Publications and presentations

Publications

Sasaki, M. & Hu, Y. (2024). Introspective methods. In A. J. Kunnan (Ed), The concise companion to language assessment (pp. 453–472). Wiley-Blackwell.

Sasaki, M., Mizumoto, A., & Murakami, A. (2024). Developmental trajectories of multicompetent writers: An ecological-historical approach to L1/L2 writing abilities and L2 proficiency. Journal of the European Second Language Association, 8(1), 114-130.

Sasaki, M., Mizumoto, A., & Matsuda, P. K. (2024). Machine translation as a form of feedback on L2 writing. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching.

Sasaki, M. (2023). AI tools as affordances and contradictions for EFL writers: Emic perspectives and L1 use as a resource. Journal of Second Language Writing, 62, 101068.

Higuchi, Y., Nakamuro, M., Roever, C., Sasaki, M., & Yashima, T. (2023). Impact of studying abroad on language skill development: Regression discontinuity evidence from Japanese university students. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 70(101284)1-13.

Roever, C., Higuchi, Y., Sasaki, M., Yashima, T., & Nakamuro, M. (2022). Validating a test of L2 routine formulae to detect pragmatics learning in stay abroad. Applied Pragmatics.

Sasaki, M. (2022). Ryuugakuni yoru eigo gakushuu [Learning English through study abroad]. In Eigo gakushuu no kagaku [The science of learning English as a foreign language] (pp. 203-218). Tokyo: Kenkyuusha.

Iwashita, N., Sasaki, M., & Stell, A., & Yucel, M. (2021). Japanese stakeholders’ perceptions of IELTS writing and speaking tests and their impact on communication and achievement. IELTS Research Reports Online Series.

Higuchi, Y., Nakamuro, M., & Sasaki, M. (2021). Impacts of an information and communication technology-assisted program on attitudes and English communication abilities: An experiment in a Japanese high school. Asian Development Review, 37(2), 100-133.

Sasaki, M., Baba, K., Nitta, R., & Matsuda, P. K. (2020). Exploring the effects of web-based communication task on the development and transferability of audience awareness in L2 writers. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics.

Sasaki, M. (2020). Living on the periphery: Cause of despair or source of hope? In L Plonsky (Ed.).Professional development in applied linguistics: A Guide for graduate students and early career faculty (pp. 60–62). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Sasaki, M. (2018a). Asian perspectives on second language writing pedagogy. In J. I. Liontas (Ed.). The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching. NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Sasaki, M. (2018b). Application of diffusion of innovation theory to educational accoutability: the case of EFL education in Japan. Language Testing in Asia, 8(1)

Sasaki, M. (2018c). Effects of study-abroad experiences on L2 writing: Insights from published research. In X You (Ed.). Transnational writing education: Theory, history, and practice (pp. 138-155). New York: Routledge.

Sasaki, M., Mizumoto, A., & Murakami, A. (2018). Developmental trajectories in L2 writing strategy use: A self-regulation perspective. Modern Language Journal.102(2), 1-18.

Higuchi, Y., Sasaki, M., & Nakamuro, M. (2017). Impacts of an ICT-assisted program on attitudes and English communicative abilities: An experiment in a Japanese high school. RIETI Discussion Paper Series 17-E-030

Sasaki, M., Kozaki, Y., Ross, S. J. (2017). The impact of normative environments on learner motivation and L2 reading ability growth. The Modern Language Journal.101 (1), 163-178.

Sasaki, M. (2016a). L2 writers in study-abroad contexts, Chapter 8. In R. Manchón, and P. K. Matsuda (Eds.). The Handbook of Second and Foreign Language Writing. (pp. 161-180). Berline: De Gruyter Mouton.

Sasaki, M. (2016b). English writing instruction in senior high schools: A historical ecological approach. Chapter 5 in T. Silva, J. Wang, J. Paiz, & C. Zhang (Eds). L2 writing in the global context: Represented, underrepresented, and unrepresented voices (pp. 84-109). Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
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Sasaki, M. (2014). Ryuugaku ga dainigengo ni ataeru eikyou ni tsuiteno kenkyuu: Kaiko to Tenbou [Effects of study-abroad experiences on L2 writing: Past research and future perspectives]. Acquisition of Japanese as a Second Language, pp. 97-111.

Sasaki, M. (2013a). Introspective methods. In A. J. Kunnan (Ed.). The Companion to Language Assessment, Vol. 3: Evaluation, methodology, and interdisciplinary themes (pp. 1340-1357). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Sasaki, M. (2013b). Dainignengo raiting koudou hattatsu no kennkyuu houhou wo motomete: Rekishiseitaigakuteki houhou no kanousei [Exploration of the best approach to examining behavioral development in second language writing: Toward a historical ecological methodology]. In Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference of the Japan Association of Second Language Acquisition), Hiroshima University, pp. 112-117.

Sasaki, M. (2012a). The Modern Language Aptitude Test (Paper-and-Pencil Version). Language Testing, 29, pp. 315-321.

Sasaki, M. (2012b). Eigokyouiku [English Education]. Nihon hikaku kyouiku gakkai [Japan Comparative Education Society] (Ed.). Hikaku kyouikugaku jiten [ Encyclopedia of comparative education] pp. 51-52. Tokyo: Toushindo.

Sasaki, M. (2012c). Changing relationships among L2 writing strategies, L2 proficiency, and L2 writing ability: A dynamic systems approach. The JACET International Convention Proceedings: The JACET 51st International Convention, pp. 145-146.

Abstract: This study examines the effects of second language (L2) learners’ initial and subsequent motivational differences on their development of L2 writing strategy use. Using a dynamic systems theory (e.g., de Bot & Larsen-Freeman, 2011) as a framework, I investigated the changes in their use of two strategies (Global Planning and Local Planning) while also considering the influences of the changes in various cognitive and environmental factors on such strategy use. A total of 37 Japanese university students studying English participated in this study over 3.5 years. The results reveal that over the 3.5 years: (1) the initial differences in the students’ motivation had significant impacts on the changes in their L2 writing strategy use; (2) the students’ use of L2 writing strategy use was constantly influenced by both the cognitive and environmental factors; and (3) the students’ developmental trajectories were well captured by a DST perspective both at the group and individual levels.
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Sasaki, M. (2012d). An alternative approach to replication studies in second language writing: An ecological perspective. Journal of Second Language Writing21(3), pp.303-305.

