Details of the Researcher

PHOTO

Masayo Kanno
Section
Institute for Excellence in Higher Education
Job title
Specially Appointed Associate Professor(Research)
Degree

  • Doctor in Education (University College London)

  • Master of Arts, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (University College London)

  • Bachelor of Laws (Tohoku University)

e-Rad No.
20881709

Research History 5

  • 2020/04 - 2026/03
    Sendai National College of Technology　Department of General Engineering　Associate Professor

  • 2024/04 - 2024/10
    Tohoku University　Institute for Excellence in Higher Education　Lecturer (part-time)

  • 2011/04 - 2024/02
    University of Fukui　Graduate School of Engineering　Lecturer (part-time)

  • 2020/04 - 2022/01
    Miyagi University of Education　Lecturer (part-time)

  • 2019/09 - 2022/01
    Miyagi Gakuin Women's University　Lecturer (part-time)

Professional Memberships 7

  • The Japan Association of International Liberal Arts

    2025/10 - Present

  • Japanese Association of Qualitative Psychology

    2025/05 - Present

  • British Association for Applied Linguistics

    2024/09 - Present

  • Asia TEFL

    2024/01 - Present

  • The Council of College English Teachers (COCET)

    2020/04 - Present

  • The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT)

    2018/06 - Present

  • The Japan Association of College English Teachers (JACET)

    2012/04 - Present

︎Show all ︎Show first 5

Research Interests 5

  • Affect in language learning

  • Agency and engagement

  • Teacher emotion

  • Language learner identity

  • Materials development

Research Areas 1

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

Awards 2

  1. The Best Poster Prize

    2026/03　The Japan Association of International Liberal Arts　Emotion regulation for adaptive classroom management in non-major EFL contexts

  2. MA TESOL with Distinction

    2015/03　University College London

Papers 7

  1. An exploratory study of Kosen students’ motivational characteristics and English learning outcomes

    Masayo Kanno

    2026 JSEE Annual Conference International Session Proceedings　74　2026/09

  2. ‘I don't see this as a lost cause.’: English as a foreign language teachers’ job-crafting practices in the Japanese HE context

    Masayo Kanno

    EdD thesis, University College London　2024/03

  3. Apathy, Agency, and Sociocultural Mediation in a University English Course Peer-reviewed

    Masayo Kanno

    JALT Postconference Publication　2019　(1)　144-150　2020/08/31

    Publisher: The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT)

    DOI： 10.37546/jaltpcp2019-18 　

    More details Close

    This paper is a report of an exploratory case study with a learner who showed apathetic attitudes in a Japanese university English course. Previous research indicated the influence of self-perception, learner autonomy, and exam washback effects on Japanese learners’ attitudes towards language learning. This study takes a sociocultural approach to contribute to a deeper understanding of the constructive nature of learner agency. Semistructured interviews unexpectedly revealed the learner’s multilingual experiences and ongoing self-directed learning efforts outside the classroom. A thematic analysis identified two themes: the ineffectiveness of the classroom learning environment and the importance of English language skills. These themes illustrated that learner agency was mediated through interaction between the learner’s subjective opinions and collective attitudes in the classroom. The author discusses pedagogical factors that could enhance learner agency and facilitate learner involvement in language learning. 本論文は、日本の大学の英語の授業内で無関心な態度を示す一人の学習者に関する探求的事例研究の報告である。先行研究では、自己認識や学習者の自律性、そしてテストの波及効果が日本人学習者の語学学習に対する姿勢に与える影響が示されている。本研究は、社会文化論的なアプローチから、発展的な性質を持つ学習者行為主体性をより深く理解することを目的とする。半構造化インタビューでは、多言語に接した経験があり、現在自主的に英語を学習していたことが予想外に明らかになった。主題分析により、効果的ではない教室での学習環境、英語力の重要性、の二つのテーマが特定された。これらのテーマは、学習者の主観的な意見と教室内での集合的な態度の相互作用を媒介として行為主体性が形成されることを示唆した。著者は、行為主体性を高め、語学学習への関わりを促進することができるような教育的要素を論じる。

  4. Maintaining and Enhancing Students' Collaborative Learning in a Japanese EFL Higher Education Context Peer-reviewed

    Masayo Kanno

    Journal of Education, Innovation, and Communication　(June Special Issue)　91-106　2020/06/18

