RAMONDA,Kris - Faculty of Foreign Language Studies Department of Foreign Language Studies

RAMONDA, Kris

Faculty, Department/Institute

Faculty of Foreign Language Studies Department of Foreign Language Studies

Academic status (qualification)

Professor Apr. 1,2023

Undergraduate Degrees・University

Texas A&M UniversityInternational Studies/Spanish 2004 Graduated

Graduate Degrees・University

Other Master's Degree Program Applied Linguistics 2010
Other Doctor's Degree Program Applied English Linguistics 2016

Academic Degrees

Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics May 2010
PhD in Applied English Linguistics Aug. 2016

Homepage Address, E-mail Address

Homepage Address：http://www.krisramonda.com
E-mail Address：ramonda@kansai-u.ac.jp

Research fields	keyword
Applied linguistics	metaphor;vocabulary acquisition;extensive reading

所属学会・団体名	役職名 (役職在任期間)
JALT (Oita Chapter)	Program Chair(2011/9/20～2012/9/19)
3rd International Conference on Situating Strategy Use (SSU3)	Conference Organizer(2018/7/2～2019/10/15)
Texas Tech University Applied Linguistics Lecture Series	Symposium Organizer(2009/9/1～2010/4/12)

Research Publications

No.	Type of publication	Date of publication (Date of presentation)	Title	Type of research result	Jointly authored or single authored	Publisher and journal name	Volume number
1	Papers1	2019/32019,03,00,0000,00,00	The role of encyclopedic world knowledge in semantic transparency intuitions of idioms	Academic Journal	Single-Author	English Language and Linguistics	23(1) pp. 31-53
2	Academic presentation7	2018/10/13～2018/10/142018,10,13,2018,10,14	How to write and publish a graded reader		Co-author	JALT 10th Annual Extensive Reading Seminar
3	International academic conference8	2017/11/16～2017/11/192017,11,16,2017,11,19	The double-edged sword of metonymy through pictures for learning idioms		Single-Author	American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention & World Languages Expo
4	Academic presentation7	2017/8/4～2017/8/72017,08,04,2017,08,07	Student perceptions and reading speed variation with online class readers		Single-Author	The Fourth World Congress on Extensive Reading
5	Papers1	2017～2017,00,00,,,	The effects of implementing online extensive reading in the English classroom	In-house publication	Single-Author	Tokyo University of Science Bulletin	49, pp. 291-305
6	Academic presentation7	2016/11/25～2016/11/282016,11,25,2016,11,28	A bone of contention: Teacher beliefs & idioms		Single-Author	JALT 42nd Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning
7	Papers1	2016～2016,00,00,,,	A bone of contention. Teacher beliefs on the pedagogical value of English idioms for second language learners	Academic Journal	Single-Author	The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal	16(2), pp. 131-143
8	International academic conference8	2015/3/21～2015/3/242015,03,21,2015,03,24	Enhancing meaning recall of idioms through visual and metaphorical elaboration		Single-Author	American Association for Applied Linguistics
9	Papers1	2015～2015,00,00,,,	Are the best language learners from Mars or Venus? Gender and vocabulary acquisition in the L2 Spanish classroom	Academic Journal	International coauthorship	The Reading Matrix: An Online International Journal	15(1) pp. 158-172
10	Academic presentation7	2014/11/29～2014/11/302014,11,29,2014,11,30	Killing two birds with one stone: Addressing both literal and figurative elements in pictorials to support L2 idiom learning		Single-Author	Oita Text Forum Workshop Round 6
11	International academic conference8	2014/11/21～2014/11/232014,11,21,2014,11,23	Teaching abstract words via images in the beginning L2 Spanish classroom		Co-author	American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention & World Languages Expo
12	Academic presentation7	2014/9/28～2014,09,28,,,	A case for no choice: The benefits of having class readers		Co-author	JALT 7th Annual Extensive Reading Seminar
13	International academic conference8	2014/9/4～2014/9/62014,09,04,2014,09,06	Semantic transparency of idioms and variation of metaphorical interpretation		Single-Author	British Association of Applied Linguistics Conference
