• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.33-58
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• 2007

The present paper aims at comparing the two modes of CMC - synchronous and asynchronous - in terms of discourse markers used in turn-initial positions. It further attempts to examine the viability and limitations of these two modes of CMC in fostering EFL learners' face-to-face conversation skills. For these purposes, the present study analyzed 33 Korean EFL learners' Web chat and E-mail exchange data. Discourse markers in the participants' Web chat transcripts and those in their E-mail transcripts were identified and then compared in terms of their frequency and functions. The analysis revealed that the participants show difference in their preference for discourse markers depending on the modes of CMC. Also, the functions of discourse markers used for Web chat showed were strikingly different from those for e-mail. Especially, e-mail discourse markers revealed greater discrepancy from the markers in face-to-face conversation. The differences were found to be attributable to the time factor involved with the turn-taking systems of the two modes of CMC, especially the degree of instantaneousness in their turn-taking. Findings suggest that the turn taking skills and discourse marker use in CMC is not applicable to face-to-face conversation contexts. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.1-18
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• 2006

This study investigates the types of interactional modifications employed by Japanese and Korean university students during text-based chats. In particular, this study focuses on the role of a network-based medium on the use of interactional modifications, which have been claimed to facilitate interlanguage development. The results show that students use a variety of features of interactional modifications. The most used strategies were the use of paralinguistic features, framing, overt indication of understanding/agreement, and clarification checks, which reveals inconsistent results with findings from research on the negotiation of meaning in face-to-face interaction. Results suggest that the computer-mediated communication (CMC) environment requires the above mentioned strategies and students are able to adapt to this new context by employing alternative strategies. The majority of negotiations were generated by content and lexical items either to resolve communication problems or to better manage interactions, and very few negotiations occurred in terms of grammar. The findings suggest that text-based synchronous chats can be an effective tool for promoting interactive competence, but their effectiveness on grammatical development is uncertain.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.19-28
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• 2013

This paper, based on a qualitative ethnographic study among college of education students, examines the online interactional processes surrounding academic discourse socialization. Data for this paper come from a larger study of an academic classroom community of graduate students and their instructor. In this study, I looked into the ways computer-mediated communication (CMC) contexts factor into graduate students' academic literacy experience in a graduate classroom, therein enculturating them into their new academic community. I focus on cases of nonnative graduate students in a content course in the department of educational psychology at a large southwestern university in the U.S. I explore the agency of the focal participants in terms of the roles they played in the classroom discourse highlighting the dialectical and interactional perspective of academic discourse socialization. This paper focused on the construction of varied participant roles of the focal students. It further examines student reactions and responses to these constructions during synchronous CMC activity.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society for Industrial Systems Conference
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• 2008.10b
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• pp.479-491
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• 2008

A "task network" is a type of social network that consists of experts who exchange professional help and advice regarding executing tasks. In this study, we investigate the task network used within the IS department of a national bank in Korea. We identify how this network moderates the influence of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology on an individual s task performance. Size, density, and centrality were measured as the characteristics of a personal task networks. Size equates to the total number of colleagues who work with a specific member for a certain project. Density is the ratio of the number of actual relationships to the total number of available relationships. Centrality defines whether an individual s position is in the exact center of whole network, and is measured by betweenness centrality, meaning the position one member holds between others in a network. Our findings conclude that the conditions - the larger the size of the task network, the smaller its density and the higher its level of centrality - lead to more benefits of using CMC media. Further, this positive effect of CMC is more noticeable when it provides synchronicity.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.21-43
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• 2008

