The dissertation deals with the experimental research that examines the effectiveness of the ESP e-learning course of Business English in comparison with the method of face-to-face instruction. The literature review has revealed the absence of scientific research in the field of our investigation. It has justified why our proposed research study should be conducted and led us to the rationale for our research. The main objective of this dissertation was to find out whether the e-learning method was as effective as the face-to-face instruction, i.e., whether there were no statistically significant differences between the results of the students who completed the e-learning course (experimental group) and those who completed the face-to-face course (control group). Simultaneously, we examined whether there were any statistically significant differences in the results of the students at the beginning of the course and at the end of the course within individual groups, i.e., whether the students improved their skills and vocabulary. The supplementary objective was to find out the students' opinions on the effectiveness of e- learning depending on the frequencies of their responses and on their qualitative signs. The practical outcome is the ESP e-learning course for the subject of Business English in...

The purpose of this case study was to compare the pedagogical and affective efficiency and efficacy of creative prose fiction writing workshops taught via asynchronous computer-mediated online distance education with creative prose fiction writing workshops taught face-to-face in order to better understand their operational pedagogy and correlative affective features to determine if workshops are transferable to a computer-mediated delivery system in order to aid administrative decision-makers regarding the possible pedagogical usefulness of expanding their existing writing program to offer an optional-residency creative writing program in concert with their current high residency program. Qualitative data were collected through non-participatory virtual observation of two computer-mediated workshops and in person at a face-to-face mediated workshop. Both workshops used the traditional social constructivist workshop approach which is widely considered to be the gold standard method by the majority of creative writing programs based on its long-standing success as a pedagogical method. In addition to observing the respective workshops, one-on-one interviews were conducted with three creative writing program administrators and three creative writing instructors, one of whom was also a former program administrator. Creative writing students participating in the three observed workshops were also interviewed one-on-one. Findings revealed that from a pedagogical perspective both the computer-mediated and the face-to-face mediated workshops are pedagogically efficient and effective using a social constructivist model when workshop teachers demonstrate a strong teaching presence focused on honing novice writers’ ability and desire to write. Additionally, the researcher concluded a robust teaching presence is imperative in order to establish and maintain a strong social presence between students and between students and the instructor, as both components are critical for learner autonomy in a social constructivist teaching and learning community. However, teaching presence alone cannot guarantee a strong affective social presence as differences between students’ and/or between students’ and an instructor’s social, cultural, educational, and historical ontogenies can lead to unresolved conflicts that increase psychological distance in the teaching and learning community. Additionally, while pedagogically equivalent, computer-mediated workshops have important time management and potentially affective advantages compared to the face-to-face mediated workshop that help ensure establishment and maintenance of social presence.

