Biography
Jeff Peterson is an Assistant Professor of Japanese in the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages. He has worked in the department since January 2019. He earned his PhD at Purdue University in Applied Linguistics/Foreign Language Acquisition. He has taught Japanese courses across the entire spectrum and was the recipient of the 2022 Hamako Ito Chaplin Memorial Award for Excellence in Japanese Language Teaching. He specializes in Japanese language pedagogy and linguistics and is especially interested in extensive reading. His publications have appeared in Foreign Language Annals, Journal CAJLE, System, TESL Reporter, and The Reading Matrix. He is also a co-author and actor for the elementary-level Japanese language textbook series Learn Japanese Online. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, playing games with family and friends, and keeping up with the latest sumo.
Research Interests
Extensive reading, online language learning, computer assisted language learning (CALL), Japanese pedagogy, materials development, corpus researchTeaching Interests
Japanese language and linguistics, second language reading for pleasure, study abroad, international experiencesEducation
- Doctor of Philosophy, Applied Linguistics/Foreign Language Acquisition , Japanese, Purdue University (2019)
- Master of Arts, Second Language Teaching , Japanese, Brigham Young University (2016)
- Bachelor of Science, Management (Global Supply Chain Management) , Japanese, Brigham Young University (2012)
- Associate in Science, General Academics , Utah Valley University (2007)
Licenses and Certifications
- The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, Level N1, Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (2017 - Present)
- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Superior (Japanese), ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (2015 - Present)
- The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, Level 5, Japan Kanji Aptitude Test (Nihon Kanji Nōryoku Kentei) (2014 - Present)
Honors and Awards
- Teacher of the Year, Utah Foreign Language Association (2024 - 2024)
- Wiley Top Downloaded Author, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2023 - 2023)
- Hamako Ito Chaplin Memorial Award for Excellence in Japanese Language Teaching, Association for Asian Studies (2022 - 2022)
- JET Kizuna Ambassador, Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan (2014 - 2014)
Professional Citizenship
- Committee/Council Member, Association for Asian Studies (2023 - Present)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Computer Assisted Language Learning (Academic Journal) (2024 - 2024)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of Extensive Reading (Academic Journal) (2022 - 2023)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Routledge (2023 - 2023)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, American Association of Teachers of Japanese (2022 - 2022)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Computer Assisted Language Learning (Academic Journal) (2021 - 2022)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Foreign Language Annals (Academic Journal) (2020 - 2021)