Sasaki, M. (2011). Effects of varying lengths of study-abroad experiences on Japanese EFL students’ L2 writing ability and motivation: A longitudinal study. TESOL Quarterly, 45, pp. 81-105.

Abstract: The present study investigated the effects of varying lengths of overseas experiences on 37 Japanese students’ English writing ability and motivation over 3.5 years. The students were observed at the beginning of their first year and in the middle of their second, third, and fourth years at their university. During the 3.5-year observation period, 28 of the 37 students spent 1.5 to 11 months in English-speaking countries. The results revealed that: (1) students’ L2 writing ability did not change in a linear way; (2) over the 3.5 years, students who spent some time abroad significantly improved their L2 writing ability whereas those who stayed in Japan did not; (3) many of those students who went abroad formed L2-related “imagined communities” that possibly motivated them to improve their L2 writing ability; (4) those students who spent more than four months abroad improved their L2 writing ability significantly more than the other students; and (5) only those students who spent more than eight months abroad became intrinsically motivated and voluntarily practiced to improve their L2 writing. Possible teaching implications for these results are discussed using Dörnyei and Ottó’s process model of L2 motivation.
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Sasaki, M. (2009). Changes in EFL students’ writing over 3.5 years: A socio-cognitive acount. In R. M. Manchón (Ed.). Writing in foreign language contexts: Learning, teaching, and researching writing in foreign language contexts (pp. 49-76). Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.
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Sasaki, M. (2008). The 150-year history of English language assessment in Japanese education. Language Testing, 25, pp. 63-83.

Abstract: In the present study I describe the 150-year history of school-based English language assessment in Japan. The history is divided into four major periods according to the purposes of English language education set by the government in the different periods: (1) 1860 to 1945, when English was first introduced and taught in schools mainly for elite classes; (2) 1945 to 1970, when English became part of the compulsory education for the first time; (3) 1970 to 1990 when English began to be regarded as the most effective means to communicate with foreign people in the rapidly shrinking world; and (4) 1990 to the present, when several innovative policies have been introduced into classroom measurement systems. I describe how assessment practices for English education at schools in each of these periods were and still are affected by various factors, including political, economic, and demographic changes in society, as well as academic paradigm shifts in the fields of education and applied linguistics.

Sasaki, M. (2007). Effects of study-abroad experiences on EFL writers: A multiple-data analysis. Modern Language Journal, 91, pp. 602-620.

Abstract: This study was a comparison of the changes in English writing behavior of 7 Japanese university students (the study-abroad group) who spent 4 to 9 months in English-speaking countries with those of 6 counterparts majoring in British and American studies (the at-home group) who remained in Japan. The study aimed at confirming the results of Sasaki (2004), who investigated similar students’ English-writing behavior over 3.5 years. After a 1-year observation period, (a) both groups improved their general English proficiency; (b) only those in the study-abroad group improved their second language (L2) writing ability and fluency; (c) unlike Sasaki’s participants, the study-abroad group made more local plans and the at-home group fewer; (d) at the end of the study, both groups translated their ideas into the L2 as often as they did at the beginning of the study; and (e) only the study-abroad group became more motivated to write better L2 compositions.

Sasaki, M. (2005). Hypothesis generation and hypothesis testing: Two complementary studies of EFL writing processes. In P. K. Matsuda & T. Silva (Eds.). Second language writing research: Perspectives on the process of knowledge construction (pp. 79-92). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
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Sasaki, M. (2004). A multiple-data analysis of the 3.5-year development of EFL student Language Learning, 54, pp. 525-582.

Abstract: The present study investigated the changes in Japanese students’ English writing behaviors over a 3.5-year period using multiple data sources including written texts, videotaped writing behaviors, and stimulated-recall protocols. Data from student interviews supplemented the analyses. Because 6 (henceforth, English as a second language [ESL] students) out of the 11 participants spent 2 to 8 months in English-speaking environments, the study was also able to examine the effects of such overseas experiences. The results revealed that over the observation period (a) both the English as a foreign language (EFL, remaining in Japan) and the ESL students improved their English proficiency, English composition quality/fluency, and confidence in English writing; (b) the ESL students’ overseas experiences were helpful for improving their writing strategy use and motivation to write better compositions; and (c) neither group’s abilities or skills became like those of the EFL experts studied in Sasaki (2002).

Sasaki, M. (2003). A scholar on the periphery: Standing firm, walking slowly. In C. P. Casanave & S. Vandrick (Eds.). Writing for scholarly publication: Behind the scenes in language education (pp. 211-221). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
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Ross, S., Yoshinaga, N., & Sasaki, M. (2002a). Aptitude-exposure interaction effects on Wh-movement violation detection by pre-and-post-critical Japanese bilinguals. In P. Robinson (Ed.). Individual differences and instructed language learning (pp. 267-299). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Sasaki, M. (2002b). Building an empirically-based model of EFL learners’ writing processes. In S. Ransdell & M-L. Barbier (Eds.). New directions for research in L2 writing (pp. 49-80). Amsterdam: Kluwer Academic.

Abstract: The present study investigated Japanese learners’ processes of English expository writing using multiple data sources including their written texts, videotaped writing behaviors, and stimulated recall protocols. Two groups of Japanese EFL writers (12 experts and 22 novices) were compared both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The present study tested the following eight hypotheses formulated as a result of a pilot study (Sasaki, 2000): (1) EFL writing experts write longer texts at greater speed than EFL writing novices; (2) after two semesters of process writing instruction, neither the quantity nor the speed of the novices’ writing improves; (3) the experts spend a longer time before starting to write than the novices; (4) after the instruction, the novices spend a longer time before starting to write; (5) while writing, the experts stop to reread or refine their expressions more often than the novices, whereas the novices stop to make local plans or translate their ideas to L2 more often than the experts; (6) after the instruction, the novices stop to reread more often while making fewer local plans. However, they still have to stop to translate as often as before; (7) the experts tend to plan a detailed overall organization, whereas the novices tend to make a less detailed plan; (8) after the instruction, the novices learn to do global planning, but it is qualitatively different from the experts’ global planning. Based on the results, flow-chart types of preliminary models are presented to represent the writing processes of different groups of EFL learners.
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Sasaki, M. (2001). An introspective account of L2 writing acquisition. In D. Belcher & U. Connor (Eds.). Reflections on multiliterate lives (pp. 110-120). Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.
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Hirose, K., & Sasaki, M. (2000). Effects of teaching metaknowledge and journal writing on Japanese university students’ EFL writing. JALT Journal, 22, pp. 94-113.

