About me

I teach Japanese language and contributes to the development of Japanese language education through my teaching, research, and student engagement activities.

My research interests include Japanese language education, second language acquisition, kanji learning, learning strategies, perceptions of language learning, social media and language learning, and sociolinguistics, particularly language shift and language revitalisation. My research has explored the experiences of learners of Japanese from non-kanji backgrounds, examining attitudes towards kanji learning, learning strategies, and effective approaches to language acquisition.

I hold a Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics and Japanese Language Education from The University of Queensland, a Master of Arts from the University of Tsukuba, and a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University. My academic and professional background spans language education, curriculum development, assessment, and higher education teaching in Australia and Japan.

I have published on topics including kanji learning strategies, learner attitudes, second language acquisition, and Japanese language pedagogy. Her broader scholarly interests extend to language maintenance and revitalisation, multilingual communities, motivation in language learning, and the role of technology and digital media in language education.

Research Supervision

I welcome enquiries from prospective Higher Degree by Research students interested in projects related to:

Japanese language education

Second language acquisition

Kanji learning and literacy development

Sociolinguistics

Language maintenance and shift

Heritage languages

Language revitalisation

Multilingualism

Social media and language learning

Natural Language Processing and language-related technologies

Other language-focused and interdisciplinary research topics

Prospective students are encouraged to discuss potential research projects that align with these areas of interest.

Awards

International Post graduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) for 3.5 years • The University of Queensland International Post Graduate Research Scholarship
University of Queensland (Australia, Brisbane) - UQ, February 2001
Graduate Student Research Travel Award (GSRTA)
University of Queensland (Australia, Brisbane) - UQ, July 2002
Higher Education Post Graduate Scholarship (Monkasho) Scholarship funded by the Higher Education Ministry of Japan for 4 years
University of Tsukuba (Japan, Tsukuba), 1997

Organisational Affiliations

School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Murdoch University

Education

Applied Linguistics and Japanese Language Education
02/2000–2004, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Queensland (Australia, Brisbane) - UQ

Thesis title: Understanding the Kanji Learning Process: Strategies, Identification and Behaviour of Learners of Japanese as a Foreign Language”. Awarded 16th Nov 2004 (Dissertation advisors: Prof. Nanette Gottlieb and Dr. Michael Harrington)

Japanese Studies, Kanji learning
04/04/1998–03/2000, Master of Arts(MA), University of Tsukuba (Japan, Tsukuba)

Thesis title: The attitudes of learning Kanji by non-native learners of Japanese – The case of Sri Lanka” Awarded March 2000. Dissertation advisors: Prof. Stefan Kaiser and A/Prof. Chieko Kano.

Education, Teaching
02/2018–12/2018, Graduate Diploma of Education, Edith Cowan University (Australia, Perth) - ECU
Japanese Language Education, Kanji learning,
04/1997–04/1998, Certificate of Completion (Research Student), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (Japan, Tokyo) - TUFS
Japanese
05/1992–05/1995, Bachelor of Arts(BA) Hons, Jawaharlal Nehru University (India, New Delhi) - JNU