For the past 30 years, researchers in the field of Second Language Acquisition (Block, 2007; Lantolf and Pavlenko, 2001; Norton, 2000) have emphasized the need to integrate the language learner and the language learning context and to analyze relations of power and how they affect the language learner, the language learning processes, and the learner’s identities. Several researchers (Lantolf & Pavlenko, 2001; McKay & Wong, 1996; Skilton-Silverstein, 2002; Vitanova, 2005) have studied the connections between language learning, identity, and agency. The participants in these studies were immigrants from Eastern Europe, Asia, or Africa living in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Few studies (Menard-Warwick, 2004, 2009) have analyzed the experiences of adult Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. in relation to English learning and identity construction. This dissertation reports on a study exploring how five adult Hispanic immigrants learning English in a major city in Texas negotiated their identities as English speakers and exercised agency in contexts where English was spoken. The study also analyzed the learners’ investment in learning English. The sociocultural theory of self and identity developed by Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Cain (1998) was the framework which helped conceptualize identity and agency. The work of Norton (2000) on language learning and identity and her notion of investment were used to understand the participants’ experiences learning and using English inside and outside the ESL classroom. A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted to understand the experiences of the participants who were learning English in a community-based ESL program, where the researcher became a participant observer during the six months of data collection. The findings of the study show the complex identity negotiations that the participants underwent in the different contexts where they interacted in English. Social class, immigrant status, and other social factors, such as lack of access to English-speaking contexts, high prevalence of Spanish in contexts where the participants interacted daily, and positioning of the participants (by others and by themselves) as limited English speakers strongly influenced how they negotiated their identities as English speakers. Despite these social factors, the participants exercised agency and were highly invested in learning English. / text

This thesis examined how virtual reality could be used in interior design. The thesis was limited to virtual reality experienced using a head mounted display. The Method was to integrate virtual reality into an existing interior design software called CET Designer. After investigating the available commercial virtual reality hardware and software Oculus SDK and OpenVR was chosen. Unity 3D was used as a prototyping tool for experimenting with different interaction and navigation methods. An user study with 14 participants was performed. It compared four different navigation methods. First person shooter style controls using a gamepad was proven to be the best one. It can also be concluded that having a bad navigation style could decreased the user experience in virtual reality and cause motion sickness.

Using consumer satisfaction as an example of complex communication and a virtual world as a mediating platform, a novel framework for eliciting consumer satisfaction has been developed. Consumer satisfaction is a key element for business success, while the elicitation of satisfaction perceptions from consumers can help vendors to assess and to improve their business performance. The objectives here are: how consumer satisfaction is defined, understood and measured; how virtual worlds function, both as a platform and a product; how users typically perceive their experiences in virtual worlds; and how consumer satisfaction metrics can be translated into a virtual environment. Second Life is used as an enabling technology for gathering requirements as well as for the construction, refinement and validation of the framework. Second Life is a virtual world, a multi-user, 3D, immersive environment, which has its own internal economy. The choice of using this social virtual world was due to Second Life being a resilient and widely used platform. The main contribution of this thesis is a framework that can be used to identify and categorise the complex and inter-related factors that affect the use of Second Life in terms of consumer satisfaction perceptions. Another contribution here is a novel approach to Search Engine trend analysis, which focuses on the number or search results returned as opposed to the number of queries for a given search phrase. Based on the research conducted by the author and knowledge gained from the literature, a framework has been developed which identifies interrelated components that provide a wider context to perceive the user experience of Second Life. The approach taken by the framework enables it to be used as a means to comprehend Second Life both as a product and as a platform. A Straussian Grounded Theory approach was taken to data gathering, analysis and interpretation in the context of the framework; further refinements are made to the framework as a consequence of emergent themes revealed through the process of analysing the gathered data. Guidance is given in brief as to how the framework can be adapted to reveal consumer satisfaction perceptions from other internet based services.

The purpose of this project is to investigate factors that can be used to explain orthographic variation in City of Heroes (CoH), a virtual community based in an online role-playing game. While a number of models of variation exist for speech, to date, no statistical models of orthographic variation in virtual communities exist. By combining traditional variationist methods with computational text processing, this project documents socially meaningful alternations in the linguistic code regarding two types of sociolinguistic variables, namely spelling and use of abbreviations. For each of the two variable types, two dependent variables are posited, i.e. the alternation between: 1) –ing and –in in durative verbal aspect marking in forms such as coming and comin, 2) –s and –z markers of plurality in words such as cats and catz, 3) abbreviated and full forms for referential abbreviation in terms such as Atlas Park and AP, and 4) abbreviated and full forms for conative abbreviations in terms such as looking for team and lft. The study investigates the role that the following factors play in explaining orthographic variation in CoH: 1) message length, 2) standardness of the immediate linguistic environment, 3) cognitive load, 4) relative proximity in the virtual space, 5) degree of message publicness, 6) experience in the community, 7) avatar gender, and 8) social group affiliation. Through mixed-effects, multivariate models, the study demonstrates that each of the predictors has some role in explaining the orthographic variability observed in the textual record of the community. Moreover, interactions between some of the predictors prove to be significant contributors to the models, which highlight the importance of addressing interaction terms in models of language variation. The findings from the study suggest that the socio-contextual meaning of particular structures in the CoH community lead authors to make linguistic choices, which are realized as alternations in the linguistic code. Finally, implications for the study of language variation in general are discussed. / text

