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The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of media symbol variety on group performance in virtual teams. Symbol variety is defined as the number of ways in which information can be communicated and includes Daft and Lengel [1986]’s multiplicity of cues and language variety. According to media richness theory and media synchronicity theory, the use of media with high symbol variety is assumed to facilitate and promote communications among virtual team members. Therefore, it is expected that the media symbol variety is positively associated with group performance in virtual teams. Furthermore, online relationship building is expected to mediate the impacts of symbol variety on the performance. To confirm the suppositions, a controlled lab experiment was conducted with 60 undergraduate students as subjects. In the experimental virtual teams, subjects were allowed to communicate with other members using text-based messenger with emoticons. Subjects in the control virtual teams were allowed to communicate using only text-based messenger. The direct impact of symbol variety on group performance in virtual teams was found insignificant. However, the online relationship was found to completely mediate the positive impact of symbol variety on group performance. The implications and limitations of this study are also discussed for future research.

When individuals collaborate in virtual settings, communication is mediated through a variety of communication technologies, and is associated not only with communication effectiveness but also with socio-emotional interactions among group members. In this regards, scholars have examined how technology-mediated communication systems can be designed and used to facilitate communication interaction. However, the empirical results of the previous studies have revealed inconsistencies in the effects of communication media on users’ behavioral or attitudinal responses, and on their viable effectiveness in organizations. Some studies claim that computer-mediated communication (CMC) is task-oriented but not suitable for emotional expression since it hinders close interpersonal interaction. On the other hand, some studies argue that individuals are able to develop interpersonal relationships more effectively in a CMC environment than in an FtF environment. Due to the different perspectives, a theoretical gap exists, and it leads to the inconsistent research findings. The purpose of this paper is to combine the two different perspectives into a single unified model, thereby providing a more realistic and comprehensive understanding about virtual collaboration. The present study here sought to answers the following questions with organizational communication perspective: What are the major components of virtual collaboration? What factors affect the performance of virtual collaboration? And what kind of managerial efforts should organization make in order to facilitate CMC media effectiveness in virtual collaboration? Although there is a certain belief that new media, namely technology-mediated communication support would create new opportunities, the problem of “how” or “why” has been an important question that is still not fully addressed. In this regards, we collectively reexamined previous literatures with major issues which are still controversial and integrated various theoretical activity within computer-mediated communication domain: task-oriented approach, socio-emotional approach, and evolutionary psychological approach. Our first contribution is to develop a framework for virtual collaboration by combining two different perspectives into a single unified model, providing a more realistic and comprehensive understanding. The second main contribution is the joint modeling of both social presence and cognitive effort, and the effects on two distinct but important communication outcomes (i.e., task performance and relational development). We tested the research hypotheses which were developed based on the various CMC theories using data gathered through a self-administered mail survey of 127 individuals of 69 virtual workgroups. The proposed model was supported, providing preliminary evidence that the tension between two opposite view should be integrated. The results show that the individual’s psychological processes (social presence and cognitive effort) in a virtual environment significantly mediated the effect of CMC inputs (media richness, user adaptation, and shared context) on the CMC outputs (task performance and relational development). Furthermore, this study shows that the lack of perceived media richness of CMC media can be complemented by user adaptation and shared context. Based on the results, we discuss how communication system should be designed and implemented so as to promote virtual interaction as well as how a virtual workgroup should be composed to complement the lack of media richness. A virtual collaboration using CMC media may create new value by overcoming the logistical constraints. On the other hand, it may also generate various managerial risks such as communicational depersonalization, process dissatisfaction, and low cohesion. Therefore, this study suggests that organization managers should carefully choose the CMC mediums and monitor individual member’s cognitive and affective psychological processes during virtual collaboration to reduce potential risks in virtual collaboration.

This study investigated the uses of causative devices in a comparable set of corpora comprised of the NS, ESL, and EFL CMC texts. An inventory of 144 devices was prepared and classified by eight syntactic categories; the occurrences of each device were examined and coded accordingly. While the overall frequency of the causative devices did not appear significantly different, substantial differences were noticed in the variety of the devices employed by the three groups. 72, 53, and 29 types out of 144 potential devices covered 100% of the causative expressions in the NS, ESL and EFL corpus respectively, indicating EFL learners' restricted repertoire of causality. The analysis of the function-content word ratio revealed the EFL group’s preference for explicitly marking the relations of the events with function words. A limited set of markers such as because, by + ~ing, because of, and so were predominantly used at the expense of other potential candidates in the EFL corpus. Complex forms of causality and global coherence of discourse were not frequently found in the EFL corpus.