Abstract: This study investigated the teachability of two explanatory factors for Japanese students’ EFL writing. Among the five variables found influential on L2 writing ability in a cross-sectional study (Sasaki & Hirose, 1996), the two factors of L2 metaknowledge and L2 writing experience were provided to Japanese university students in semester-long English writing classes. Metaknowledge of English expository writing was taught to one group of students (n=43), whereas a journal writing assignment was added to the metaknowledge instruction for the other group of students (n=40). The effects of these two types of instruction on the students’ subsequent writing were examined. The results showed that both groups significantly improved their metaknowledge, but the metaknowledge-instruction-only group did not improve their L2 writing significantly. In contrast, the group that received both the metaknowledge instruction and the journal writing assignment made significant improvement in terms of mechanics in their L2 writing.
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Sasaki, M. (2000a). Effects of cultural schemata on students’ test-taking processes for cloze tests: A multiple data source approach. Language Testing, 17, pp. 85-114.

Abstract: The present study investigated how schemata activated by culturally familiar words might have influenced students’ cloze test-taking processes. Sixty Japanese EFL students were divided into two groups with equivalent English reading proficiency. They completed either a culturally familiar or an unfamiliar version of a cloze test. Partially replicating Chihara et al.’s (1989) experiment, several unfamiliar words in the original cloze test passage were changed to more familiar ones in the modified version. Unlike in Chihara et al. (1989), however, students were asked to give verbal reports of their test-taking processes, and to recall the passage after they had completed the tests. Thus, the two groups’ test-taking activities were compared in terms of: 1) item performance; 2) expressing correct understanding of the key terms while solving the items and recalling; 3) the amount of text information they used to complete the items; and 4) the quantities and qualities of the final recalls. Results demonstrated that those who read the culturally familiar cloze text tried to solve more items and generally understood the text better, which resulted in better performances than those of the students who read the original text. These results also support the claim that cloze tests can measure higher-order processing abilities.

Sasaki, M. (2000b). Toward an empirical model of EFL writing processes: An exploratory study. Journal of Second Language Writing, 9, pp. 259-291.

Abstract: The present study investigated EFL learners' writing processes using multiple data sources including their written texts, videotaped pausing behaviors while writing, stimulated recall protocols, and analytic scores given to the written texts. Methodologically, the study adopted a research scheme that has been successfully used for building models of Japanese L1 writing. Three paired groups of Japanese EFL writers (experts vs. novices, more- vs. less-skilled student writers, novices before and after 6 months of instruction) were compared in terms of writing fluency, quality/complexity of their written texts, their pausing behaviors while writing, and their strategy use. The results revealed that (a) before starting to write, the experts spent a longer time planning a detailed overall organization, whereas the novices spent a shorter time, making a less global plan; (b) once the experts had made their global plan, they did not stop and think as frequently as the novices; c) L2 proficiency appeared to explain part of the difference in strategy use between the experts and novices; and (d) after 6 months of instruction, novices had begun to use some of the expert writers' strategies. It was also speculated that the experts' global planning was a manifestation of writing expertise that cannot be acquired over a short period of time.

Sasaki, M., & Hirose, K. (1999). Development of an analytic rating scale for Japanese L1 writing. Language Testing, 16, pp. 457-478.

Abstract: The present study developed an analytic rating scale for Japanese university students’ first language (L1) expository writing. Research proceeded in four stages. In Stage 1, we devised a questionnaire to investigate Japanese L1 teachers’ criteria for evaluating expository writing. A total of 102 teachers responded to the questionnaire, and rated the 35 related descriptions according to their importance. In Stage 2, based on the questionnaire results, we either eliminated or reorganized these 35 descriptions under six analytic criteria:
1) Clarity of the theme;
2) Appeal to the readers;
3) Expression;
4) Organization;
5) Knowledge of language forms; and
6) Social awareness.
Then, in Stage 3, we attempted to investigate possible weighting of these six criteria. We asked 106 teachers to rate two to four compositions with varied profiles using both a holistic scale and the obtained analytic scale. The results showed that the explanatory power of each criterion can vary from composition to composition, and thus we concluded that the six criteria should have equal weighting. Finally, in Stage 4, we pilot-tested the obtained scale using a new set of 69 compositions. The results indicate that the present scale is both valid and reliable, and that it is superior to a traditional analytic scale in capturing such composition qualities as appeal to the readers and social awareness.

Sasaki, M. (1998). Investigating EFL students’ production of speech acts: A comparison of production questionnaires and role plays. Journal of Pragmatics, 30, pp. 457-484.

Abstract: The present study compares two popular measures of second language pragmatic competence: production questionnaires and role plays. Twelve Japanese university students representing three different English proficiency levels responded to both measures for the same four request and four refusal situations. Response length, range and content of the expressions, and native speaker evaluations of these responses were analyzed. The production questionnaire and role play elicited somewhat different production samples from the students. Role plays induced longer responses, and a larger number and greater variety of strategies/formulas, than production questionnaires. These differences appear to be caused by the interactive nature of role plays. Students often switched strategies for the same situations across different methods. Such intra-participant variations could have been missed if different participants had responded to different methods as in many previous studies. In addition, the correlation between the appropriateness scores of the two methods was not high enough to support the claim that they measured exactly the same trait. The low correlation probably resulted not only because the two methods produced different responses, but also because the role play responses provided additional audio-visual information, which might have affected the raters' evaluations. These findings suggest that production questionnaire scores cannot be simply substituted for role play scores.

Sasaki, M. (1997). Topic continuity in Japanese-English interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, pp. 1-21.

Sasaki, M., & Hirose, K. (1996a). Exploratory variables for EFL students' expository writing. Language Learning, 46, pp. 137-174.

