Dong Dong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-136). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.5 / Chapter II. --- Youth Culture Practiced in Virtual Community --- p.10 / Chapter III. --- "Background, Research Questions and Research Design" --- p.36 / Chapter IV. --- Style of Chinese University BBS Youth Culture --- p.45 / Chapter V. --- Youth Cultural Community as Identified by Style --- p.68 / Chapter VI. --- Resistance within Contexts --- p.84 / Chapter VII. --- Conclusion --- p.108 / Appendix 1 Captions of Postings & Discussion Threads --- p.111 / Appendix 2 Style of BBS Discussion Threads --- p.114 / Appendix 3 BBS Member's Composition --- p.118 / Appendix 4 Personal Reflections on the Film --- p.120 / Appendix 5 --- p.123 / Collective Discussions in Chinese University BBSs --- p.123 / Bibliography --- p.127

Zhang Weiyu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-177). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter I --- Subaltern Public Spheres on the Internet --- p.5 / Democracy and the Internet --- p.5 / Public sphere as a democratic ideal --- p.7 / Chapter ´Ø --- Habermasian public sphere --- p.8 / Chapter ´Ø --- Multiple public spheres --- p.11 / Chapter ´Ø --- Habermasian public sphere vs. multiple public spheres --- p.17 / Public sphere and the Internet --- p.21 / Chapter ´Ø --- Habermasian public sphere on the Internet --- p.23 / Chapter ´Ø --- Multiple public spheres on the Internet --- p.27 / Chapter II --- Subaltern Public Spheres in China --- p.30 / The history of Chinese civil society --- p.30 / Civil society in contemporary China --- p.32 / Chapter ´Ø --- Definitions of civil society --- p.32 / Chapter ´Ø --- Trade union and the caged social organizations --- p.34 / Chapter ´Ø --- Entrepreneurial class and the incorporated social organizations --- p.36 / Chapter ´Ø --- Discussions --- p.38 / Multiple public spheres in contemporary China --- p.39 / Chapter ´Ø --- Mass media and the dominant public sphere --- p.41 / Chapter ´Ø --- The premises of subaltern public sphere in China --- p.42 / Chapter ´Ø --- Subaltern public spheres in contemporary China --- p.44 / Chapter III --- Research Questions and Research Design --- p.48 / Research questions --- p.48 / Research site: an online discussion board of movies --- p.48 / Chapter ´Ø --- Why BBS? --- p.49 / Chapter ´Ø --- Why movies? --- p.51 / Research methods --- p.54 / Chapter IV --- Bulletin Boards as Subaltern Public Spheres --- p.57 / Introduction of Rear Window --- p.58 / Chapter ´Ø --- The development of Rear Window --- p.59 / Chapter ´Ø --- The contents on Rear Window --- p.61 / Chapter ´Ø --- The users of Rear Window --- p.63 / Accessibility of Rear Window --- p.65 / Chapter ´Ø --- Accessibility of the Internet in China --- p.65 / Chapter ´Ø --- Accessibility of xici.net --- p.66 / Chapter ´Ø --- Accessibility of Rear Window --- p.68 / Discourse on RearWindow --- p.73 / Chapter ´Ø --- "Introduction of the discussions about ""Movies are a kind of politics""" --- p.75 / Chapter ´Ø --- The goal of the discussion --- p.77 / Chapter ´Ø --- The equality of the discussion --- p.80 / Chapter ´Ø --- The rationality of the discussion --- p.85 / Chapter ´Ø --- The communicative rationality of the participants --- p.89 / Chapter ´Ø --- Other kinds of discourse --- p.93 / Discussions and conclusions --- p.95 / Chapter V --- Relationships among the Subaltern Public Sphere and the State --- p.98 / The autonomy from the state --- p.100 / Chapter ´Ø --- Control at the level of state --- p.102 / Chapter ´Ø --- Control at the level of websites --- p.107 / Chapter ´Ø --- Control at the level of boardmasters --- p.111 / Chapter ´Ø --- Control through self-censorship --- p.112 / The discursive resistance toward the state --- p.114 / Discussions and conclusions --- p.125 / Chapter VI --- Relationships between the Subaltern Public sphere and the Market Economy --- p.129 / The Internet economy in China and the subaltern public sphere --- p.132 / The pirate movie industry and the subaltern public sphere --- p.138 / Private movie watching and the market economy --- p.142 / Discussions and conclusions --- p.147 / Chapter VII --- Relationships between the Subaltern Public Sphere and the Mass Media --- p.149 / The competition between RearWindow and mass media --- p.151 / The collaboration between RearWindow and mass media --- p.154 / Discussions and conclusions --- p.159 / Discussions and Conclusions --- p.161 / Subaltern public spheres --- p.161 / Democratic potential of the Internet --- p.165 / Chinese civil society and Chinese public sphere --- p.166 / Limitations of the study --- p.168 / Bibliography --- p.170 / Appendix: Survey Questionnaire --- p.178