With the improvement of computer technology and the prevalence of the Internet, learning activities taking place in cyberspace by means of computer-mediated communication have become more common and accessible than even a decade ago. Being interested in how politeness phenomena as universal principles in human interaction played a role in the process of online collaborative learning in a graduate-level course, I conducted a naturalistic inquiry to explore students’ interaction through the lens of Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory (1987). I analyzed the exchanges of 18 students divided into four teams with a consideration for such contextual factors as concerns about netiquette, time, modes of online communication, discourse functions, and sense of community. Influenced by the tradition of interpretivist/constructivist research paradigm, I adopted diverse data collection methods and discourse analytical techniques. Data are reported as a case study of a purposefully selected focal team of five students with supporting evidence interweaving multiple data sources (online discussion, self-reflective blog entries, self-report portfolios, peer/self assessments, field notes, videotapes of voice chat sessions, audiotapes of interviews, and online survey responses). Given the context of students being required to work collaboratively as a team throughout the semester, the findings of this study suggested that the focal team used a variety of politeness strategies to establish cohesion among members and to moderate the force imposed by presupposing too much underlying solidarity. Five contextual factors also emerged as influencing the focal team’s use of politeness strategies: norms/convention, online communication medium, topics and content of discussion, social distance, and personal differences. Instructional technology is subject to innovation and is meant to facilitate learning. Incorporating new technology (e.g., Second Life) into instructional settings can create new opportunities for learning on which learners’ use of politeness strategies depends. Thus, this study about politeness in an online collaborative learning context not only contributes to enriching views of politeness theory, but also in being able to help prepare learners to collaborate effectively in new immersive learning environments with comfort in the ways of fostering awareness of face-saving concerns to avoid or redress face threat situations that may damage team collaboration and lead to a negative learning experience. / text

Bachelor thesis within Business Administration Title: Second Life – New opportunity for higher educational institutions Authors: Axel Andersen, Emil Hristov & Hamid Karimi Tutor: Olga Sasinovskaya Date: May, 2008 Subject terms: Second Life, virtual worlds, distance learning, marketing, universities, stu-dents, interactions Executive summary Background: Virtual worlds such as Second Life have been used in the corporate world for a few years now. However, it is only recently that higher educational institutions have seen the marketing and educational potential inside this world. Several hundred universities around the world are currently involved in Second Life and a majority of them give fully accredited academic courses inside SL. As traditional distance learning can sometimes be interpreted as low on interactions, SL represents a new means for interactive distance learn-ing. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore if, why and to what extent Second Life can be used as a marketing and pedagogical tool within higher educational institutions. Method: A mixed qualitative and quantitative method was utilized in this study. For the qualitative side: in-depth interviews with SL teachers from five universities around the world were held and these were complemented by observations at educational institutions inside SL. For the quantitative side: a questionnaire was designed and sent out to 50 SL-students. This primary data have been combined with appropriate secondary data concern-ing distance learning and education within SL. Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework can be divided into two main sec-tions: a marketing section with primarily service management theories and a pedagogical section where cognitive apprenticeship theory is applied. Conclusion: Higher educational institutions can use SL to promote their schools to pro-spective students and to other stakeholders such as new teacher recruits. All of the univer-sities that were under our scrutiny felt SL had strengthened their university’s brand. Fur-thermore, SL represents an opportunity for universities that are looking to increase col-laborations with other international universities and who are interested in enhancing the public image of themselves as pioneering and global universities. Therefore, it is highly ad-visable that a university such as JIBS enters SL, if not on pedagogical reasons then on stra-tegic and marketing reasons. In general, a majority of the students interviewed were satis-fied or very satisfied with the quality of the SL-courses they had taken and an overwhelm-ing majority would recommend SL-courses to other students. The empirical findings showed that the most frequent courses taken within SL are design courses, although no limits were perceived to exist of which courses that can be held within SL. A majority of the students also felt SL aided their learning experience. However, due to some of the cur-rent flaws of SL – such as the slow graphics and the high demands of computer hardware – SL should be viewed mainly as a learning tool that complements, rather than substitutes other current educational forms.