Este diagnóstico teve como objetivo desenvolver uma análise minuciosa do setor produtivo da habitação em madeira no Brasil, avaliando a sua atual situação, suas singularidades produtivas e seus produtos. Um formulário padrão dividido em três enfoques (produto, empresa e setor) foi aplicado aos empresários das empresas que produzem casas de madeira. Os dados foram coletados mediante a realização de entrevistas estruturadas face-a-face e reunidos para a avaliação em amostragem do setor brasileiro de casas de madeira em 2015, os quais foram organizados em dezesseis eixos. Paralelamente, a metodologia de buscas em websites corporativos permitiu a identificação de 210 produtores de casas de madeira no Brasil, um índice muito acima do que a literatura difundia até então, as quais foram estimadas devido à ausência de uma entidade de classe para o setor. Quinze técnicas construtivas em madeira foram identificadas como exemplos em oferta no Brasil. Na amostragem principal das entrevistas face-a-face, 107 empresas foram analisadas, apresentando uma margem de erro de 6,65%, isto é, ±3,325%. Verificou-se que o setor estudado ainda sofre com as seguintes dificuldades para a sua consolidação: desarticulação e desunião entre os produtores, oferta elevada de madeiras nativas, demanda de profissionais capacitados no ofício com a madeira e os seus derivados, escassez de financiamentos habitacionais, barreira cultural da população, baixa oferta de financiamentos voltados para a melhoria das empresas, etc. Contudo, o setor também alcançou os seguintes resultados positivos: quantidade expressiva de produtores, portes compactos das empresas, elevada concentração de fábricas próprias e parcerias industriais, altas fixações de carbono e de dióxido de carbono, custos básicos de venda competitivos perante a alvenaria, ampla oferta de madeira exótica, tempos de produção integralmente mais eficientes que a alvenaria, pluralidade nas ofertas de padrão de acabamento para todas as classes sociais, entre outros. Espera-se que os resultados e as suas potencialidades apontadas auxiliem em novas discussões e estudos paralelos para incentivar o aprimoramento, expansão e consolidação do referido setor por meio de políticas públicas assertivas, mitigando suas falhas, dificuldades e demandas. Por fim, foram propostas as criações de entidades e comitês para representar e promover o setor. / This study aimed to develop a thorough analysis of the production sector of timber housing in Brazil, evaluating the current situation, industrial singularities, and their products. A standard questionnaire divided in three focuses (product, company and sector) was applied to the entrepreneurs of the wooden housing sector. Data were collected by face-to-face structured interviews and they were gathered to the sample evaluation of the Brazilian wooden housing sector in 2015, which were organized in sixteen research axes. At the same time, the corporative website search method allowed the identification of 210 wooden housing producers in Brazil; an index higher than what the literature had disseminated until then, which where estimated due to the absence of a sector association. Fifteen wooden construction techniques were identified as sale examples in Brazil. In the main sampling process of face-to-face interviews, 107 companies were analyzed, presenting a margin of error of 6.65%, in other words, ±3,325%. It was verified the studied sector still suffers with the following difficulties to its consolidation: disarticulation and disunity among the producers, high native timber supply, woodworker demand, shortage of housing financing, population\'s cultural barrier, low supply of financing to improve the companies, etc. However, the sector also achieved the following positive results: expressive producer amount, compact companies, high concentration of own prefabrication plants and industrial partnerships, high levels of carbon and carbon dioxide fixations, competitive basic selling costs regarding masonry, wide availability of exotic wood, production times that are more efficient than masonry, plurality in the finishing standards availability for all social classes, among others. It is hoped that the results and the highlighted potentialities will help in new discussions and parallel studies to encourage the improvement, expansion and consolidation of this sector through assertive public policies, mitigating their failures, difficulties and demands. Finally, the creation of associations and committees was proposed to represent and promote this sector.

As novas demandas de públicos solicitam relacionamentos contíguos com gestores, dirigentes e representantes formais das organizações nas relações entre elas e as comunidades participantes de sua rede de relacionamentos. A pesquisa conduzida neste estudo projeta indicativos sobre modos e usos da oralidade na comunicação com empregados e delineia um elenco de posturas verificadas entre gestores que adotam a oralidade como estratégia relacional com suas equipes. Busca identificar e dimensionar o emprego de postulados da oralidade para compreender em que grau lhes pode ser conferido um caráter estratégico quando se trata de atingir resultados e agilizar processos de comunicação com público interno. O corpus empírico foi constituído no ambiente da comunicação interna de uma empresa pública, Embrapa Soja, na unidade localizada em Londrina-PR, uma das 47 unidades de pesquisa da estatal Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa. Uma pluralidade de métodos foi adotada como estratégia de pesquisa e orientou os procedimentos de coleta e análise de dados que também foram extraídos e tratados de modo fenomenológico, qualitativo e quantitativo. Quatro eixos temáticos foram estabelecidos com base na fundamentação desse método: comunicação interna, comunicação oral, uso do diálogo e comunicação face a face. A oralidade revelou-se marcante na prática de trabalho dos sujeitos entrevistados, está absorvida em todas as formas de comunicação interna e promove integração entre funcionários e administração. Pelos fortes indicativos de sua influência nos resultados do grupo e seu impacto positivo no relacionamento com o público externo, pode-se afirmar a presença desse componente na cultura organizacional e seu alto teor de contribuição como elemento de gestão estratégica. / New demands on publics require closer relationships with managers, directors and formal representatives of organizations to their connection between themselves and the communities participating in their networking. The research conducted in this study raised indications as to how oral speech is used in the communication with employees and reveals the conducts verified among administrators who adopt oral speech as relational strategy when dealing with their teams. It aims to identify and evaluate the utilization of oral speech postulates in order to understand the degree to which they can be strategically considered when it comes to achieving results and speeding communication processes with the internal public. Data were gathered in the internal communication environment of a public enterprise, the Embrapa Soja, in its unit located in Londrina-PR, one of the 47 research units of the state owned Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa. Miscellaneous procedures were used in the research orientation, with data collection and analysis being treated through phenomenological principles, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Four thematic axes were established within the selected method: internal communication, oral communication, use of dialogue, and face-to-face communication. Oral speech showed prominent in the work practices of the interviewees, it is absorbed in all internal communication actions and fosters integration among employees and administration. Through the strong evidence of its participation in group results and its positive impact on the relationship with external publics, the firm presence of this component in the organizational culture can be stated as well as the high contribution it can provide as element of strategic management.