Metadiscourse is an important strategic skill in writing, yet it has been seldom a part of explicit classroom instruction. In pursuit of evidence about the L2 writers' incidental assimilation into the L1 uses of interpersonal metadiscourse (IMD) skills, this study examined CMC corpora of L1 and L2 university students covering three discussion sessions. Although not straightforward, the L2 writers demonstrated some signs of assimilation; while the L1 writers gradually reduced IMD with increasing affinity, the L2 group made a quick drop-off and then caught up with the L1 rate at the later session, showing a U-shaped pattern of development. The investigation by categories presented four patterns: an early change for self mentions; delayed changes for engagement and attitude markers; a sustained difference for boosters; and a retrogression for hedges. Exposing learners to appropriate target forms would suffice for the categories involving directness such as self mentions, engagement markers, and attitude markers, while learners may benefit more from some explicit instruction for boosters and hedges.

The Effects of Online Peer Feedback with TrackChanges and Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication Ho-Jung Yu (Jeonju University) Hohsung Choe (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) This study examined the feedback types that students focused on during one peer feedback session with TrackChanges in MS Word and the interactions that the students made in synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC). For this study, we investigated 10 university EFL students who were highly proficient levels of literacy in English. They were asked to use the tool of TrackChanges in constructing feedback on student writing and then to hold online conference with an online chatting tool. Data sets included peer’s written commentary with TrackChanges and transcripts of online conferencing. The findings indicated that the students focused primarily on the feedback types of wrong word, style, verb errors, sentence structure, and content. Also, they clarified their feedback in SCMC, although all of the feedback types guaranteed the subsequent revision. The implications of this study were discussed.

정보기술의 급속한 발달로 인해 컴퓨터 매체 커뮤니케이션에 의존하는 집단이 증가함에도 불구하고, 이들 집단의 정서적 측면에 대한 고찰은 거의 이루어지지 않았다. 본 연구는 301명의 대학생을 대상으로 종단적 현장 실험을 통해 대면 집단과 컴퓨터 매체 집단에서 긍정적 정서의 발달 정도 및 긍정적 정서와 집단 프로세스와 성과 간의 관계를 비교 분석하였다. 연구 결과, 긍정적 정서의 수준과 발달 정도에서는 대면 집단과 컴퓨터 매체 집단 간의 차이가 발견되지 않았다. 그러나 긍정적 정서가 집단 프로세스 변수들에 미치는 영향은 컴퓨터 매체 집단보다는 대면 집단에서 더 크게 나타났다. 보다 구체적으로 대면 집단의 긍정적 정서는 집단에 대한 몰입, 응집성 및 조직시민행동과는 정의 상관관계를, 집단 내 갈등과 집단 성과와는 부의 상관관계를 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 이에 비해, 컴퓨터 매체 집단에서의 긍정적 정서의 역할은 대체로 미약했다. 컴퓨터 매체 집단의 긍정적 정서는 집단 내 갈등과는 부의 상관관계를 보였으나 다른 집단 프로세스 변수들과 집단 성과와는 관련이 없는 것으로 나타났다.

While the rapid development of information technology has led to the increasing use of computer -mediated communication(CMC), few studies have examined emotional aspects of CMC groups. A longitudinal field experiment comprising 301 undergraduate students was conducted to compare the development of positive affect and the role of positive affect in group processes and performance between face-to-face(FTF) and CMC groups. The findings suggest that there were no significant differences in the level and development of positive affect between CMC and FTF groups. However, the relationships between positive affect and group processes appeared to be stronger in FTF groups than in CMC groups. More specifically, in FTF groups, positive affect had a positive relationship to group commitment, cohesion, and organizational citizenship behavior, and a negative relationship to intragroup conflict and group performance. In contrast, positive affect did not play a significant role in CMC groups. In CMC groups, positive affect was negatively associated with intragroup conflict, but had no relationship to other group process variables.

The objective of this paper is to contemplate a possible alternative to the examination, published as a research article in Information Systems Research(Sia et al. 2002), of the effects of communication cues, anonymity, and social presence on group polarization in computer-mediated communication(CMC) settings. Sia et al. introduced the concept of social presence to explain the effects of communication cues and anonymity on group polarization, but we believe that anonymity alone provides a clearer explanation of the results. This paper classifies levels of anonymity to provide possible explanations for Sia et a1. (2002)'s results and presents the results of a new experiment to confirm our explanation. We also want to emphasize that our comments are not intended to disparage the usefulness of social presence as a mediating variable to explain group polarization; our intention instead IS to encourage further investigation to better understand group polarization in CMC settings.