    Publisher: Communication Institute of Greece

    DOI： 10.34097/jeicom_sp_june2020_4 　

  5. The use of research articles in an ESP course for engineering undergraduates -An investigation into the effectiveness of a genre-specific rhetorical approach-

    Masayo Kanno, Hisao Taoka

    Memoirs of the Faculty of Engineering, Fukui University　67　65-73　2019/03

  6. Exploring the impact of past and ongoing learning experiences on construction of current learner identity: A case study of Japanese university EFL learners

    Masayo Kanno

    Institution Focused Study, UCL Institute of Education, University of London　2019/02

  7. The Effectiveness of Reading Strategy Instruction on Authentic Texts with Japanese EFL Students

    Masayo Kanno

    MA Dissertation, Institute of Education, University of London.　2014/09

Show all ︎Show first 5

Misc. 3

  1. Aims and practices of EFL education: An investigation into English teacher cognition and efforts for job crafting

    Masayo Kanno

    Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Final Report　2022/06/27

  2. How can teachers support learner agency? JALT2019 international conference report

    Masayo Kanno

    Learning Learning　27　(1)　20-22　2020/06

  3. Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn

    Masayo Kanno

    Learning Learning　25　(2)　29　2018/11

Books and Other Publications 1

  1. Core English for Global Communication

    Jannuzi, Charles, Kanno, Masayo

    Asahi Press　2018/01

    ISBN: 9784255156217

Presentations 11

  1. Kosen students’ motivational characteristics and English learning outcomes

    Masayo Kanno

    The 74th Annual Conference of Japanese Society for Engineering Education　2026/09/03

  2. Emotion regulation for adaptive classroom management in non-major EFL contexts

    Masayo Kanno

    The 14th Annual Conference of the Japan Association of International Liberal Arts　2026/03/14

  3. Bridging the gap between expectations and reality: Emotion regulation in university English teachers

    Masayo Kanno

    The 22nd Annual Conference of the Japanese Association of Qualitative Psychology　2025/10/18

  4. The power within: Recognizing and reinforcing teacher resilience

    Masayo Kanno

    The Council of College English Teachers, 48th Research Conference　2025/08/31

  5. “You can’t really support them”: Emotion regulation strategies for teaching English to Japanese STEAM undergraduates Invited

    Masayo Kanno

    2nd Virtual Cambodia International Conference on Mentoring Educators (CICME) 2021　2021/11/16

  6. Learning through teacher cognition research: Aims and practices of university EFL classes in Japan Invited

    Masayo Kanno

    JALT Sendai　2021/09/26

  7. Agency in a university prerequisite EFL course

    Masayo Kanno

    JALT 47th Annual International Conference　2019/11/03

  8. Exploring learning trajectories of apathetic EFL learners: A case study of Japanese engineering undergraduates

    Masayo Kanno

    JACET 57th International Convention　2018/08/29

  9. Materials Writing and Development for Classroom Teachers

    Charles Jannuzi, Masayo Kanno

    JALT Fukui Chapter　2018/04/22

  10. 教職員提案型創成活動ものづくり工房

    Eiichi Kobayashi, Masayo Kanno

    第15回ものづくり・創造性教育に関するシンポジウム　2017/12

  11. The effectiveness of genre-specific reading instruction on research articles with engineering undergraduates

    Masayo Kanno

    JACET 55th International Convention　2016/09/02

Show all Show first 5

Research Projects 2

  1. Potential power of emotion: An investigation into an interplay between emotion regulation and group dynamics in university and college EFL classrooms Competitive

    Masayo Kanno

    Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

    System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

    Category: (C)

    Institution: National Institute of Technology, Sendai College

    2022/04 - 2027/03

  2. Aims and practices of EFL education: An investigation into English teacher cognition and efforts for job crafting Competitive

    Masayo Kanno

    Offer Organization: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

    System: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Activity

    Category: Start-up

    Institution: National Institute of Technology, Sendai College

    2020/09 - 2022/03

    More details Close

    This research project explored English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ conscious and unconscious efforts to pursue meaningful teaching experiences in university and college prerequisite classrooms. Main data collection method was interviews. Twelve native and non-native English-speaking teachers were asked to freely comment on nine statements that represented various aspects of classroom teaching. Qualitative data analysis identified three major themes. These illustrated EFL teachers’ efforts to understand and accept their students, fine-tune their teaching goals, and engage themselves while making their job more meaningful. The findings suggested that the participants adjusted their teaching practices and crafted their job so as to better address social and cultural classroom situations.