Shizuka SAKURAI　Professor

Fields	Second Language Acquisition, Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Researcher Map	https://researchmap.jp/ssakurai

Shizuka Sakurai was born in Sendai and, after moving around various places, returned here several years ago. During that time, she lived in different parts of Japan, the United States, and New Zealand, gaining valuable experience with diverse cultures, customs, values, and nature. She earned both her M.A. and Ph.D. in linguistics from Michigan State University and has been involved in foreign language education at universities in Japan and abroad for many years. Currently, she serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Culture and Language Education and Chair of the English Curriculum Committee. In these roles, she is dedicated to center administration, university-wide English curriculum design and implementation, material development, and faculty support. Her research focuses on enhancing academic English listening skills, with particular attention to linguistic analysis of English lectures, note-taking, and summarization. Recently, she has developed an interest in AI-assisted English learning materials and online education. In her classes, she strives to create an environment where learners can actively and interactively improve their English proficiency.