Abstract: The present study investigated factors that might influence Japanese university students' expository writing in English. Seventy students of low- to high-intermediate English proficiency were examined along a variety of dimensions, namely, second language (L2) proficiency, first language (L1) writing ability, writing strategies in L1 and L2, meta-knowledge of L2 expository writing, past writing experiences, and instructional background. Very few studies to date have employed such a large number of EFL participants to consider these multiple factors as possible explanatory variables for L2 writing. Quantitative analyses revealed that (1) students' L2 proficiency, L1 writing ability, and meta-knowledge were all significant in explaining the L2 writing ability variance, (2) among these three independent variables, L2 proficiency explained the largest portion (52%) of the L2 writing variance, L1 writing ability the second largest (18%), and meta-knowledge the smallest (11%), and (3) there were significant correlations among these independent variables. Qualitative analyses indicated that the good writers were significantly different from the poor writers in that good writers (1) paid more attention to the overall organization while writing in L1 and L2, (2) wrote more fluently in L1 and L2, (3) exhibited greater confidence in L2 writing for academic purposes, and (4) had regularly written more than one English paragraph while in high school. There was no significant difference between the good and poor writers for other writing strategies and experiences. Some of these results were different from those found in a pilot study (Hirose & Sasaki, 1994). Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.

Sasaki, M. (1996b). Second language proficiency, foreign language aptitude, and intelligence: Quantitative and qualitative analyses. New York: Peter Lang.

Sasaki, M. (1995). Reliability of an ESL placement test: Comparison of classical true score theory and generalizability theory. In Anthology of theses in honor of Prof. Mikio Matsumura (pp. 410-420). Hiroshima: Keisuisha.

Hirose, K., & Sasaki, M. (1994). Explanatory variables for Japanese students' expository writing in English: An exploratory study. Journal of Second Language Writing, 3, pp. 203- 229.

Sasaki, M. (1993a). Relationships among second language proficiency, foreign language aptitude, and intelligence: A structural equation modeling approach. Language Learning, 43, pp. 313-344.

Abstract: The present study investigated the relationships among measures of second language proficiency (SLP), foreign language aptitude, and two types of intelligence (verbal intelligence and reasoning). There were two objectives: (1) to examine the factor structure of several different SLP test scores; and (2) to investigate the relationship between a general SLP factor (G-SLP) and a hypothetical general cognitive factor (G-COG) that was assumed to influence foreign language aptitude, verbal intelligence, and reasoning. Several competing hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Subjects consisted of 160 Japanese college students studying English as a foreign language. The results supported two models of SLP: one in which several specific trait factors were highly correlated with each other, and another in which these specific trait factors were connected to a higher-order G-SLP factor. Because there were only three first-order specific factors, these two models could not be distinguished from each other. Further investigation suggested that G-SLP and G-COG were not identical, but mutually correlated (r = 0.648). This implies that students' SLP and cognitive abilities were influenced by two distinct, but mutually correlated factors. Thus, the strong version of Oller's hypothesis that the general SLP factor forms the center of general cognitive abilities was disconfirmed. More than half the G-SLP variance (58%) could not be explained by the G-COG factor. Several suggestions for further studies are also presented.

Sasaki, M. (1993b). Relationships among second language proficiency, foreign language aptitude, and intelligence: A protocol analysis. Language Learning, 43, pp. 469-505.

Abstract: The present protocol analysis supplements Sasaki (1993a), which used structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships among measures of second language proficiency (SLP), foreign language aptitude, and two types of intelligence (verbal intelligence and reasoning). Six subjects randomly selected from the same subject pool as used in Sasaki (in press) took different types of SLP tests, a foreign language aptitude battery, and an intelligence test. The present study attempted (1) to test Bachman & Palmer's (1982) hypothesis that a general SLP factor is related to the amount of information processing required for solving a given item, (2) to compare cognitive processes and strategies employed for different types of aptitude/intelligence tests, and (3) to compare the quality and quantity of test-taking processes employed by students with different SLP. The results provided important information not captured in Sasaki's (in press) product-oriented psychometric study. First, Bachman & Palmer's (1982) hypothesis was only partially supported. The size of the general SLP factor effect on test scores did not completely correspond to the amount of information processing required by these tests. Secondly, the protocol analysis helped to check the validity of the tests. Most of the tests appeared to measure what they were supposed to measure. Finally, the results revealed covert differences in information processing between the high and low SLP groups. The high SLP group differed from the low SLP group in assessment, planning, and execution of problem solving processes.

Sasaki, M. (1991). A comparison of two methods for detecting differential item functioning in an ESL placement test. Language Testing, 8, pp. 95-111.

Abstract: This paper compares two approximation techniques for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) in an English as a second language (ESL) placement test when the group sizes are too small to use other possible methods (e.g., the three parameter item response theory method). An application of the Angoff deltaplot method (Angoff and Ford, 1973) utilizing the one parameter Rasch model adopted in Chen and Henning (1985), and Scheuneman’s chi-square method (Scheuneman, 1979) were chosen because they are among the few methods appropriate for a sample size smaller than 100. Two linguistically and culturally diverse groups (Chinese and Spanish speaking) served as the subjects of this study. The results reveal that there was only marginal overlap between DIF items detected by Chen and Henning’s method and Scheuneman’s method; the former detected fewer DIF items with less variety than the latter. Moreover, Chen and Henning’s method tended to detect easier items with smaller differences in p-value between the two groups whereas Scheuneman’s method tended to detect items with the opposite features. Implications of these results are discussed.

Sasaki, M. (1991). An analysis of sentences with nonreferential there in spoken American English. Word: Journal of the International Linguistic Association, 42, pp. 157-178.

Yamada, J., & Sasaki, M. (1990a). Language, perception, and thought. In H. Sawada (Ed.) Anthology of theses in honor of Prof. Sadao Andou (pp. 445-457). Tokyo: Eichoushashinsha.

Sasaki, M. (1990b). Topic prominence in Japanese EFL students' existential constructions. Language Learning, 40, pp. 337-368.

Yamada, J., Sasaki, M., & Motooka, N (1988). Copying, reading, and writing of Kana and simple forms by Japanese preschoolers. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 66, pp. 387-394.

Sasaki, M. (1987a). Linguistic change in an interlanguage: Formula X. Chugoku Academic Society of English Language Education Research Bulletin, 17, pp. 171-177.