14	Book2	2014～2014,00,00,,,	Goldberg's construction grammar in The Bloomsbury Companion to Cognitive Linguistics	Other	Single-Author	Bloomsbury Publishing	pp. 60-71
15	Papers1	2014～2014,00,00,,,	Is a picture worth a thousand words? Using images to create a concreteness effect for abstract words: Evidence from beginning L2 learners of Spanish	Academic Journal	International coauthorship	Hispania	97(4), pp. 634-650
16	Academic presentation7	2013/10/25～2013/10/282013,10,25,2013,10,28	Authoring graded reader comprehension questions		Co-author	JALT 39th Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning
17	International academic conference8	2013/9/13～2013/9/152013,09,13,2013,09,15	Effective question items for measuring general comprehension of graded readers		Co-author	2nd World Congress in Extensive Reading
18	Academic presentation7	2013/8/30～2013/9/12013,08,30,2013,09,01	Effective comprehension questions for graded readers: Evidence from item discrimination analysis		Co-author	JACET 52nd International Convention
19	International academic conference8	2013/3/16～2013/3/192013,03,16,2013,03,19	Using images creates a concreteness effect for abstract words: Evidence from beginning Spanish learners		International coauthorship	American Association for Applied Linguistics
20	Papers1	2013～2013,00,00,,,	Vocabulary: What should we test?	Other	Co-author	JALT 2012 Conference Proceedings	pp. 701-711
21	International academic conference8	2012/10/20～2012/10/212012,10,20,2012,10,21	Learner attitudes towards graded readers in the course curriculum		Co-author	KOTESOL International Conference
22	Academic presentation7	2012/10/12～2012/10/142012,10,12,2012,10,14	Examining weekly extensive reading		Co-author	JALT 38th Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning
23	Academic presentation7	2012/7/12012,07,01,0000,00,00	Extensive reading for large university classes		Co-author	JALT 5th Annual Extensive Reading Seminar
24	International academic conference8	2012/3/24～2012/3/272012,03,24,2012,03,27	The dual coding double take: When abstract meets concrete		International coauthorship	American Association for Applied Linguistics
25	Poster presentation99	2012/3/32012,03,03,0000,00,00	The four strands of vocabulary learning: Reaching a crossroads of practice and research		Single-Author	First Annual JALT Vocabulary SIG Symposium
26	Papers1	2012～2012,00,00,,,	The concreteness effect and the bilingual lexicon: The impact of visual stimuli attachment on meaning recall of abstract L2 words	Academic Journal	International coauthorship	Language Teaching Research	16, pp. 449-466
27	Papers1	2012～2012,00,00,,,	On Processing Relative Clauses in Head-final Languages: Evidence of coping mechanisms for working memory	In-house publication	Single-Author	Polyglossia	22, pp. 35-46
28	Papers1	2012～2012,00,00,,,	The four strands of vocabulary learning: Reaching a crossroads of practice and research	Other	Single-Author	Vocabulary Education and Research Bulletin	1, pp. 5-7
29	Academic presentation7	2011/12/4～2011,12,04,,,	Visual stimuli and evidence for dual coding theory		Single-Author	Oita Text Forum Workshop Round 3
30	Academic presentation7	2011/11/19～2011/11/212011,11,19,2011,11,21	The impact of imagery on learning L2 abstract words		Single-Author	JALT 37th Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning
31	Lecture19	2011/10～2011,10,00,,,	Principles of Processing Instruction	Other	Single-Author
32	International academic conference8	2011/8/12～2011/8/132011,08,12,2011,08,13	The concreteness effect and pictorial support for learning new words		Single-Author	Asian EFL Journal International Conference
33	Lecture19	2010/10～2010,10,00,,,	Teaching and Research for Vocabulary Learning	Other	Single-Author	Ritsumeikan APU Center for Language Education Faculty Development
34	Academic presentation7	2010/4/122010,04,12,0000,00,00	Can recall of abstract words be facilitated by visual stimuli? An investigation attaching a ‘concreteness effect’ to abstract words by use of symbolic and emotive imagery		Co-author	Second Annual Applied Linguistics Week

PapersIn refereedAcademic JournalSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.2019/7～10.1515/iral-2018-0336

