Synchronous eTandem communication between English and Korean learners : learning through international partnership and intercultural communication

This dissertation is a report of an investigation of intercultural communication and learning in online tandem exchanges between two groups of foreign language learners: college students learning English as a foreign language at a Korean university and college students learning Korean as a heritage language at an American university. The focus was on (a) how native frames of reference were related to diverse experiences and differing functioning across dyadic partnerships; (b) how differing dyadic functioning were related to linguistic and cultural exchanges in synchronous text-based computer-mediated communication; and (c) how differing dyadic functioning were related to peer feedback exchanges on each partner’s foreign language essay and to feedback incorporation in the subsequent revision. A semiotic-ecological perspective to foreign language learning informed the research focus, design, and analysis of the study. I adopted a qualitative, embedded multiple-case study design. Data sources were transcripts from synchronous computer-mediated discourse; learner reflections produced during the telecollaborative project, from a post-project questionnaire, and from interviews; and first and revised versions of essays written in foreign languages. As analytical methods, I employed a modified grounded theory, the constant-comparative method, and techniques of discourse analysis. The findings showed that students in the two classes reported different perceptions about their experiences, and this seemed partly explained by culturally and institutionally different expectations about academic tasks and communication and by differing levels of foreign language proficiency and typing skills. Depending on how individual students configured the learning context, including the partner abroad, differing degrees of dyadic functioning emerged. Differing degrees of dyadic functioning seemed related to the degree that partnering students’ perceptions of their experiences and of each other were aligned between the two students. Differing degrees of dyadic functioning were also related to language functions, stance taking, and engagement with cultural knowledge, as exhibited in the computer-mediated discourse. In addition, differing degrees of dyadic functioning were associated with the discourse moves and content of peer feedback exchanges and ultimately with how much peer feedback was incorporated into the revision.Curriculum and Instructio

A Literature Review of Implementing Response to Intervention for English Language Learners

Response to intervention (RTI) has actively been used for identifying reading difficulties and providing supplemental instructions for students with disabilities. Recent developments of RTI show that the method expands its applicability to other areas and populations. In particular, it is difficult to distinguish learning disability (LD) from English as a second language acquisition. RTI could successfully be implemented for English language learners (ELLs). A systematic literature review has been conducted to delineate various components, strategies, and implications of RTI for ELL students. Twenty six articles that meet the criteria are analyzed for themes and important findings. The result of the literature review along with the implications of the identified studies is reported. It is identified that direct instruction used in tier 2 is an effective technique when infusing linguistic and cultural aspects of ELL with diverse needs

Controlled Growth of BiSI Nanorod-Based Films Through a Two-Step Solution Process for Solar Cell Applications

Pb-based hybrid perovskite solar cells, despite their advantages, face challenges in commercialization. In recent years, Bi-based chalcohalides are being considered as potential alternative candidates, however, their current device efficiency remains unsatisfactory. Herein, a two-step solution method is developed and applied to the fabrication of BiSI films. The method consists of the formation of Bi2S3 (step I) and its conversion to BiSI (step II). The Bi2S3 was fabricated by a thiol-amine solution process and the BiSI conversion was achieved by chemical reaction between the as-formed Bi2S3 and BiI3. It was found that the formation of BiSI was highly dependent on the Bi:S molar ratio of the Bi2O3-thiourea solution and the number of times of step I. The as-fabricated BiSI film had an optical band gap of 1.61 eV and exhibited nanorod morphology. In addition, the electronic structure is explored and discussed for solar cells applications. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.1

Avian species survey with citizen-science data in Janghang Wetland, Goyang, Republic of Korea