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

One approach to studying media is uses and gratifications, a model that suggests media audiences can explain why and for what purpose they use the media. This study took a Uses and Gratifications approach to the Internet social interaction site LambdaMOO. On LambdaMOO, users log on and create an alternate persona to interact with other users. Using a set of questions, 222 selected LambdaMOO users were asked about why they use LambdaMOO, their actions as an alternate persona and their opinions on LambdaMOO. Answers from the subjects were content analyzed to find commonality against several preselected categories and sub-categories. Upon analysis, the subjects were found to use LambdaMOO for talking to other users, "building" up the site through programming and surveying the current events and political movements on the site. Also, the subjects were determined not to act different from their real life actions and preceived attitudes, although the opportunity for freedom through anonymity was everpresent. / Department of Journalism

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

This study investigated participation levels of developmental writing students inoral discussions and electronic discussions using the synchronous conferencing software InterChange. The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in a naturalistic/quasi-experimental design under a social constructivist epistemology. The methods included: word counts onto which biological sex and socially-constructed gender (as measured by the Bern Sex-Role Inventory) were overlaid as variables; a modified taxonomy based on Bales' Conversational Analysis measure; a taxonomy which measured the direction of discourse; and "thick description" in the form of subjective reactions to videotaped oral discussions and transcribed electronic discussions.The multi-modal, descriptive findings indicate that students participate more frequently in electronic discussions; that subsequent oral classes take on participatory characteristics of an InterChange session; and that while the more frequent participation in InterChange discussions does appear to carry over into subsequent oral discussions, socially constructed variables such as gender may, in fact, encourage students to participate less frequently in oral discussons after using InterChange. The findings also show that InterChange discussions are primarily student-centered: most of the responses generated are aimed at other students. In the oral classroom, very little student-to-student interaction occurs. The findings of this study indicate that while the computer environment may not promote egalitarian discourse, it does tend to produce more democratic discourse. / Department of English

The purpose of this project was to develop a website to relieve Korean returnees' reverse culture shock and help their re-adaptation process. A website can be an outstanding resource for returnees in terms of accessibility because the target audiences are scattered all over the world.

A qualitative investigation into language education students' use of computer-mediated communication, this study reveals how the diversity, support and resources constructed through students on-line dialogue served to scaffold students' language and content learning. The study focuses on student interaction on an asynchronous bulletin board used as an adjunct to a graduate seminar. The radicals of persistent conversation (Bregman & Haythornthwaite, 2001) interacted with elements of the seminar design to facilitate non-native speakers' entry into the dialogue, while simultaneously affording all students with opportunities for exercising agency in their own learning. Relationships between native and nonnative speakers of English were altered by nonnative speakers' ability to communicate their competence, and participants developed a strong identity as a community. Diversity and community evolved as valuable contributors to individual learning.

A qualitative investigation into language education students' use of computer-mediated communication, this study reveals how the diversity, support and resources constructed through students on-line dialogue served to scaffold students' language and content learning. The study focuses on student interaction on an asynchronous bulletin board used as an adjunct to a graduate seminar. The radicals of persistent conversation (Bregman & Haythornthwaite, 2001) interacted with elements of the seminar design to facilitate non-native speakers' entry into the dialogue, while simultaneously affording all students with opportunities for exercising agency in their own learning. Relationships between native and nonnative speakers of English were altered by nonnative speakers' ability to communicate their competence, and participants developed a strong identity as a community. Diversity and community evolved as valuable contributors to individual learning. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate