معرفی
Maya Mceown is a Professor at the School of Education within the Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences. Her academic career centers on foreign language education with a particular focus on Japanese English language learners. Dr. Mceown maintains an active teaching schedule for 2025, offering courses including Teaching Methods in English Language, Intercultural Communication, Introduction to Applied Linguistics, and Second Language Acquisition at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
Dr. Mceown's research interests span multiple interconnected domains of language education. She investigates the psychological dimensions of language learning, particularly examining how emotional intelligence, self-determination, and motivational factors influence second language acquisition. Her work frequently applies Self-Determination Theory to language education contexts, exploring how autonomy support from teachers and parents affects students' motivation and learning outcomes. She also conducts neurocognitive research using fMRI to examine how emotional processing differs between native and second language use, with recent work focusing on amygdala function during language tasks.
Analysis of Dr. Mceown's publication record reveals consistent interdisciplinary work bridging psychology, neuroscience, and language education. Her research demonstrates a clear trajectory from examining motivational strategies in classroom contexts to investigating the neurocognitive underpinnings of language learning. She has increasingly incorporated fMRI and other neuroscience methodologies into her work, while maintaining her focus on practical educational applications. Her research frequently examines Japanese learners of English but has recently expanded to include languages other than English (LOTE) contexts.
Dr. Mceown has secured significant research funding, including Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. Her current projects include Emotional intelligence as a mediator between positive and negative emotions and neuro-cognitive performance among Japanese EFL learners (2020-2024) and a longitudinal study on Content and Language Integrated Learning. Her collaborative approach is evident in her numerous co-authored publications with researchers including Kristopher McEown, W.L. Quint Oga-Baldwin, and Kimberly Noels.