Sasaki, M. (1987b). Change in interclausal relation: Universal side of second language acquisition. Chugoku Academic Society of English Language Education Research Bulletin, 17, pp. 43-53.

Sasaki, M. (1987c). Is UGUISU an exceptional case of "idiosyncratic variation? Another counterexample to the "Natural Order.” Chugoku-Shikoku Academic Society of Education Research Bulletin, 32, pp. 170-174.

Sasaki, M. (1985). A case study of a Japanese child learning English as a foreign language: "Is it" pattern. Chugoku Academic Society of English Language Education Research Bulletin, 15, pp. 75-79.

Sasaki, M. (1984). The daily life vocabulary in Japanese and German lower secondary level textbook: A comparative study. Chugoku Academic Society of English Language Education Research Bulletin, 14, pp. 1-4.

Presentations

Sasaki, M., Suzukida, Y., Takizawa, K., & Saito, K. (2024, March). What influences L2 readers’ comprehensibility of L2 texts? Interactions between textual characteristics and readers’ profiles. American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Houston, Texas.

Sasaki, M., Dwight Atkinson, Lourdes Ortega, Anamaria Sagre, Wander Lowie, Steven Thorne, Simona Pekarek-Doehler & Soren Eskildsen, Marije Michel. (2023, March). Colloquium: Toward commensurability and diversity in complexity: Diverse approaches to second language acquisition/teaching (SLA/T) in dialogue. American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Portland, OR.

Sasaki, M. (2021, March). Emergence and transferability of audience awareness in writers of L2 Japanese through web-based exchanges. American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Virtual Conference.

Sasaki, M. (2021, January). (Invited Speaker). A non-deficit view of multilingual researchers: Transdisciplinary hopes? Inequities in journal publishing: A conversation with multilingual scholars. American Association for Applied Linguistics Webinar Series.

Sasaki, M. (2020, October). (Invited Speaker). Investigating L2 writing development: What lies ahead and beyond. ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council)-JSLARF (Japan Second Language Research Forum) Symposium (Zoom presentation).

Sasaki, M. (2018a, March). (Invited Speaker). The effect of computer-assisted instruction on students’ cognitive and non-cognitive skills: Evidence from cluster-RCTs in Japan and Cambodia. Public Research Talk at the School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne.

Sasaki, M. (2018b, January). (Invited Speaker). Development of L2 writing strategy use: A mixed methods approach. Symposium on Academic Writing in an L2 Context. University of Tokyo.

Sasaki, M., & Mizumoto, A. (2017a, March). Longitudinal development in L1 and L2 writing: Shared patterns and individual differences. American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Portland, OR.

Sasaki, M. (2017b, March). (Invited Lecture). Effects of study-abroad experiences on L2 writing: Insights from published research. Public Research Talk at the Department of Linguistics, Georgetown University, Washington, D. C.

Sasaki, M. (2017c, May). (Invited Speaker). Development of second language writing ability: Insights from recent research. A special public lecture of Institute for Education and Student Service 2017 co-sponsored by the Japanese section and the English section. Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2017d, June). (Plenary Speaker). Daini gengo raiting kenkyuu saizennsen: Choukiteki kansatsu ni mirareru patan to kojinnsa [Insights from recent research about second language writing: Patterns and individual differences in longitudinal studies]. JACET Kansai Chapter Spring Conference, Konan University, Osaka, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2017e, June). (Invited Speaker). L2 writers in study abroad contexts: Insights from recent studies and pedagogical implications. E-Link Talk, Kansai University, Osaka, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2017f, July).What causes scoring discrepancies between trained raters? Comparing rating mechanisms in L1 Japanese and L2 English composition assessment. Symposium on Second Language Writing, Chulalongkom University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Sasaki, M. (2017g, September). (Invited Speaker). Measuring L1-L2 writing development with a new longitudinal cluster analysis statistics. Invited Public Research Talk at the Department of Linguistics, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Sasaki, ,M. (2017h, November). (Invited Speaker). Daini gengo raitingkenkyuu saizennsen to kyoushitueno ouyou [Insights from recent research about second language writing research and their application to classrooms]. Lecture for improving EFL teaching skills for Super English Hub School. Chikusa High School, Nagoya, Japan.

Sasaki, M., & Mizumoto, A. (2016a, September). Developmental trajectories in L2 writing strategy use: Systematicity and individuality. Second Language Research Forum. Teachers College, Columbia University. New York.

Sasaki, M., & Mizumoto, A. (2016b, October). Modeling patterns, uniqueness, and beyond: The development of L2 writing strategy use. Symposium on Second Language Writing, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Higuchi, Y., Sasaki, M., & Nakamuro, M. (2016c, September). Impacts of online English learning on attitudes and English communicative abilities: Experimental evidence from Japanese high schoolers. Japanese Economic Association, Waseda University, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2016d, September). (Invited Paneler). Expanding understandings of interaction: A panel discussion. Initiative for Multilingual Studies (IMS). Georgetown University, Washington, D. C.

Sasaki, M. (2015a, November). Japanese students’ longitudinal development in 2 writing strategy: A historical –ecological approach. Symposium on Second Language Writing, Shandong University, Auckland, New Zealand.

Abstract: This study describes changes in 37 Japanese students’ use of three L2 writing strategies (Global Planning, Local Planning, L1-to-L2 Translation) and asks what factors most critically impacted these changes over a four-year observation period. The students were English college majors with low- to mid-intermediate proficiency and aged 18 when the study began. They were observed at the beginning of their first year and in the middle of their second, third, and fourth years in university. The data also included the students’ scores on standardized L2 proficiency tests, L2 composition scores rated by two independent writing specialists, and in-depth interviews focusing on the participants’ own explanations about any changes in these variables. In analyzing the data, I drew on Gaddis’ (2002) historical-ecological perspective and explored the potential of “retrocasting” as a method for uncovering what critically affected the participants’ use of the targeted L2 writing strategies. Among the cognitive and environmental factors noted over the period, I searched for Gaddis' “points of no return” in the participants’ developmental paths, using as the major tool the participants’ own concurrent and retrospective accounts. I also searched for patterns shared by the participants in addition to individual differences commonly focused upon in a standard ecological approach. Results reveal that over the period: (1) initial differences in the students' motivations significantly influenced subsequent changes in their use of L2 writing strategies, which continuously interacted with cognitive and environmental changes; (2) the historical-ecological perspective was useful in explaining the students’ development at both the individual and the (traditionally observed) group level; and (3) using the participants’ own accounts helped understand the results of the quantitative analyses, revealing that students’ motivation may be a key factor in understanding their developmental trajectories.