Body Worlds is a traveling exhibition of plastinated human cadavers that offers the general public an opportunity to experience the human body in a unique way. It has been met with controversy and awe; public reactions and responses have been mixed. This case study research explored visitor responses to this controversial science exhibition, and examined the meaning visitors made of their experience. Specifically, the following research questions directed this study: Within the context of the Body Worlds exhibition: (a) What meaning did visitors make and how did they respond to the exhibits? (b) What tensions and issues arose for visitors? and (c) What did this type of exhibition convey about the changing role of science centres and the nature of their exhibitions? The primary sources of data for this study were 46 semi-structured interviews with visitors to the exhibition, observation notes, and 10 comment books including approximately 20 000 comments. Data suggested that the personal, physical, and sociocultural contexts (Falk & Dierking, 2000) contributed to visitor meaning meaning-making. The use of plastinated human cadavers within this exhibition raised ethical and moral questions and controversies about body procurement, use of human cadavers in display, representations of the bodies, and issues related to the sanctity of life. The tensions and issues identified by visitors demonstrated that messages (intended or unintended) located within Body Worlds were critically examined by visitors and called into question. Finally, data from this study suggested that an interdisciplinary approach to the presentation of science served to enhance accessibility for the viewer. This exhibition demonstrated that visitors responded positively and made personal connections when the arts, spirituality, edutainment, issues, and a combination of historical and contemporary museum practices were used to present science.

Body Worlds is a traveling exhibition of plastinated human cadavers that offers the general public an opportunity to experience the human body in a unique way. It has been met with controversy and awe; public reactions and responses have been mixed. This case study research explored visitor responses to this controversial science exhibition, and examined the meaning visitors made of their experience. Specifically, the following research questions directed this study: Within the context of the Body Worlds exhibition: (a) What meaning did visitors make and how did they respond to the exhibits? (b) What tensions and issues arose for visitors? and (c) What did this type of exhibition convey about the changing role of science centres and the nature of their exhibitions? The primary sources of data for this study were 46 semi-structured interviews with visitors to the exhibition, observation notes, and 10 comment books including approximately 20 000 comments. Data suggested that the personal, physical, and sociocultural contexts (Falk & Dierking, 2000) contributed to visitor meaning meaning-making. The use of plastinated human cadavers within this exhibition raised ethical and moral questions and controversies about body procurement, use of human cadavers in display, representations of the bodies, and issues related to the sanctity of life. The tensions and issues identified by visitors demonstrated that messages (intended or unintended) located within Body Worlds were critically examined by visitors and called into question. Finally, data from this study suggested that an interdisciplinary approach to the presentation of science served to enhance accessibility for the viewer. This exhibition demonstrated that visitors responded positively and made personal connections when the arts, spirituality, edutainment, issues, and a combination of historical and contemporary museum practices were used to present science.

The report features the technical fundamentals, implementation, results and discussions within the field of mobile application development in the game industry. The thesis explored the game industry from within the industry, as the purpose was to further expand the game concept of the PC game theHunter by using a mobile platform. In the age of the multi-touch smartphone, applications are a huge and competitive industry withmany interesting development approaches. Using the fundamental principles of system architecture and interface design for mobile development, a game companion application based in an Android environment was developed. Game data was provided by the game development studio Expansive Worlds. The results showed support for the platform, but clearly states that further development is needed to actually explore the mobile market further. Implications for the results of the study and future tasks are discussed.

In virtual worlds such as Second Life, participants can engage in a variety of activities with other online residents. The personality type of the resident inherently guides the activities in which he or she chooses to participate. Choices, such as communication method (i.e., group communication versus one-to-one) and in-world community participation (i.e., exploring new worlds versus building their own), can be directly linked to the personality preferences of the virtual world user. Carl Jung’s work entitled “Personality Types” (1921) is regarded as one of the foundational works in understanding the personality preferences of oneself and others. Jung’s work is the foundation for extrapolated personality theories and the basis for personality assessments on personality type. Understanding the personality types of virtual world users may help educators when designing online experiential learning activities. This understanding may also help educators understand why some students thrive with online experiential learning activities while others struggle. Utilizing a demographic survey and the Majors Personality Type Inventory, a quantitative analysis of Second Life users was conducted. An examination of a resident sample size (n=91) in relation to population norms will be outlined. Statistically significant differences between the Second LifeTM population and population norms will be discussed. The implications of this study for educators who choose to employ Second LifeTM as an experiential learning tool will also be examined. / 2013-08