<p>Purpose/aim: The purpose is to get increased knowledge about how the communication had developed from the first contact online to the first meeting in real life and even after when it had turned into a real relationship. I also wanted to know why the eight women I interviewed experienced that the Internet is a good venue to meet and develop a real relationship at and if there existed any differences between those four women who were a bit older and those four women who were young.</p><p>Material/method: When the purpose with this survey stood clear I decided to use interviews as the method to find out more about my subject. I decided to do eight interviews and I contacted eight women who all found their partners online that were willing to help me and answer my interview questions. I did six of the total eight interviews through MSN Messenger and the other two through the telephone.</p><p>Main results: I found out that three of the older women had used e-mail and telephone and sometimes SMS communication to find out more about their soon to be partner and after that decided to meet the other person in real life. One of the older women and all four of the younger ones had used a Community and Instant Messenger to communicate with their soon to be partner, they also used the telephone and SMS to communicate with each other but Instant Messenger was the medium that dominated in their wish to communicate. Those instant messenger communications were also a difference that I came to see between how the younger and older women communicated and the fact that three of the older women told me that they had used the Internet to search for a partner while one of the older women and all of the younger ones told me they didn’t search for anyone at all it just happened that they found someone and came to like that person.Keywords: Internet dating, instant messaging, Community, computer mediated communication, telephone communication, face to face communication.</p>

Purpose/aim: The purpose is to get increased knowledge about how the communication had developed from the first contact online to the first meeting in real life and even after when it had turned into a real relationship. I also wanted to know why the eight women I interviewed experienced that the Internet is a good venue to meet and develop a real relationship at and if there existed any differences between those four women who were a bit older and those four women who were young. Material/method: When the purpose with this survey stood clear I decided to use interviews as the method to find out more about my subject. I decided to do eight interviews and I contacted eight women who all found their partners online that were willing to help me and answer my interview questions. I did six of the total eight interviews through MSN Messenger and the other two through the telephone. Main results: I found out that three of the older women had used e-mail and telephone and sometimes SMS communication to find out more about their soon to be partner and after that decided to meet the other person in real life. One of the older women and all four of the younger ones had used a Community and Instant Messenger to communicate with their soon to be partner, they also used the telephone and SMS to communicate with each other but Instant Messenger was the medium that dominated in their wish to communicate. Those instant messenger communications were also a difference that I came to see between how the younger and older women communicated and the fact that three of the older women told me that they had used the Internet to search for a partner while one of the older women and all of the younger ones told me they didn’t search for anyone at all it just happened that they found someone and came to like that person.Keywords: Internet dating, instant messaging, Community, computer mediated communication, telephone communication, face to face communication.

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka möjliga prediktorer för utfallet i KBT-behandling vid depression, face-to-face samt i kombination med stöd av en smartphoneapplikation. 88 deltagare randomiserades till smartphone- (n = 45) eller face-to-face-betingelsen (n = 43). Utfallsmåttet var förändring i Beck Depression Inventory-II mellan förocheftermätning, främst beräknat med residual gain scores. Samband mellan prediktorer och utfall undersöktes medkorrelationsanalyser. Regressionsanalyser med interaktionen mellan prediktor och behandlingsbetingelse genomfördes för att undersöka skillnader mellan betingelserna. Resultatet visade att högre initial depressionsnivå predicerade större förbättring för alla deltagare sammantaget samt för båda behandlingsbetingelserna. Att ha sysselsättning predicerade mindre förbättring för face-to-face-betingelsen. Vissa frågor gällande smartphoneanvändning visade sig betydelsefulla. Exempelvis var upplevelsen av att ha stor användning av sin smartphone relaterat till större förbättring för smartphonebetingelsen. Gällande allians var högre skattningar på Working Alliance Inventory-Short under behandlingsvecka tre relaterat till större förbättring för alla deltagaresammantaget samt för smartphonebetingelsen. Detta samband gällde även vid kontroll för skattning av förväntad allians. Kön, ålder, civilstånd, utbildningsnivå, stad, initial ångestnivå, samtidig ångestdiagnos, tidigare depressionsdiagnos, förväntad allians samt flera smartphonefrågor predicerade inte utfallet. Att många faktorer inte korrelerade med utfallet skulle kunna tyda på att detta behandlingsformat kan komma att passa en bred patientgrupp, men att det kan vara viktigt att ta hänsyn till betydelsen av allians samt individers smartphonevanor.