Sasaki, M. (2015b, May). (Invited Speaker). Longitudinal development in L1 and L2 writing: An ecological approach. Symposium on L2 Writing, OISE, University of Toronto.

Abstract:This study describes changes in the L1 and L2 writing abilities of 22 Japanese students and asks what factors most critically impacted these changes over a four-year observation period. The students were English majors with low- to mid-intermediate proficiency and aged 18 when the study began. They were observed at the beginning of their first year and in the middle of their second, third, and fourth years in university. Data included the students’ scores on standardized L2 proficiency tests, L1 and L2 compositions rated by two independent writing specialists, and in-depth interviews about their beliefs about L1 and L2 writing and how and why their writing ability changed as it did over the period. The data analysis draws on Gaddis’ (2002) historical-ecological perspective and explores the potential of “retrocasting” as a method for uncovering what critically impacted the participants’ growth as multicompetent writers.

Sasaki, M. (2015, March). Dynamic changes in the relationship between L1 and L2 writing abilities and L2 proficiency in Japanese multi-competent writers. American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Toronto.

Abstract: This study investigates relational changes in the L1 and L2 writing ability and L2 proficiency of 22 Japanese students along with the factors that most critically influenced these changes over a four-year period. The students were British and American Studies majors with low- to mid-intermediate L2 proficiency and aged 18 when the study started. They were observed at the beginning of their first year and in the middle of their second, third, and fourth years in university. Data included the students’ scores on standardized L2 proficiency tests, L1 and L2 compositions, and in-depth interviews about their beliefs about L1 and L2 writing and their experiences regarding their L1 and L2 writing development. In analyzing the data, I drew on Gaddis’ (2002) historical-ecological perspective and explored the potential of “retrocasting” as a method for uncovering what crucially impacted the participants’ growth as writers, who are multi-competent in that they can strategically choose various skills and knowledge types in the L1 and L2 to write the most effective texts for a given situation. Results reveal that over the period: (1) a previous lack of writing instruction caused the participants’ first-year L1 and L2 writing ability to be more tightly correlated because their individual composing expertise, which transcended both L1 and L2, was the only ability they could depend upon; (2) their motivation to learn the L2 tended to lead to improvements in their L2 proficiency and L2 writing ability, which strengthened the correlation between the two but weakened that between L1 and L2 writing ability; and (3) components of the students’ multi-competence included their beliefs about L1 and L2 writing, acquired skills through instruction, and their sociocultural experiences accumulated over time.

Sasaki, M. (2014a, March). Longitudinal development of L1 and L2 writing in Japanese students: An Ecological approach. American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Portland, OR.

Abstract: This study describes changes in 22 Japanese students’ L1 and L2 writing ability and asks what factors most critically impacted these changes over a four-year observation period. The students were English majors with low- to mid-intermediate proficiency and aged 18 when the study began. They were observed at the beginning of their first year and in the middle of their second, third, and fourth years in university. Data included the students’ scores on standardized L2 proficiency tests, L1 and L2 compositions rated by two independent writing specialists, and in-depth interviews about the participants’ beliefs about L1 and L2 writing and why and how they changed as they did over the period. In analyzing the data, I drew on John Gaddis’ (2002) historical-ecological perspective and explored the potential of “retrocasting” as a method for uncovering what critically impacted the participants’ growth as multicompetent writers. Among the cognitive and environmental factors noted over the period, I searched for Gaddis' “points of no return” in the participants’ developmental paths, using as the major tool the participants’ own concurrent and retrospective accounts. I also searched for patterns shared by the participants in addition to individual differences commonly focused upon in a standard ecological approach. Results reveal that over the period: (1) a lack of L1 and L2 writing instruction in high school made L2 writing instruction in university all the more effective in improving the participants' L1 and L2 writing ability; (2) study-abroad experiences helped them improve and maintain their L2 writing ability and made them see L1 and L2 writing as being largely similar; and (3) environmental factors such as job-hunting affected some participants in a complex and unique manner in addition to the general trends the individuals shared with the other participants.

Sasaki, M. (2014b, June). (Invited Speaker). Dainigenngo Raitingu Kenkyuu: Menomaeno Genshou wo Doutoraete Miraini Ikasuka [L2 Writing Studies: How can we capture the phenomena in front of us and consider their implication for the future?]. The 19th Annual Conference of the Kansai Society of English Language Education, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2014c, June). (Invited Speaker). Nihonjin eigo gakushuusha no nichieisakubunryoku no chokiteki hattatsu: Jisshoshugiteki approach to seitaigakuteki apuroochi no settten [Longitudinal development of Japanese learners’ L1 and L2 writing: A point of contact between positivistic and ecological approaches]. Symposium resented with Osamu Takeuchi and Yosuke Yanase at JACET Chubu Chapter, Regular Research Meeting, Sugiyama Women’s University, Japan.

Sasaki, M., Ross, S. J., & Kozaki, Y. (2014d, August). Impacts of group motivational dynamics on Japanese students’ EFL development. International Conference on Motivational Dynamics and Second Language Acquisition. University of Nottingham, Nottingham.

Abstract:This mixed-methods longitudinal study explores the contextual effect of group norms operating within EFL classes on the year-long development of Japanese university students’ English proficiency. A total of 1,149 students nested in 44 language classes from 12 different departments in 8 universities took three forms of a standardized English test (SLEP, Educational Testing Service): before instruction, after one semester, and at the end of the second semester. During the second semester, the students were surveyed regarding the intensity of their motivation to learn English as a foreign language, two types of career-related aspirations (aspiration to professional pursuits and orientation toward the social mainstream), and their perceptions of the magnitude of their classmates’ career-related aspirations (as listed above). Methodologically, multi-level modeling (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002) enabled us to examine the relationships between these explanatory variables and the students’ L2 proficiency gains both at the individual and contextual level simultaneously. These quantitative results were supplemented by the students’ accounts explaining in interviews how they felt about their own English development and the overall classroom atmosphere regarding their classmates’ motivation to learn English and their future career aspirations. The quantitative results indicate that for these participants, individual development did not differ when initial L2 proficiency was controlled. However, class-level development significantly differed over the year, a finding explained by one form of normative career aspiration (aspiration to professional pursuits). These results were confirmed by the interview data, suggesting that improvement within each class as a whole can be greatly influenced by its individual members’ perceptions of their classmates’ future career aspirations. These findings suggest the importance of creating motivating classroom norms, which may eventually make a difference at the level of individual growth.