PapersThe role of encyclopedic world knowledge in semantic transparency intuitions of idiomsIn refereedAcademic JournalSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.English Language and Linguistics23(1) pp. 31-532019/3doi.org/10.1017/S1360674317000284This article reports on the role pragmatic inferencing plays in accounting for the ways in which native speakers perceive and interpret the semantic transparency of idioms. Although previous studies have suggested that semantic transparency intuitions of idioms are partly motivated by the conceptual metaphors that underlie them (Gibbs 1992; Gibbs et al. 1997), findings from other studies (Keysar & Bly 1995, 1999) have raised questions concerning the arbitrariness of such intuitions. This study seeks to further address the discussion on the nature of semantic transparency by examining the role of pragmatic inferencing and encyclopedic world knowledge for understanding how native speakers interpret the relationship between the literal parts and figurative meanings of metaphorical idioms. To this end, semantic transparency ratings were elicited among fifteen native speakers of English for 222 metaphorical English idioms. Furthermore, raters provided qualitative support by justifying their ratings for a smaller subset of 30 idioms. These initial results were then triangulated by a follow-up exploratory study surveying etymological notes from a number of idiom dictionaries. The findings suggest that pragmatic inferencing via encyclopedic world knowledge plays an important role for the non-arbitrary way in which native speakers perceive the semantic transparency of idioms.

Academic presentationHow to write and publish a graded readerIn refereedCo-authorWaring, R.;Goldberg, P.;Ramonda, K.JALT 10th Annual Extensive Reading Seminar2018/10/13～2018/10/14

International academic conferenceThe double-edged sword of metonymy through pictures for learning idiomsIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention & World Languages Expo2017/11/16～2017/11/19

Academic presentationStudent perceptions and reading speed variation with online class readersIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.The Fourth World Congress on Extensive Reading2017/8/4～2017/8/7

PapersThe effects of implementing online extensive reading in the English classroomUnrefereedIn-house publicationSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.Tokyo University of Science Bulletin49, pp. 291-3052017～The benefits of extensive reading (ER) to second language learners are well known. However, there has not yet been widespread adoption of ER in the classroom. This is partly because graded readers are costly and challenging to implement into curricula (Davis, 1995). One solution is to introduce an online ‘virtual library’ of graded readers so that students can have unlimited access to simplified reading material. To date, however, few studies have examined how students benefit from online extensive reading. To fill this research gap, I introduced a virtual library of graded readers to students (N=107) over a semester. At the end of the semester, students evaluated the usefulness of online extensive reading. In this study, I triangulate findings from the data provided by the online extensive reading tools with self-reported gains perceived by students. I also discuss some of the broader implications of implementing online extensive reading for both research and pedagogy.

Academic presentationA bone of contention: Teacher beliefs & idiomsIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.JALT 42nd Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning2016/11/25～2016/11/28

PapersA bone of contention. Teacher beliefs on the pedagogical value of English idioms for second language learnersIn refereedAcademic JournalSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal16(2), pp. 131-1432016～Teacher beliefs are an important area of inquiry because research has found that these beliefs are often diverse (Breen et al., 2001) and strongly impact classroom practices (Borg, 1998, 2003; Burns, 1992; Farrell & Bennis, 2013). Therefore, uninformed teacher beliefs could be to the detriment of the L2 learner. Despite the fact that knowledge of idioms is a sign of proficiency (Kjellmer, 1991) and many adult L2 learners want to know them (e.g. Liontas, 2002), the classroom tends to be generally devoid of figurative words and expressions (Danesi, 1995). It is possible, however, that teacher beliefs contribute to such overly literal L2 input, especially when they are responsible for curricular choices in the classroom. To further investigate this, 15 native speaker university-level EFL teachers in Japan completed a survey that elicited both quantitative and qualitative data on their beliefs about the value of metaphorical idioms for L2 learners. The data showed a considerable divide between participant raters on a number of measures. Much of this divide was due to differences in the raters' emphasis on a top-down or bottom-up view of language learning, as well as the relative importance they placed on the perceived frequency of individual idioms.

International academic conferenceEnhancing meaning recall of idioms through visual and metaphorical elaborationIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.American Association for Applied Linguistics2015/3/21～2015/3/24

PapersAre the best language learners from Mars or Venus? Gender and vocabulary acquisition in the L2 Spanish classroomIn refereedAcademic JournalInternational coauthorshipPahom, O.;Farley, A.;Ramonda, K.The Reading Matrix: An Online International Journal15(1) pp. 158-1722015～This study examines the effect of Spanish learners’ gender on their rate of recall of abstract and concrete words. The experiment included forty-six learners of Spanish who were taught twenty- four new words via an instructional treatment based on L2-L1 and L1-L2 translations. The results of the immediate and a delayed posttest showed no effect for gender on the recall of abstract and concrete words separately, but males did significantly better on the overall recall of all words. These results call into question previous findings and suggest that research on gender and vocabulary learning must use various treatments and assessments to discover what effect gender has and in which instructional contexts.

