Language Acquisition 2024/05/20

    DOI: 10.1017/S0272263124000305  

  2. Pre- and in-service teachers’ beliefs about second language pronunciation teaching, their experience, and speech assessments Peer-reviewed

    Aki Tsunemoto, Pavel Trofimovich

    System 118 103125 2023/11

    DOI: 10.1016/j.system.2023.103125  

  3. The Relationship between Japanese EFL Learners’ Perceived Fluency and Temporal Speech Measures in a Read-Aloud Task Peer-reviewed

    Aki Tsunemoto, Pakize Uludag, Kim McDonough, Talia Isaacs

    JALT Journal 45 (1) 107-121 2023/05/01

    Publisher: The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT)

    DOI: 10.37546/jaltjj45.1-5  

    ISSN: 0287-2420

    More details Close

    This study examined the relationship between holistic rater judgments of second language (L2) speech fluency (i.e., perceived fluency) and temporal measures of fluency (i.e., utterance fluency) in a read-aloud task. 63 L2 English Japanese secondary school students were audio-recorded while carrying out a 69-word read-aloud task. 11 L2 English-speaking instructors rated the speech for perceived fluency, and the speech samples were analyzed for utterance fluency. The linear regression model revealed that articulation rate and clause-internal pauses significantly predicted perceived fluency. Findings are discussed in relation to the use of read-aloud tasks for the teaching and assessment of L2 speech fluency. 本研究では、音読タスクにおける第二言語音声の流暢性に関する総合的評価と、スピーチの言語的特徴の関係性を調査した。高校生の日本人英語学習者63名が、69語の音読タスクを実施する様子を録音した。11人の言語指導経験のある第二言語英語話者が、スピーチの流暢性について評価した。更に、スピーチを言語的特徴について分析した。重回帰モデル解析の結果、発声速度と節内のポーズが流暢性の重要な予測変数として算出された。これらの成果に基づき、音読タスクを利用した第二言語における流暢性の指導や評価について教育的な示唆を行う。

  4. Pre-service teachers’ beliefs about second language pronunciation teaching, their experience, and speech assessments Peer-reviewed

    Tsunemoto, A., Trofimovich, P., Kennedy, S.

    Language Teaching Research 27 115-136 2023

    DOI: 10.1177/1362168820937273  

  5. 専門英語のコミュニケーション力向上を目的とした学習者応答音声の自動内容評価に関する検討

    仁科久那斗, 峯松信明, 齋藤大輔, 常本亜希

    情報処理学会研究報告 41 1-6 2023

  6. Listener perceptions of customer service agents’ performance: Do comprehensibility, accentedness, and fluency matter? Peer-reviewed

    Aki Tsunemoto, Mark McAndrews, Pavel Trofimovich, Eric Friginal

    Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 9 (2) 234-262 2023

    Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

    DOI: 10.1075/jslp.21027.tsu  

    ISSN: 2215-1931

    eISSN: 2215-194X

    More details Close

    Abstract This study investigated listener-based assessment of the job performance of second language (L2) speakers employed as customer service agents in outsourced foreign-based call centers, focusing on agents’ job performance as a function of the comprehensibility, fluency, and accentedness of their speech. Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform, 116 native English-speaking listeners evaluated two-minute recordings of actual customer service conversations featuring 18 Filipino agents, assessing them for three global speech dimensions (comprehensibility, accentedness, and fluency) and three performance indicators, including agents’ confidence, competence, and listeners’ interest in future communication with agents (a measure capturing customer patronage). Comprehensibility and fluency consistently predicted how the listeners assessed the agents on all job performance scales, and accentedness was additionally associated with how strongly the listeners wished to communicate with the agents. Findings generally highlight the importance of fluent and comprehensible L2 speech in workplace settings.