Sasaki, M. (2013a, March). Reexamining writing assessment rubrics in the classroom. Colloquium presented with Paul Kei Matsuda, Lia Plakans, Deborah, Crusan, Jill Jeffery. Annual Convention of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Dallas, Texas.

Abstract: Writing assessment rubrics are important tools for ensuring fairness and consistency and for promoting student learning. To facilitate the productive uses of rubrics, this colloquium will feature five writing experts who will reexamine whether, why and how rubrics can and should be used for writing assessment in the classroom ontext.

Sasaki, M. (2013b, October). (Plenary Speaker) English writing instruction in senior high schools in Japan: Its goals, its product, and its future. Symposium on Second Language Writing, Shandong University, Shandong, China.

Abstract: This study investigates from both a macro and a micro perspective changes that have affected the status of English writing instruction in Japanese high schools over the past 60 years. I first report on changes in two macro-level sources: (1) the goal-statements for teaching English writing skills set by the past six Courses of Study (curriculum guidelines, which have been revised and promulgated approximately every ten years by the Japanese government and have been legally binding since 1958), and (2) the content of university entrance exams. These two sources are perceived as having significant impacts on high school classrooms because of the centralized and highly meritocratic nature of Japanese education. The findings reveal that: (1) the Courses of Study have often treated English writing as secondary to other skills (e.g., listening, speaking, reading) and as a means to develop these skills, and (2) the skills needed to write a coherent text in English beyond the paragraph level have rarely been directly tested in past university entrance exams, which has serious negative washback effects on classroom practices as well as students’ attitudes. In a more micro-level investigation, I also report salient results from the 2010 nationwide survey of ninth-graders’ English writing skills. The findings suggest that Japanese students are better at manipulating form than at expressing themselves for communicative purposes. Based on these findings, I discuss directions for future English writing instruction that could better empower Japanese students to survive in a rapidly globalizing world.

Sasaki, M. (2013c, November). (Plenary Speaker) Development of Japanese Students as Multicompetent Writers: An Ecological Perspective. International Symposium on EFL Writing in East Asia: Crossing the Boarders. Chiba, Japan.

Abstract: This talk reports preliminary findings from a recent project that followed the development of 22 Japanese students in L1 and L2 academic writing. All were British and American Studies majors (low-to-mid intermediate) and aged 18 when the study began. Theoretically, I draw on Gaddis’ (2002) historical-ecological perspective and explored the potential of “retrocasting” as a method for finding out what impacted the participants’ growth as “multi-competent” writers (Cook, 2002, p. 2). Among the cognitive and environmental factors recorded over the four years, I searched for what Gaddis calls “points of no return” in the participants’ developmental paths, using as the major analytical tool the participants’ own concurrent and retrospective accounts. Preliminary results reveal that over the four years: (1) lack of L1 and L2 writing instruction in high school made L2 writing instruction in university all the more effective in improving both their L1 and L2 writing ability; (2) study-abroad experiences helped the participants improve and maintain their L2 writing ability; and (3) environmental factors such as opportunities to write in different genres and job-hunting affected each individual in a complex and contingent manner while also impacting each other.

Sasaki, M. (2013d, November).(Invited Speaker). Zennyuu Jidaino Koukou Sanneiseino Eigoryoku: Dokomade Kakerunoka, Kakereba Yoinoka? [The ability of (Japanese) 12th graders’ to write in English: How much can they write, and how much should they write?]. 11th English Education Reform Forum, Tokyo International University.

Sasaki, M. (2013e, December). (Plenary Speaker). Dainignengo raiting koudou hattatsu no kennkyuu houhou wo motomete: rekishiseitaigakuteki houhou no kanousei [Exploration of the best method to examine the development in second language writing behavior: Possibility of a historical ecological method]. Annual Conference of the Japan Association for Second Language Acquisition, Hiroshima University, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2012a, February). (Plenary Speaker). Studies of Japanese EFL writers: Past, present, and future. The Fourth Symposium on Writing Centers in Asia. National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract: In this talk, I reflect on the methodological and epistemological changes that have marked my studies of Japanese EFL writers over the past 20 years. Having started as a positivistic quantitative researcher, I have now come to appreciate the value of the participants’ emic accounts as well as of the critical impacts of sociocultural factors on changes in their cognitive abilities and behaviors. However, I do not propose to dwell exclusively on my past studies but instead devote most of my talk to my most recent study, which is still in progress. The study investigates changes in the use of three L2 writing strategies (Global Planning, Local Planning, L1-to-L2 Translation) by 37 Japanese students, with de Bot and Larsen-Freeman’s (2011) dynamic systems theory (DST) as a framework. The study also examines how these changes interacted with changes in the participants' L2 proficiency, writing ability, and motivation over 3.5 years. Methodologically, the study explores possible advantages of combining etic and emic types of analyses at both the inter- and intra-individual levels from a DST perspective. By illustrating in details my initial motivation for starting this study as well as my subsequent struggles in my search for the best theoretical framework and methodology for investigating the relational changes I targeted, I would like to share with the audience the problems and difficulty we may all face when dealing with complex and ever-changing phenomena such as L2 writers’ development.

Sasaki, M. (2012b, August). Effects of different learning environments on various types of English skills and knowledge in Japanese students: Mixed-method approaches. Symposium presented with Naoko Taguchi, and Tomoko Yashima at the JACET 51st International Convention, Aichi Prefectural University, Aichi, Japan.

Abstract: This symposium features the effects of different learning environments on various skills and knowledge types in L2 English. All three studies employed mixed-method designs to investigate multiple data sources drawn from Japanese university students. The targeted learning experiences were study-abroad, immersion, and international volunteering, which have attracted increasing attention due to the growing importance of English for global communication.

Sasaki, M., & Shimokido (2011a, March). Effects of varying lengths of study-abroad experiences on product and process in Japanese students learning to write in English. American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois.