This study is in computer-mediated communication in a blog following text composing type for the writer and reader this statement and have any intention, and examine what may be reflected in embodiment. The second linguistic form which, in addition, was reflected in this way investigated how the writer in the blog, the embodiment of the reader were reflected by second linguistic symbol such as layout constitution of the blog, the constitution of the text to be concrete whether it was accepted communication participant. When it compiles the result, it seems to be next. Primarily, through 50 investigation for the popular blog, I understood that a characteristic and the consciousness of the side that administered blog and blog gave big influence to composing type of the blog such as the size of the letter including the constitution of the template, the degree of begin on a new line. As for this, it seems with the consideration to make it the sentence that it is easy to read to a communication participant simply, but it seems that a text composing type as an element showing one's preference or character and the identity that said in the imagination space that is homogeneous in a no personality mark acts. Second, the second linguistic form of blog made by a positive intentional strategy to win of the writer of blog connected it to the network and investigated it how you were concerned with a change of the body of the side that read a text. As a result, I understood that the convenience characteristics of the reader did not always accord with the intention of the writer. For example, I needed many efforts for the side to read visually, and the template of three columns understood the thing that I had a long in time to really suffer from the acquisition of the information of the same contents. Third, through two investigation mentioned above, I understood that the new embodiment which was beyond the embodiment that I put much importance to appeared in the sense of sight. and put the communication that made a computer performed depending on sight mediation, and the information disadvantageous visually is against a point called the transmission of the correct information that is a function of basics of the communication mainly. However, the communication participant is going to overcome such a disadvantageous sight by using the mouse, and it is thought that this functions with a role to make up for sight secondarily.

本研究はブログというコンピュータを媒介にしたコミュニケーションにおける2次言語形式が、文を書く側とこれを読む側にとって、どのような意図と持ち、どのような身体性で反映されるかについて考察したものである。具体的にはブログにおける書き手、読み手の身体性がブログのレイアウト構成、テキストの構成などの2次言語形式にどのように反映されるのか、また、このように反映された2次言語形式がコミュニケーション参加者にどうように受け入れられるのかについて調査した。 その結果をまとめると次のようである。 第一に、50の人気ブログを対象にした調査を通じ、ブログとブログを運営する側の特性と意識がテンプレートの構成を始めとする文字の大きさ、改行の程度など、ブログの組版に大きな影響を及ぼしていることを分かった。これは単純にコミュニケーション参加者に読みやすい文にするための配慮とも思われるが、無個性的で、均質的な仮想空間の中で、自分の好みや性格などといったアイデンティティを現わす要素として2次言語形式が作用していると思われる。 第二に、このようなブログの運営者(または書き手)の積極的かつ意図的なストラテジーによって作られたブログの2次言語形式が、ネットワークに接続し、テキストを読み取る側の身体的変化とどのように係わっているのかについて調査した。その結果、書き手の意図と読み手の便宜性が必ずしも一致しているわけではないことが分かった。たとえば、3コラムのテンプレートは読む側には視覚的に多くの努力を要し、実際に同じ内容の情報の取得にかかる時間も長いことが分かった。 第三に、上記の二つの調査を通じ、視覚に偏重した身体性を超えた新しい身体性が現われていることを分かった。主に視覚に依存して行われるコンピュータを媒介にしたコミュニケーションいおいて、視覚的に不利な情報はコミュニケーションの基本的機能である正確な情報の伝達という点に反する。しかし、コミュニケーション参加者は、マウスという媒体を用いることによって、このような不利な視覚を克服しようとし、これが視覚を補助的に補う役割と機能を果たしていると考えられる。

The purpose of this study is to increase the practical understanding of how a properly chosen MOO (Multi-user domain Object Oriented) environment can function as a foreign language learning procedure. The goal of this study is to investigate the claim that a MOO site can be used successfully as an learning tool in foreign language classes. In preparing such a study, the following related fields will bc explored: some problems with EFL environment, necessities for CMC in foreign language learning, CMC for comprehensive input & output, CMC for lowering affective filters, MOO for foreign language learning, and SchMOOze University for foreign language learning. SchMOOze University, one of language education MOOS, is introduced to alleviate many of the problems stemming from the isolation of foreign language students in Korea.

