36.1231, Disc: Seeking Research Collaborator – English Decoding in Japanese Bilingual Children (Applied Linguistics / Literacy Acquisition)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-1231. Sat Apr 12 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.1231, Disc: Seeking Research Collaborator – English Decoding in Japanese Bilingual Children (Applied Linguistics / Literacy Acquisition)

Moderator: Steven Moran (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Managing Editor: Justin Fuller
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Steven Franks, Joel Jenkins, Daniel Swanson, Erin Steitz
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Editor for this issue: Joel Jenkins <joel at linguistlist.org>

================================================================


Date: 11-Apr-2025
From: Devon Whitham [contact at devonwhitham.com]
Subject: Seeking Research Collaborator – English Decoding in Japanese Bilingual Children (Applied Linguistics / Literacy Acquisition)


Dear colleagues,
I am an instructional designer and TESOL-trained educator developing a
structured home reading program specifically for Japanese-speaking
families raising bilingual children. The program, Ippo-English,
employs an Orton-Gillingham-based approach to teach early English
decoding and pronunciation, adapted for Japanese learners. It
integrates multisensory instruction, contrastive phonology, and will
soon include AI-based pronunciation feedback.
I am seeking an academic collaborator to support one or more of the
following:
-Validation of instructional methods, particularly decoding and
contrastive pronunciation strategies for Japanese-English learners.
-Design of an embedded assessment protocol to track phonological
awareness, decoding, or L2 pronunciation gains over time.
-Study design for publication or pilot evaluation in collaboration
with a university lab or graduate student researcher.
Relevant areas of interest may include: applied linguistics, second
language acquisition, phonology, orthographic depth, biliteracy
development, or early reading interventions.
Our primary focus is on Japanese children aged 4 to 7, with plans to
extend the program to upper elementary. These children are typically
dominant in Japanese and have limited exposure to structured English
instruction. The program is designed for home use by caregivers, many
of whom are not fluent in English, and emphasizes culturally
responsive, bilingual, and explicitly scaffolded materials.
If you are conducting research in this area—or know someone who might
be interested in partnering—I would be delighted to connect. I am
especially open to working with graduate students or labs seeking an
applied, community-facing project.
Warm regards,
Devon Whitham
M.A. TESOL, Instructional Designer
contact at devonwhitham.com

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                     Language Acquisition
                     Phonology
                     Writing Systems

Subject Language(s): Japanese (jpn)




------------------------------------------------------------------------------

********************** LINGUIST List Support ***********************
Please consider donating to the Linguist List to support the student editors:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=87C2AXTVC4PP8

LINGUIST List is supported by the following publishers:

Bloomsbury Publishing http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/

Cambridge University Press http://www.cambridge.org/linguistics

Cascadilla Press http://www.cascadilla.com/

De Gruyter Mouton https://cloud.newsletter.degruyter.com/mouton

Edinburgh University Press http://www.edinburghuniversitypress.com

Elsevier Ltd http://www.elsevier.com/linguistics

John Benjamins http://www.benjamins.com/

Language Science Press http://langsci-press.org

Lincom GmbH https://lincom-shop.eu/

Multilingual Matters http://www.multilingual-matters.com/

Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke (LOT) http://www.lotpublications.nl/

Oxford University Press http://www.oup.com/us

Wiley http://www.wiley.com


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-36-1231
----------------------------------------------------------