Nobuhiro Kamiya, Ph.D.
November 17, 2025 2025-11-17 8:37
Professor: TESOL
Dr. Nobuhiro Kamiya is a Professor in the Anaheim University Graduate School of Education and an internationally recognized specialist in second language acquisition, corrective feedback, gesture, multimodality in language learning, and English language pedagogy. His research explores how learners acquire a second language, how instructional strategies influence language development, and how nonverbal communication—including gesture—affects learning outcomes in classroom environments.
Dr. Kamiya earned his PhD in Second Language Studies from Michigan State University, where his dissertation investigated the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, instructional practices, and research-informed approaches to corrective feedback. He also holds an MA in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University and an MA in Education Heidelberg College, with additional TESOL certification from San Diego State University.
Before entering higher education, Dr. Kamiya spent more than a decade teaching English in junior high schools across Japan, experience that continues to inform his evidence-based approach to teacher training and classroom-focused research. His teaching career later expanded to roles at Michigan State University, Columbia University, and Gunma Prefectural Women’s University, where he now serves as a full professor.
Dr. Kamiya’s scholarly work includes peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and contributions to professional teaching publications. His research has been supported by numerous competitive grants, including multiple awards from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI). He frequently presents at scholarly conferences, delivers invited lectures, and provides consultation and training for educators and institutions in Japan and abroad.
Passionate about bridging research and practice, Dr. Kamiya’s teaching focuses on applied linguistics, second language acquisition, corrective feedback, listening and speaking development, vocabulary learning strategies, and teacher education. He is also active in editorial and review work for leading academic journals in applied linguistics and language education.
Publications
Journal Articles (Refereed)
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Kamiya, N. (2024). Learners’ preferred L2 vocabulary learning modalities: Iconic gestures are not necessarily most effective for all learners. Instructed Second Language Acquisition, 8(1), 3–40.
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Kamiya, N. (2024). Is the Common Test for University Admissions in Japan enough to measure English proficiency? The case of TOEIC Bridge. Language Testing in Asia, 14(1).
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Kamiya, N. (2022). The limited effects of visual and audio modalities on second language listening comprehension.Language Teaching Research.
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Kamiya, N. (2021). Characteristics of recasts facilitating accurate perception when overheard by true beginners.Language Teaching Research.
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Kamiya, N. (2019). Predicting emergence of content words in L2 diary entries during study abroad. System, 85.
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Kamiya, N. (2019). What affects learners’ ability to interpret nonverbal behaviors in EFL classrooms? Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 43(3), 283–307.
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Kamiya, N. (2018). An analysis of the meaning of “natural” in oral corrective feedback. TESL-EJ, 22(1).
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Kamiya, N. (2018). Learner age and interpretation of nonverbal behavior in L2 classrooms. Language Teaching Research, 22(1), 47–64.
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Kamiya, N. (2017). Can the National Center Test in Japan be replaced by commercial English tests? Language Testing in Asia, 7(1).
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Kamiya, N. (2016). The relationship between stated beliefs and classroom practices in oral corrective feedback.Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 10(3), 206–219.
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Kamiya, N. (2016). Effects of academic article reading on teachers’ beliefs about oral feedback. TESOL Journal, 7(2), 328–349.
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Kamiya, N. (2015). Effectiveness of intensive and extensive recasts on implicit and explicit knowledge. Linguistics and Education, 29, 59–72.
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Kamiya, N., & Loewen, S. (2014). The influence of academic articles on ESL teachers’ beliefs. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 8(3), 205–218.
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(Earlier articles available upon request)
Book Chapters
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Kamiya, N. (2024). Conflicting deictic gestures in EFL classrooms. In Multimodality Across Epistemologies in Second Language Research (pp. 105–119). Routledge.
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Kamiya, N. (2022). Learning of speaking. In Nakata & Suzuki (Eds.), Science of English Studies (pp. 113–130). Kenkyusha.
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Kamiya, N., & Nakata, T. (2021). Corrective feedback and L2 vocabulary development. In Nassaji & Kartchava (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Corrective Feedback (pp. 387–406). Cambridge University Press.
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Kamiya, N. (2017). Speaking tasks and grammar instruction: Oral corrective feedback. Taishukan Shoten.
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Kamiya, N. (2016). Instruction aligned to cognitive level. Japan Foundation for Educational and Cultural Research.
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(Additional chapters listed in CV)
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
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Kamiya, N. (2018). Proactive vs. reactive focus on form. In TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching. Wiley.
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Kamiya, N. (2018). Teacher and student beliefs. In TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching. Wiley.
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Kamiya, N. (2015). Terms and concepts in SLA (11 entries). Kaitakusha.
Magazine Columns & General Audience Writing
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Kamiya, N. (2023). How do you correct learners’ oral errors? The English Teachers’ Magazine, May issue, 24–25.
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Kamiya, N. (2022). Meta-analysis in English education (6-article series). The English Teachers’ Magazine.
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Kamiya, N. & Hamada, Y. (2021). Cultivating independent learners through learning strategies. The English Teachers’ Magazine.
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(Full series available upon request)
Book Reviews
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Kamiya, N. (2011). Gesture and SLA research. Language Teaching Research, 15(4), 529–530.
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Kamiya, N. (2010). Communicative approaches to Japanese language teaching. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(1), 158–159.
Essays and Commentary
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Kamiya, N. (2023). How to detect lies. Tamamura Magazine, May issue, 12.
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Kamiya, N. (2020). Publishing research through the lens of manga. Taishukan Shoten.