Sasaki, M., Baba, Kyoko, Nitta, R., Matsuda, P. K. (2011b, June). Effects of web-based communication tasks on L2 students’ development of a sense of audience. Symposium on Second Language Writing, Howard International House, Taipei.

Sasaki, M. (2011c, June). (Invited Speaker) Colloquium: Becoming a writing researcher. Presented with Icy Lee, Hui-Tzu Min, Suresh Canagarajah, and Paul Kei Matsuda at the Symposium on Second Language Writing at Howard International Hotel, Taipei.

Sasaki, M. (2011d, October) (Invited Speaker). A dynamic systems approach to interaction among L2 writing strategy use, L2 proficiency, and L2 writing ability as these develop in Japanese students. Paper presented at the Second Language Studies Lecture Series, University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Abstract:This study describes changes in the use of three L2 writing strategies (Global Planning, Local Planning, L1-to-L2 Translation) by 37 Japanese students with de Bot and Larsen-Freeman’s (2011) dynamic systems theory (DST) as a framework. The study also examines how these changes interacted with changes in their L2 proficiency, writing ability and motivation over 3.5 years. Methodologically, the study explores possible advantages of combining both etic and emic types of analyses both at the inter- and intra-individual levels from a DST perspective. The results reveal that over the 3.5 years: (1) the initial differences of the students' motivations significantly influenced subsequent changes in their use of L2 writing strategies, which continuously interacted with changes in their L2 proficiency and writing ability; (2) the development in the students’ L2 strategy use was not linear and was influenced by various factors, both cognitive (e.g., L2 proficiency improvement) and sociocultural (e.g., job-hunting experiences); (3) even when the students' use of L2 strategies remained unchanged, their reasons for using these strategies sometimes changed as a result of cognitive and environmental changes.

Sasaki, M. (2010a, March). Effects of a six-week study-abroad program on L2 writing: A case study of four Japanese learners of English. Annual Conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics, Atlanta, Georgia.

Sasaki, M. (2010b, May). Japanese students learning to write in English: A longitudinal analysis of the effects of study-abroad experiences. Symposium on Second Language Writing, University of Murcia, Spain.

Sasaki, M. (2010c, May). What contributions can the study of Japanese EFL learners make to the field of L2 writing? Language Learning Round Table on “Cross-Pollinations in L2 Writing Research across Continents,” Symposium on Second Language Writing, University of Murcia, Spain.

Sasaki, M. (2010d, December). (Invited Speaker). Development of L2 writing ability: Cognition and environments, process and product, etic and emic approaches. JACET Chubu Chapter, Regular Research Meeting, Chukyo University, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2009a, March). (Invited Speaker). L2 writing in EFL higher education. Writing Interest Section Academic Session. Annual Convention of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Denver, Colorado.

Sasaki, M. (2009b, May). (Plenary Speaker). Changes in Japanese students’ English writing ability, strategy-use, and motivation during their 3.5 year university life. Twenty-sixth Conference on English Teaching and Learning in the Republic of China. National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Sasaki, M. (2009c, August). (Invited Speaker). A longitudinal study of L2 writing as output and L2 writing motivation. Thirty-fifth Annual Conference of the Japan Society of English Language Education, Tottori University, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2009d, September). (Invited Speaker). The past, the present, and the future of second language writing research. Thirteenth Annual Conference of the Japan Language Testing Association, Hokkai Gakuen University, Sapporo, Japan.

Matsuda, P. K., Sasaki, M., Matsuda, A. (2008a, March). Writing in dual voices: A case study of an expert bilingual academic writer. Annual Conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC.

Sasaki, M. (2008b, August). Japanese students learning to write in English for 3.5 years: Confirmatory and exploratory approaches. L2 writing in transnational perspective: Learning-to-write and writing-to-learn dimensions, AILA 2008, World Congress of Applied Linguistics, University of Essen, Germany.

Sasaki, M. (2007a, April). Changes in EFL students’ writing over 3.5 years: Influences of study-abroad experiences and other sociocognitive factors. Conference on Social and Cognitive Aspects of Second Language Learning and Teaching, University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Sasaki, M. (2007b, September). Changes in L2 writing ability and motivation over 3.5 years: A sociocognitive account. Symposium on Second Language Writing, NAGOYA GAKUIN UNIVERSITY, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2006, April) (Plenary Speaker). The 150-Year history of English language assessment at schools in Japan. 2006 International Conference on English Instruction and Assessment, National Chung Cheng University, Minhsiung, Taiwan.

Sasaki, M. (2005, July). A comparison of production questionnaires and role plays assessing L2 pragmatic competence. Language Testing Research Colloquium, Ottawa, Ontario.

Sasaki, M. (2004a, March). Autoehnography of L1 and L2 literacies. Annual Convention of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Long Beach, California.

Sasaki, M. (2004b, May). Effects of study-abroad experiences on EFL writers: An exploratory multiple-data analysis. Annual Conference of the American Association of Applied Linguistics, Portland, Oregon.

Sasaki, M. (2004c, August). (Invited Speaker). Outoesunograpfi no kokoromi: Daini gengo de kaku to iukoto [An attempt at auto-ethnography: Writing in a second language]. E-Step Seminar, Hiroshima, Japan.

Sasaki, M. (2002a, April). (Colloquium Presenter) A multiple-data analysis of the three-year development of EFL students' writing processes. Annual Conference of the American Association of Applied Linguistics, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sasaki, M. (2002b, October). (Invited Speaker). Hypothesis generation and hypothesis testing: Two complementary studies of EFL writing processes. Third Symposium on Second Language Writing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

Sasaki, M. (2001). The development of EFL students' writing processes over a three-year period. Fourth Pacific Second Language Research Forum, University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Sasaki, M. (2000, September). Toward an empirical model of EFL students' writing processes. Second Symposium on Second Language Writing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

Sasaki, M. (1998, March). (Plenary Speaker) Toward an empirical model of L2 writing processes. Third Pacific Second Language Research Forum, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo.

Sasaki, M. (1995). Assessing Japanese students' pragmatic competence in English as a foreign language: A comparison of production questionnaires and role plays. Annual Conference of the American Association of Applied Linguistics, Long Beach, California.

(Presentations prior to 1995 are not shown here)