Many of the problems of foreign language instruction can be traced to the student's physical isolation from native speakers of the target language. Despited its relative unpopularity, synchronous CMC (Computer Mediated Communication) seems set to have a huge impact, espeically in the area of education, in the very near future. This means that a particular Internet communications program, called MOO (Multi-user domain Object Oriented), will be able to be a partial answer to the problems stemming from the isolation of foreign language students. This study attempted to identify the potentiality and limitations of educational application in MOO-based learning community through understanding its special feature especially in foreign language learning. putting an emphasis on providing an authentic learning environment. The students participaing in MOO-based learning can interact with native speakers exchanging synchronous responds with each other, modifying their linguisitc input and output and finally achieving successfully the goal of English learning.

본 연구의 연구문제는 1) 짧은 교류 시간동안 CMC를 통해 형성되는 인상과 대면 커뮤니케이션을 통해 형성되는 인상의 차이점과 2) 교류 시간이 늘어남에 따라 CMC를 통해 형성되는 인상의 변화, 그리고 3) CMC를 통해 형성되는 인상에 영향을 미치는 요인을 분석하는 것이다. 이를 위해 74명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하여 대면 커뮤니케이션 상황에서 형성되는 인상을 측정했다. 또 다른 74명을 대상으로 6주간에 걸친 실험을 통해 CMC 상황에서 형성되는 인상을 3회에 걸쳐 측정했으며, 커뮤니케이션 상대방의 메시지 요인도 측정했다. 인상은 다양성(인상의 수) 측면과 강도(부정·긍정적 방향의 세기) 측면으로 나누어 분석하였다. 교류의 초기단계에서 CMC를 통해 형성되는 인상의 다양성은 대면 커뮤니케이션보다 낮았지만 교류 시간이 늘어남에 따라 CMC에서도 상대방의 인상을 지각하는 유형이 보다 다양해 졌다. 인상의 강도 측면에서는 짧은 시간이지만 CMC를 통해 형성된 인상의 강도가 대면 커뮤니케이션을 통해 형성된 인상의 강도보다 강했다. 그러나 교류 시간이 늘어나도 처음에 형성 된 인상의 강도는 변하지 않았다. CMC에서 인상형성에 영향을 미치는 주요 메시지 요인들이 밝혀졌으며, 이 요인들은 단편적임에도 불구하고 CMC 이용 자 사이에서는 공유된 인상을 초래하였다.

The purposes of this study are to make clear the characteristics of interpersonal impressions formed and what variables influence impression formation in computer-mediated communication. In order to implement the objectives of study, the following research questions is inquired: (1) after a short-term interaction, how different are the variety and intensity of impression formed in CMC when compared to FtT environment? (2) how will the variety and intensity of impression in CMC change over time? (3) what textual variables influence impression formation in CMC? The survey with 74 respondents and experiments with 75 participants were conducted in order to measure impressions formed in FtF and CMC conditions. The impressions of experiment participants were measured 3 times during six weeks. The important result of this study can be summarized as follows: Consider, firstly, the variety of impression formed in the CMC and FtF environment. Zero-history participants in the CMC condition formed fewer personal impressions about their partners relative to participants communicating FtF. However, in the analysis of the intensity of impression, participants in the CMC condition made more extreme attributions than did partners communicating FtT. Secondly, I analyzed how variety and intensity of impression in CMC would change over time. As interaction were proceeding, the variety of impression in CMC condition were increased. Meanwhile, the intensity of impression did not changed over time. Thirdly, I empirically tested the textual variables that influence the impression formation in CMC. Regression analysis indicated that each personal impression was influenced by several textual variables. We can see that the impressions of message sender are formed from whatever meager cues are available in computer-mediated communication, even though nonverbal cues, relative to face-to-face interaction, are lacking. Under CMC condition, participants are assumed to construct more stereotyped and exaggerated impressions of their partners, based on the meager cues emerging primarily from the relevant contextual signals provided in test-based discourse.