  7. VISUAL CUES AND RATER PERCEPTIONS OF SECOND LANGUAGE COMPREHENSIBILITY, ACCENTEDNESS, AND FLUENCY Peer-reviewed

    Aki Tsunemoto, Rachael Lindberg, Pavel Trofimovich, Kim McDonough

    Studies in Second Language Acquisition 44 659-684 2022/07

    DOI: 10.1017/S0272263121000425  

  8. Effects of benchmarking and peer‐assessment on French learners' self‐assessments of accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency Peer-reviewed

    Aki Tsunemoto, Pavel Trofimovich, Josée Blanchet, Juliane Bertrand, Sara Kennedy

    Foreign Language Annals 55 (1) 135-154 2022/04

    DOI: 10.1111/flan.12571  

  9. USING TASK PRACTICE TO REDUCE SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON LISTENER EVALUATIONS OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACCENT AND COMPREHENSIBILITY Peer-reviewed

    Kym Taylor Reid, Pavel Trofimovich, Mary Grantham O’Brien, Aki Tsunemoto

    International Journal of Listening 1-16 2021/04/04

    Publisher: Informa {UK} Limited

    DOI: 10.1080/10904018.2021.1904933  

    ISSN: 1090-4018

  10. Effects of awareness-raising activities on Japanese university students’ listening comprehension of World English pronunciation Peer-reviewed

    Yokomoto, Katsuya, Tsunemoto, Aki, Suzukida, Yui

    Lingua 32 97-113 2021

  11. Exploring Japanese EFL Learners’ Attitudes Toward English Pronunciation and its Relationship to Perceived Accentedness Peer-reviewed

    Tsunemoto, A., McDonough, K.

    Language and Speech 64 24-34 2021

    DOI: 10.1177/0023830919900372  

  12. Exploring the Stability of Second Language Speech Ratings through Task Practice in Bilinguals’ Two Languages Peer-reviewed

    Kym Taylor Reid, Mary Grantham O’Brien, Pavel Trofimovich, Aki Tsunemoto

    Journal of Monolingual and Bilingual Speech 2 315-329 2020/12/24

    DOI: 10.1558/jmbs.17714  

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Misc. 2

  1. 言語教師の個人差要因が外国語スピーキング能力評価に及ぼす影響:ビリーフ(信念)と経験に着目して

    常本亜希

    村田財団研究助成成果報告書 36 691-698 2022

  2. withコロナ時代の発音指導

    横本勝也, 常本亜希, 鈴木田優衣

    英語教育 (1月) 74-75 2020/12

Books and Other Publications 1

  1. The Routledge Handbook on Second Language Acquisition and Speaking

    Trofimovich, P, Isaacs, T, Kennedy, S, Tsunemoto, A

    Routledge 2022/03

Presentations 23

  1. Exploring Japanese teachers’ beliefs about L2 pronunciation instruction

    Tsunemoto, Aki

    JALT PanSIG 2024 Conference 2024/05/25

  2. Effects of awareness-raising activities on bottom-up processing of world Englishes pronunciations

    Yokomoto, Katsuya, Tsunemoto, Aki, Suzukida, Yui

    The 14th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching (PSLLT) Conference 2023/09

  3. 専門英語のコミュニケーション力向上を目的とした学習者応答音声の自動内容評価に関する検討

    仁科久那斗, 峯松信明, 齋藤大輔, 常本亜希

    第137回音楽情報科学・第147回音声言語情報処理合同研究発表 2023/06

  4. Comprehensibility, coherence, and discourse organization: Insights from an academic speaking task

    Tsunemoto, A, Trofimovich, P

    the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2023/03

  5. Listening comprehension of World English pronunciation: How effective are awareness-raising activities?

    Yokomoto, K, Tsunemoto, A, Suzukida, Y

    The 4th International Symposium on Applied Phonetics (ISAPh 2022) 2022/09

  6. How do pre- and in-service teachers’ beliefs about pronunciation teaching relate to their L2 speech assessments?

    Tsunemoto, A, Trofimovich, P

    the Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching (PSLLT) Conference 2022/06

  7. Linguistic Dimensions Underlying Listener Evaluations of Outsourced Call Centre Agents’ Performance

    Tsunemoto, A, Trofimovich, P, McAndrews, M, Friginal, E

    the 10th International Symposium on the Acquisition of Second Language Speech (New Sounds 2022) 2022/04

  8. Exploring the relationship between outsourced call center agents’ L2 pronunciation and their job performance

    Tsunemoto, A, McAndrews, M, Trofimovich, P, Friginal, E

    the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2022/03

  9. Linguistic and non-linguistic features in second language comprehensibility Invited

    Tsunemoto, A

    Methodology Special Interest Group, Japan Association for Language Education and Technology (LET) Kansai Chapter 2021/11