Academic presentationKilling two birds with one stone: Addressing both literal and figurative elements in pictorials to support L2 idiom learningIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.Oita Text Forum Workshop Round 62014/11/29～2014/11/30

International academic conferenceTeaching abstract words via images in the beginning L2 Spanish classroomIn refereedCo-authorPahom, O.;Farley, A.;Ramonda, K.American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention & World Languages Expo2014/11/21～2014/11/23

Academic presentationA case for no choice: The benefits of having class readersIn refereedCo-authorGoldberg, P.;Ramonda, K.JALT 7th Annual Extensive Reading Seminar2014/9/28～

International academic conferenceSemantic transparency of idioms and variation of metaphorical interpretationIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.British Association of Applied Linguistics Conference2014/9/4～2014/9/6

BookGoldberg's construction grammar in The Bloomsbury Companion to Cognitive LinguisticsIn refereedOtherSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.Bloomsbury Publishingpp. 60-712014～

PapersIs a picture worth a thousand words? Using images to create a concreteness effect for abstract words: Evidence from beginning L2 learners of SpanishIn refereedAcademic JournalInternational coauthorshipFarley, A.;Pahom, O.;Ramonda, K.Hispania97(4), pp. 634-6502014～This study examines the lexical representation and recall of abstract words by beginning L2 learners of Spanish in the light of the predictions of the dual coding theory (Paivio 1971; Paivio and Desrochers 1980). Ninety-seven learners (forty-four males and fifty-three females) were randomly placed in the picture or non-picture group and taught twelve concrete and twelve abstract words they did not previously know. Subjects performed a recall task on an immediate and a delayed posttest. The results showed that associating abstract words with pictures had a significant effect on their recall on the immediate posttest, but no such effect was found on the delayed posttest. The results suggest that associating abstract lexical items with pictures has a significant effect on memory representation and recall in the short term. The findings also support the predictions of the dual coding theory and show that a concreteness effect can be created for abstract words by associating them with visual images.

Academic presentationAuthoring graded reader comprehension questionsIn refereedCo-authorSevigny, P.;Ramonda, K.JALT 39th Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning2013/10/25～2013/10/28

International academic conferenceEffective question items for measuring general comprehension of graded readersIn refereedCo-authorRamonda, K.;Sevigny, P.2nd World Congress in Extensive Reading2013/9/13～2013/9/15

Academic presentationEffective comprehension questions for graded readers: Evidence from item discrimination analysisIn refereedCo-authorRamonda, K.;Sevigny, P.JACET 52nd International Convention2013/8/30～2013/9/1

International academic conferenceUsing images creates a concreteness effect for abstract words: Evidence from beginning Spanish learnersIn refereedInternational coauthorshipFarley, A.;Pahom, O.;Ramonda, K.American Association for Applied Linguistics2013/3/16～2013/3/19

PapersVocabulary: What should we test?In refereedOtherCo-authorSevigny, P.;Ramonda, K.JALT 2012 Conference Proceedingspp. 701-7112013～Diagnostic Yes/No tests are a recommended and much researched assessment tool (Read, 2007; Na- tion, 2008), yet there is little research into how to apply them to address the mismatch between pre- existing course vocabulary lists from commercial textbooks for a particular level and learners’ actual vocabulary knowledge. This study looked at a vocabulary battery of 240 words adopted with a textbook for a pre-intermediate level English course at a Japanese university. During the 1st week of instruction, a Yes/No test including nonwords (pseudo-words) was administered in three forms with 85 items each. Approximately 100 students took each form. On the average, test takers claimed they knew 75% of the items on the list. A low false alarm rate supports Shillaw’s (1996) findings that the use of nonwords could be lessened significantly in the Japanese context.