The purpose of this study is to examine if a synchronous computer mediated communication (SCMC) is truly egalitarian in a culturally diverse ESL classroom. Twelve ESL learners from an intermediate conversation class in the English Language Program (ELP) at a university in the U.S. and their teacher participated in this study. The texts produced in the SCMC were analyzed to identify the interpersonal and intergroup dynamics among participants. In addition, the transcripts of the interviews were also analyzed to capture students' experiences of SCMC. Results showed that a discourse group consisting of five male students emerged at the beginning stage and they effectively exercised power by controlling group dynamics and the contents of the discourse. In particular, a number of abusive discourse produced by these male students excluded the other participants, especially three female participants including the teacher out of the conversation. Ironically, the SCMC became a power booster for five male learners at the cost of the other learners' empowerment. On the basis of analysis, I argue that computer networking does not necessarily facilitate egalitarian discourse by its nature; rather, it may strengthen pre-existed dominant discourse and may be used to discriminate against very people whom we expect to benefit most from its use.

This study investigated the effects of negative input, or corrective feedback on grammar learning through computer mediated communication (CMC) in comparison to face-to-face communication (FFC). The underlying assumption of the current study was that grammar should be taught holistically dealing with form, meaning and use (Larsen-Freeman, 2001) within the interactionist framework. A total of sixty students who participated in this study were divided into two groups, CMC and FFC. Both the groups first attended the offline (face-to-face) class during which listening activities and lectures on grammar were conducted and afterwards, had topic discussions on the topics elicited from previous listening and grammar lesson materials. Based upon the major findings made from the transcription analyses along with the results of the questionnaire and interviews, the researcher concluded: 1) meaning negotiation was more abundant in CMC than in FFC by average 33% more discourse interchanges with the peers and the teacher in CMC, 2) learners' noticing of the negative input was prevailing in CMC since the typed messages were more salient than the spoken language, 3) since the learners of CMC noticed the negative input better, they made more modified output.

The present study attempts to shed light on metadiscourse (textual context) in computer-mediated communication (CMC). The purpose of the study is to explore how one constructs metadiscourse in CMC, what roles metadiscourse plays in a text, and whether people of different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds construct metadiscourse in CMC differently. In tackling these matters, the study analyzes the data from a Usenet discussion group in which the members of the group were ethnically diverse. The descriptive framework adopted for this study is Halliday's metafunction analysis of language in relation to metadiscourse. In order to observe participants' ethnic differences in formulating texts in CMC, a comparative analysis of each participant's messages is implemented with type/token ratios and the use of pronouns, modalities, frame markers, sentence length, and paralinguistic devices, namely metadiscourse markers. The findings include: NSs use more function words in a sentence than NNSs do; NSs employ modals more diversely and frequently than do NNSs; NSs construct the text to be more "reader-friendly" and informal using alternatives like emotions, than do NNSs; finally, NSs' CMC discourse style is similar to spoken discourse rather than written, whereas NNSs' shows a typical written discourse.

Peer review in second language (L2) contexts has received increasing interest from teachers and researchers due to its positive effect on students’ writing (Vuogan & Li, 2023), yet its utility in computer-mediated environments requires more attention due to the various ways in which technology can be used in instructional settings (O’Brien, 2004). The present qualitative study explored how postgraduate English language learners gave and responded to anonymous online peer feedback in a fully online academic writing course designed to help them improve their source-based, argumentative essay writing skills. Two intact cohorts of fourteen students interacted in synchronous and asynchronous writing activities including peer review and revision training, and wrote three essays, two of which were peer reviewed. Qualitative data comprised peer feedback and subsequent revision efforts collected from two double-anonymous peer-reviewed essay-writing cycles that lasted three weeks each. Content analysis of the data based on Liu and Sadler’s (2003) framework across three categories of area (global versus local), nature (revision-oriented versus non-revision oriented), and type (evaluation, clarification, suggestion, or alteration) revealed that students provided primarily constructive, revision-oriented comments on each other’s essay drafts, which mediated their revision efforts and led to improvements in both global and local aspects of their essays. The article concludes with pedagogical implications of computer-mediated peer review and suggestions to teachers about how to conduct second language writing instruction in fully online environments.

Kim, Hyung-Sun. 2011. Epistemic Modality in Computer-Mediated Communication. The Journal of Studies in Language 27.1, 71-97. This study is an attempt to examine the manipulation of certainty/uncertainty in writing as appeared in the use of epistemic modality devices in the NS, ESL, and EFL corpora. The choice of this form of comparative analysis was motivated by the view that the learner language may be compared with the target language, and then with the interlanguage of a more advanced group for more elaborate findings. While the typical explanation about learner language that relies on learners’ "local repetition" and "cultural rhetoric" found its position in this study, the different behavior between the ESL and EFL gave rise to the need of further explanation.