Monitoring of avian populations in Janghang Wetland, Goyang, Republic of Korea (ROK) is based on citizen science (also called community-based monitoring). This monitoring data can be used to track avian density, population status and waterbird census at local, national and regional levels. The Ministry of Environment (MoE) ROK has surveyed since 1999, including Odusan Unification Tower to Ilsan Bride, which connects the cities of Gimpo and Goyang along the Han River estuary. However, it has not covered Janghang Wetland, which is located in the Han River estuary at the transboundary between the two Koreas. The Janghang Wetland is a protected wetland in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas. In 2019, Janghang Wetland was designated as a Flyway Network Site by Goyang City and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership. This Network site is a voluntary collaboration and includes many internationally significant wetlands for waterbirds that still lack formal national protection. In addition, it was designated as a Ramsar site in 2021. The wetland currently supports wintering population of White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), species listed as vulnerable and Tundra Bean Goose (Anser cygnoides), spring-autumn migration population of Swan Goose (Anser cygnoid), species listed as vulnerable and a breeding population of Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor), species listed as endangered in summer.We provide data that the Janghang Wetland is a significant area for migration and breeding for waterbirds; and that Han River estuary is also internationally important for waterbirds during the migratory bird season. We observed 14 orders, 42 families and 132 species. The surveys also observed the critically-endangered Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor), Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides), White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). We also observed the Black-faced Spoonbill, Great Egret, Little Egret, Great Cormorant, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Pheasant and Brown-eared Bulbul at the sensor camera point and White-naped Crane, Hooded Crane, Bean Goose, White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Swan Goose, Great Cormorant and Eastern Spot-billed Duck at the closed-circuit television camera point from the camera-trap surveys. Based on the species recorded, the survey area is of clear importance for biodiversity conservation

Relationship between Work Hours and Smoking Behaviors in Korean Male Wage Workers

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study are 1) to measure the prevalence of smoking according to weekly work hours by using data from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS), and 2) to explain the cause of high smoking prevalence among those with short or long work hours by relative explanatory fraction. METHODS: Data from a total of 2,044 male subjects who responded to the questionnaire in the 10th year (2007) and 11th year (2008) of the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study were used for analysis. Current smoking, smoking cessation, continuous smoking, start of smoking, weekly work hours, occupational characteristics, sociodemographic and work-related factors, and health behavior-related variables were analyzed. Log-binomial regression analysis was used to study the relationship between weekly work hours and smoking behaviors in terms of the prevalence ratio. RESULTS: The 2008 age-adjusted smoking prevalence was 64.9% in the short work hours group, 54.7% in the reference work hours group, and 60.6% in the long work hours group. The smoking prevalence of the short work hours group was 1.39 times higher than that of the reference work hours group (95% confidence interval of 1.17-1.65), and this was explained by demographic variables and occupational characteristics. The smoking prevalence of the long work hours group was 1.11 times higher than that of the reference work hours group when the age was standardized (95% confidence interval of 1.03-1.19). This was explained by demographic variables. No independent effects of short or long work hours were found when the variables were adjusted. CONCLUSION: Any intervention program to decrease the smoking prevalence in the short work hours group must take into account employment type, job satisfaction, and work-related factors

Effects of heat stress on conception in Holstein and Jersey cattle and oocyte maturation in vitro

Korea, located in East Asia in the northern hemisphere, is experiencing severe climate changes. Specifically, the heat stress caused by global warming is negatively affecting the dairy sector, including milk production and reproductive performance, as the major dairy cattle Holstein-Friesian is particularly susceptible to heat stress. Here, we collected artificial insemination and pregnancy data of the Holstein and the Jersey cows from a dairy farm from 2014 to 2021 and analyzed the association between the conception rate and the temperature-humidity index, calculated using the data from the closest official weather station. As the temperature-humidity index threshold increased, the conception rate gradually decreased. However, this decrease was steeper in the Holstein breed than in the Jersey one at a temperature-humidity index threshold of 75. To evaluate the effects of heat stress on the oocyte quality, we examined the nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of Holstein (n = 158, obtained from six animals) and Jersey oocytes (n = 123, obtained from six animals), obtained by ovum pick-up. There were no differences in the nuclear maturation between the different conditions (heat stress: 40.5°C, non- heat stress: 37.5°C) or breeds, although the Holstein oocytes seemed to have a lower metaphase II development (p = 0.0521) after in vitro maturation under heat stress conditions. However, we found that the Holstein metaphase II oocytes exposed to heat stress presented more reactive oxygen species and a peripheral distribution of the mitochondria, compared to those of the Jersey cattle. Here, we show that weather information from local meteorological stations can be used to calculate the temperature-humidity index threshold at which heat stress influences the conception rate, and that the Jersey cows are more tolerant to heat stress in terms of their conception rate at a temperature-humidity index over 75. The lower fertility of the Holstein cows is likely attributed to impaired cytoplasmic maturation induced by heat stress. Thus, the Jersey cows can be a good breed for the sustainability of dairy farms for addressing climate changes in South Korea, as they are more resistant to hyperthermia