  10. Effects of Nonverbal Cues in L2 Pronunciation Assessment.

    Tsunemoto, A, Lindberg, R, Trofimovich, P, McDonough, K

    the Virtual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching (PSLLT) Conference 2021/06

  11. Visual cues and L2 speech comprehensibility and comprehension.

    Tsunemoto, A, Lindberg, R, Trofimovich, P, McDonough, K

    the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2021/03

  12. Invited roundtable on Getting published in international journals in PhD Program in North America. Invited

    Tsunemoto, A

    Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) and Japan Second Language Acquisition Research Forum (J-SLARF) Symposium on Second Language Acquisition 2020/10

  13. Invited PhD student workshop on Roles of Discourse Organisation in L2 Speech Comprehensibility Invited

    Tsunemoto, A

    Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) and Japan Second Language Acquisition Research Forum (J-SLARF) Symposium 2020/10

  14. Role of Teachers’ Beliefs and Experience in L2 Comprehensibility, Accentedness and Fluency Assessments

    Tsunemoto, A

    the 30th Conference European Second Language Association (EuroSLA) 2020/07

  15. How Should I Assess Students’ Pronunciation? A Case Study of Japanese Preservice Teachers’ L2 Pronunciation Assessments, Their Beliefs, and Their Experience

    Tsunemoto, A, Trofimovich, P, Kennedy, S

    Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics (CAAL/ACLA) Conference 2020/06

  16. Examining links between pre-service teachers’ experience, their beliefs about pronunciation teaching, and their speech ratings

    Tsunemoto, A, Trofimovich, P, Kennedy, S

    The annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2020/03

  17. Preservice teachers’ beliefs about L2 pronunciation teaching, their experience, and speech assessments.

    Tsunemoto, A, Trofimovich, P, Kennedy, S

    the Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching (PSLLT) Conference 2019/09

  18. Examining the acoustic and temporal measures underlying self- and other-assessment of accentedness

    Tsunemoto, A, Isaacs, T, McDonough, K

    the 9th International Symposium on the Acquisition of Second Language Speech (New Sounds 2019) 2019/08

  19. Exploring the relationship between L2 English speakers' fluency and accentedness ratings and linguistic measures of phonological accuracy and fluency

    Tsunemoto, A, Uludag, P, McDonough, K, Isaacs, T

    the International Symposium on Bilingualism 12 2019/06

  20. How does my speech sound? Japanese EFL speakers’ self-assessments of their pronunciation in two speaking tasks

    Tsunemoto, A

    the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics Conference 2019/06

  21. What makes L2 speech fluent? Predicting advanced L2 speakers’ judgements of L2 speech

    Tsunemoto, A, Uludag, P

    Concordia University Graduate Symposium in the Department of Education 2019/03

  22. Task effects in L2 Japanese speakers’ self-assessments of accentedness and comprehensibility and native English teachers’ ratings

    Tsunemoto, A, Isaacs, T

    Second Language Research Forum 2018/10

  23. Beginner-level EFL learners’ self-assessment of second language speech across two speaking tasks Invited

    Tsunemoto, A

    Japan Second Language Acquisition Research Forum (J-SLARF) First Annual Meeting 2017/09

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Research Projects 2

  1. Investigating sustainable methods for administering classroom-based speaking assessment to promote learning

    Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

    System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

    Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

    Institution: University of Tsukuba

    2024/04/01 - 2028/03/31

  2. What characterizes comprehensible speech for Japanese university students learning English?

    常本 亜希

    Offer Organization: 日本学術振興会

    System: 科学研究費助成事業

    Category: 若手研究

    Institution: 関西大学

    2024/04/01 - 2028/03/31

Academic Activities 16

  1. Applied Linguistics

    2025 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  2. The Modern Language Journal

    2025 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  3. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics

    2025 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  4. System

    2024 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  5. Second Language Research

    2024 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  6. JALT Journal

    2024 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  7. Applied Psycholinguistics

    2024 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  8. Language Testing

    2023 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  9. Studies in Second Language Acquisition

    2023 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  10. Language Awareness

    2022 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  11. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation

    2022 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  12. ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics

    2022 - Present

  13. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

    2021 - Present

  14. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching (IRAL)

    2021 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  15. Language Teaching Research

    2020 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

  16. Language Assessment Quarterly

    2020 - Present

    Activity type: Peer review

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