The task network which is formed of different individuals can be recognized as a social network. Therefore, the way to communicate with people inside or outside the network has considerable influence on their outcome. Moreover, the position on which a member stands in a network shows the different effects of the information systems supporting communication with others. In this paper, it is to be studied how personal CMC (computer-mediated communication) tools affect the mission that those who work for a network perform through diverse task networks. Especially, we focused on synchronicity of CMC. On this score, the perspective of Media Synchronicity Theory was taken that had been suggested by criticizing Media Richness Theory. It is the objective, from this perspective, to find which characteristics of networks make the value of IT supporting synchronicity high. In the research trends of social networks, there have been two traditional perspectives to explain the effect of network: embeddedness and diversity ones. These differ from the aspect which type of social network can provide much more economic benefits. As similar studies have been reported by various researchers, these are also divided into the bonding and bridging views which are based on internal and external tie, respectively, Size, density, and centrality were measured as the characteristics of personal task networks. Size means the level of relationship between members. It is the total number of other colleagues who work with a specific member for a certain project. It means, the larger the size of task network, the more the number of coworkers who interact each other through the job. Density is the ratio of the number of relationships arranged actually to the total number of available ones. In an ego-centered network, it is defined as the ratio of the number of relationship made really to the total number of possible ones between members who are actually involved each other. The higher the level of density, the larger the number of projects on which the members collaborate. Centrality means that his/her position is on the exact center of whole network. There are several methods to measure it. In this research, betweenness centrality was adopted among them. It is measured by the position on which one member stands between others in a network. The determinant to raise its level is the shortest geodesic that represents the shortest distance between members. Centrality also indicates the level of role as a broker among others. To verify the hypotheses, we interviewed and surveyed a group of employees of a nationwide financial organization in which a groupware system is used. They were questioned about two CMC applications: MSN with a higher level of synchronicity and email with a lower one. As a result, the larger the size of his/her own task network, the smaller its density and the higher the level of his/her centrality, the higher the level of the effect using the task network with CMC tools. Above all, this positive effect is verified to be much more produced while using CMC applications with higher-level synchronicity. Among the a variety of situations under which the use of CMC gives more benefits, this research is considered as one of rare cases regarding the characteristics of task network as moderators by focusing ITs for the operation of his/her own task network. It is another contribution of this research to prove empirically that the values of information system depend on the social, or comparative, characteristic of time. Though the same amount of time is shared, the social characteristics of users change its value. In addition, it is significant to examine empirically that the ITs with higher-level synchronicity have the positive effect on productivity. Many businesses are worried about the negative effect of synchronous ITs, for their employees are likely to use them for personal social activities. However. this research can help to dismiss the concern against CMC tools.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2013.07a
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• pp.128-129
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• 2013

본 논문에서는 전기로 부하에서 발생하는 무효전력 성분과 역상분 전류를 보상하기 위한 STATCOM(STATic synchronous COMpensator)을 Cascaded Multilevel Converter(CMC)로 구성하는 경우 역상분 전류 보상시에 발생하는 직류전압의 불평형을 보상하기 위한 방법을 제안하고, 이를 시뮬레이터를 통해 검증하였다.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.123-145
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to propose an efficient vocabulary assessment model in task-based language learning and to verify the viability of this assessment model. Bachman and Palmer (1996) pointed out the fact that many language tests focus on just one of the areas of language knowledge. However, researchers suggested that it is necessary to acknowledge the needs of several analytic scales, which can provide separate ratings for different components of the language ability to be tested. Although there were many studies which tried to evaluate the various aspects of vocabulary ability, most of them measured only one or two factors. Based on previous research, this study proposed an assessment model of general construct of vocabulary ability and tried to measure vocabulary ability in four separate areas. The subjects were two classes of university level Korean EFL students. They participated in small group discussion via synchronous CMC. One class used a lexically focused task, which was proposed by Kim and Jeong (2006) and the other class used a non-lexically focused task. The results showed that the students with a lexically focused task significantly outperformed those with a non-lexically focused task in overall vocabulary ability as well as four subdivisions of vocabulary ability. In conclusion, the assessment model of separate ratings is a viable measure of vocabulary ability and this can provide elaborate interpretation of vocabulary ability.