International academic conferenceLearner attitudes towards graded readers in the course curriculumIn refereedCo-authorSevigny, P.;Berger, M.;Ramonda, K.KOTESOL International Conference2012/10/20～2012/10/21

Academic presentationExamining weekly extensive readingIn refereedCo-authorRamonda, K.;Sevigny, P.;Berger, M.JALT 38th Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning2012/10/12～2012/10/14

Academic presentationExtensive reading for large university classesCo-authorSevigny, P.;Ramonda, K.JALT 5th Annual Extensive Reading Seminar2012/7/1

International academic conferenceThe dual coding double take: When abstract meets concreteIn refereedInternational coauthorshipFarley, A.;Ramonda, K.American Association for Applied Linguistics2012/3/24～2012/3/27

Poster presentationThe four strands of vocabulary learning: Reaching a crossroads of practice and researchIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.First Annual JALT Vocabulary SIG Symposium2012/3/3

PapersThe concreteness effect and the bilingual lexicon: The impact of visual stimuli attachment on meaning recall of abstract L2 wordsIn refereedAcademic JournalInternational coauthorshipFarley, A.;Ramonda, K.;Liu, X.Language Teaching Research16, pp. 449-4662012～According to the Dual-Coding Theory (Paivio & Desrochers, 1980), words that are associated with rich visual imagery are more easily learned than abstract words due to what is termed the concreteness effect (Altarriba & Bauer, 2004; de Groot, 1992, de Groot et al., 1994; ter Doest & Semin, 2005). The present study examined the effects of attaching visual imagery to abstract words through use of a meaning recall test. Eighty-seven American university students of first-year Spanish participated in the study. Participants were placed in either picture or non-picture groups and were given a treatment of 12 abstract and 12 concrete words. The treatment included three input phases lasting approximately 17 minutes. The posttest and delayed posttest involved a meaning recall test to measure receptive knowledge in which participants were supplied the L2 lexical item and asked to write the L1 translation. The results indicated that participants in the abstract picture group outperformed those in the abstract non-picture group on both posttest and delayed posttest; however, no such effect was found for concrete words. Findings suggest that meaning recall of abstract words can be facilitated by usage of metaphorical, emotive, or symbolic imagery.

PapersOn Processing Relative Clauses in Head-final Languages: Evidence of coping mechanisms for working memoryUnrefereedIn-house publicationSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.Polyglossia22, pp. 35-462012～Although most of the world's head-initial languages have a noun + relative clause constituent order, head-final languages are inconsistent in the syntactical positioning of relative clauses. This inconsistency could be due, in part, to competing elements between the heavy constituent principle (Hawkins, 1994) and Lehmann's (1974) basic constituent order predictions. This study examines possible causes of head-final relative clause syntactical inconsistencies, how these inconsistencies impact working memory, and what potential coping mechanisms compensate for the heavy cognitive load of relative clauses + noun constituent order. A comparative analysis taken from samples of relative clauses translated by native speakers into nine different languages (five noun + relative clause languages and four relative clause + noun languages) served as the basis for this study. Results indicate that relative clause + noun constituent order seems to place more restrictions on the types of relative clauses permissible in the language.

PapersThe four strands of vocabulary learning: Reaching a crossroads of practice and researchIn refereedOtherSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.Vocabulary Education and Research Bulletin1, pp. 5-72012～

Academic presentationVisual stimuli and evidence for dual coding theoryIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.Oita Text Forum Workshop Round 32011/12/4～

Academic presentationThe impact of imagery on learning L2 abstract wordsIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.JALT 37th Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning2011/11/19～2011/11/21

LecturePrinciples of Processing InstructionUnrefereedOtherSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.2011/10～

International academic conferenceThe concreteness effect and pictorial support for learning new wordsIn refereedSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.Asian EFL Journal International Conference2011/8/12～2011/8/13

LectureTeaching and Research for Vocabulary LearningUnrefereedOtherSingle-AuthorRamonda, K.Ritsumeikan APU Center for Language Education Faculty Development2010/10～

Academic presentationCan recall of abstract words be facilitated by visual stimuli? An investigation attaching a ‘concreteness effect’ to abstract words by use of symbolic and emotive imageryIn refereedCo-authorRamonda, K.;Liu, X.Second Annual Applied Linguistics Week2010/4/12

RAMONDA, Kris

Faculty, Department/Institute

Academic status (qualification)

Undergraduate Degrees・University

Graduate Degrees・University

Academic Degrees

Homepage Address, E-mail Address

Research fields

Research Career

Awards

Academic Associations

Research Publications

Community Activities

Participation in International Conferences

Courses Taught