Kurtis McDonald, Ph.D.

(Former) Professor - English Education Research Center - Kobe College

Originally from a small town outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A., I lived in Japan for almost 25 years.  During this time I taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at a wide range of levels and contexts while developing a thorough understanding of the needs of all types of English language learners. I taught full-time at the university level since 2006 and received tenure in 2013 as a founding member of the English Education Research Center at Kobe College in Nishinomiya, Japan where I was promoted to full Professor in 2021 before leaving for a full-time position in the United States in fall 2024. In addition to my full-time teaching positions, I have also taught as an Adjunct Lecturer for the English Language Institute at the University of Michigan and in the Graduate College of Education at Temple University Japan.

Besides being actively involved in program management and curriculum development, I have also pursued a wide range of scholarly research interests. At the moment, I am most interested in applied linguistics research on second language (L2) speaking development and assessment. I also maintain active interest in the areas of task-based language teaching (TBLT), Rasch measurement, L2 vocabulary testing, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), instructional technology, and information literacy instruction.

I received my Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Applied Linguistics from Temple University Japan with my dissertation entitled “The development of interactive English speaking abilities in a Japanese university context.” Before that, I received my M.A. in TESOL from Eastern Michigan University and my M.L.I.S from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after completing my undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan.

As of fall 2024, this page will no longer be updated. However, please follow the links below for more information on my scholarly and academic work.