This essay deals with the subject of communication through Facebook. In this survey we studied 100 youths from Karlstad and their communication habits and behavior patterns on Facebook. The social network site Facebook has since its start in 2004 made a mark in modern communication. Today in 2010 the site has more than 500 million users. This paper wants to study what happens to other types of communication. Has the increased use of computer-mediated communication led us away from face to face or has it encouraged us to use face- to face communication more often? Our target group for this study is people attending their final year in high school. In this study we have been using both qualitative- and quantitative methods to collect our data. The result of the study suggests that a big part in our target group is happy to use Facebook or other computer-mediated sites as ways of their communication. Partly because they think it is a convenient way to communicate but also because they find it easier to get in touch with people, both close friends and people they have never met, by using computer-mediated communication instead of face-to-face communication. Virtually all in our target group suggests that Facebook has helped them in their communication and that they are more social now than before. This paper also has sought to illuminate if shy people can be helped to establish social ties through computer-mediated communication.Keywords: Facebook, communication, face-to-face, computer-mediated communication and shyness

<p>Chatroom conversations often elicit an initial impression of chaos. This is probably chiefly due to disrupted adjacency sequences, but also a result of the language being rich in non-standard linguistic forms and grammar. This study explores chatroom conversations with reference to Grice’s (1975) cooperative principle and the maxims that accompany it, and compares them to real life conversations. The aim is to see whether they differ from real life conversations to the extent expected, and whether these differences give rise to any compensational strategies to ensure successful communication. The results reveal a slightly higher amount of maxim undermining in the chat room than in the real life conversations, but not as high as expected. Accordingly, few compensational strategies need be adopted. It is suggested that the main explanation for these findings is that chatroom users have adapted their conversation patterns to the medium.</p>

Background and Objectives Self - report data is known to be unrel iable and susceptible to factors such as social desirability bias. Methods used for collecting self - report data has thus far been unsuccessful in ameliorating known obstacles to honest self - disclosure. Considering the current HIV/AIDS pandemic and relate d health crises, it is imperative that self - report data is an accurate depiction of reality, since it informs research requirements and designs as well as intervention designs and the evaluation of the efficacy of the interventions. Aim To evaluate and co mpare the efficacy of the Informal Confidential Voting Interview (ICVI) to the FTFI (Face - to - Face Interview) and the SAQ (Self - Administered Questionnaire) in enhancing self - disclosure and minimizing social desirability bias on sensitive topics of sexual ex perience and sexual activity. Study Design A sample of 110 undergraduate and post - graduate students at various tertiary education institutions in Pietermaritzburg were randomly allocated to the ICVI, the SAQ or the FTFI. The ICVI combined a face - to - face interview with a voting box method devised to enhance response anonymity. The FTFI and the SAQ were administered according to a standardized procedure to maximize confidentiality and self - disclosure. Results The self - disclosure scores were significant ly higher for the ICVI in comparison to the FTFI and the SAQ, with a p = 0.005. Post - hoc tests revealed that the ICVI performed significantly better in self - disclosure scores than the FTFI with p = 0.022 and the SAQ with p = 0.015. There was no significa nt difference in self - disclosure scores between the SAQ and the FTFI. Using the Marlowe - Crowne scale of social desirability bias, a significant difference in social desirability bias scores were achieved with p = 0.043. However, the post - hoc analysis ind icated no affirmative significant mean difference in social desirability score among any of the methods. Males displayed greater self - disclosure than females with p = 0.013, but for both sexes the ICVI group achieved the highest mean self - disclosure score s than the FTFI - and the SAQ group. Conclusion The results of this study concluded that the employment of ICVI fundamentally resulted in better quality data than the SAQ and the FTFI on topics of sensitivity and controversial behaviours. The findings ar e suggestive of the successful implementation of the ICVI method across potentially diverse research contexts that rely on self - report data, as the method is adaptable to the target population and its characteristics. Further research is warranted to buil d on its current design and facilitate the implementation of the ICVI across the wide disciplines of self - report data. / Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, [2009]