Differences in the Intensity and the Nature of Foreign Language Anxiety in In-Person and Online EFL Classes during the Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study

This paper explores differences in 437 learners' "foreign language classroom anxiety" (FLCA) in in-person and online English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes before the outbreak of the pandemic and during the first lockdown in spring 2020. Statistical analyses of data gathered with a web survey revealed a slight, yet significant drop in learners' overall FLCA in "emergency remote teaching." In order to obtain a more granular view, item-level analyses revealed that learners in online classes were significantly less worried about being outperformed by peers, suffered less from physical symptoms of anxiety when called on in class, and were less anxious when they were in fact well-prepared. Feeling embarrassed to volunteer answers was significantly higher in online classes. Interviews with 21 participants revealed that the interviewees mentioned anxiety-provoking aspects of the class considerably more frequently online than in in-person classes. However, the sources of anxiety in online classes differed from the ones in classes taught on-site. Thus, it seems that the newness of the setting foregrounded anxiety-provoking aspects specific to emergency remote teaching, making others fade into the background at the beginning of the pandemic.

Handbook of Research on Language Teacher Identity. Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development (AHEPD) Book Series

In today's educational world, it is crucial for language teachers to continuously evolve in order to best serve language learners. Further study on the best practices and challenges in the language classroom is crucial to ensure instructors continue to grow as educators. The "Handbook of Research on Language Teacher Identity" addresses new developments in the field of language education affected by evolving learning environments and the shift from traditional teaching and assessment practices to the digital-age teaching, learning, and assessment. Ideal for industry professionals, administrators, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students, this book aims to raise awareness regarding reflective practice and continuous professional development of educators, collaborative teaching and learning, innovative ways to foster critical (digital) literacy, student-centered instruction and assessment, development of authentic teaching materials and engaging classroom activities, teaching and assessment tools and strategies, cultivation of digital citizenship, and inclusive learning environments.

Social Distancing and Social Biosensing: Intersubjectivity from Afar.

The shelter-in-place orders across the U.S. in response to the COVID-19 pandemic forced many relationships once sustained by in-person interaction into remote states through computer-mediated communication (CMC). Work, school, holidays, social engagements, and everyday conversations formerly experienced through rich and contextual in-person interactions instead have taken place on messaging, voice, and video chatting platforms that diminish or altogether lack many social cues and other qualities critical to social interaction. The difficulties feeling connected to one another observed during this period have stressed the need for novel forms of communication that enable deeper interactions. Social biosensing, the interpersonal sharing of physiological information, has shown promise facilitating social connection at a distance. In the present research we document the experiences of nine pairs of friends (N = 18) who navigated living through a shelter-in-place order, reporting on their experiences sharing their electrodermal activity (EDA) in response to short videos. Participants described the artificial and unnatural nature of communicating using typical forms of CMC and a range of interpretations of EDA as both emotional response and as representative of personal characteristics. We implemented a phased approach to study the temporal nature of forming an understanding of unfamiliar yet intimate data like EDA. Our results indicate typologies of meaning-making processes: "stablers", "broadeners", and "puzzlers". We also interpreted our findings through the lens of intersubjectivity, analyzing how analogical apperception and dialogical interaction both play a role in participants' meaning-making about their own and their partner's biosensory information. We conclude with implications from this work pertinent to intersubjectivity theorists, social biosensing researchers, and CMC system designers and developers.

Politeness markers in emails of non-native English speaking university students

The use of computer-mediated communication including emails has become pervasive in academic contexts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. What seems to be significant but simply overlooked by students is meeting politeness netiquettes while sending emails. To this end, the current study investigated the extent to which non-native English speaking university students adjust the level of politeness in their response emails written in English to that of the emails received from an American professor. To collect data, four versions of an academic email message with different levels of politeness were prepared in advance. The emails either included or excluded verbal and structural politeness markers and asked for the participants' demographic information and their reason for participation in the study. Then, 73 university students enrolled in a general English course were selected and divided randomly into four groups each of which received one version of the email message from the professor. The results of the data analysis on the participants' response emails, based on accommodation theory (Giles 1973) as a theoretical framework, revealed that they did not accommodate either verbal or structural politeness cues in emails. Besides, the participants' knowledge of the politeness etiquettes in the academic email genre seemed inadequate. Finally, the article provides some pedagogical implications for course designers, materials developers, and instructors to devise some plans to raise students' awareness of email politeness etiquettes and for students to be aware of the significance of meeting politeness principles in their academic emails.

Adolescents' In-Person and Online Interactions With Friends During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations With Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms

Adolescents' interactions with friends were severely disrupted during stay-at-home orders associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study (N = 144, 49% female, 80% European American) considered adolescents' perceptions of this disruption and the implications of the disruption for their emotional adjustment. Adolescents reported that not seeing friends was the most distressing consequence of the pandemic. Compared to before the pandemic, adolescents reported a large decrease in in-person interactions with friends, which was related to loneliness. There was a small increase in online interactions, which could counteract the effects of fewer in-person interactions, but only if the interactions felt socially connected. Online interactions lacking social connection were related to greater loneliness and depressive symptoms.

"We Are in Control": Instagram Influencers and the Proliferation of Conspiracy Narratives in Digital Spaces

Female spiritual influencers on Instagram engage with conspiracy content and appeal to the issue of control over female bodies to bridge the gap between mainstream and fringe online spaces. I use the concept of "third space" to analyse the dynamics of Instagram communities around spiritual influencers and highlight how these communities operate as spaces for political discussion while simultaneously appearing apolitical from the outside. Analysing data from participant observation and interviews with six female Czech spiritual influencers, I place their online communication and presentation within the context of the conspirituality movement (Ward, Voas, 2011). Furthermore, I present ethnographic evidence on how the influencers moved from spiritual to conspiritual content within their everyday online performances.

The role of expectations for liking and other positive Affiliative outcomes in the get-acquainted process that occurs over Computer-mediated video communication.

People often develop expectations prior to meeting someone for the first time. These pre-interaction expectations, which include how much they will like the other and how much they will enjoy the interaction, have likely increased because of information easily obtained about others through social media. What is not well understood is whether these expectations prior to a first meeting are associated with interpersonal evaluations formed during the get-acquainted interaction. In this study, pre-interaction expectations were collected from both members of 71 dyads. Then, after the dyads interacted through a structured self-disclosure task conducted over Skype, their reactions were assessed again. Several findings of the study have implications for people meeting for the first time, including over visual forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Findings included that pre-interaction expectations were associated with reactions after the interaction, a visual greeting with another before learning information about the other did not moderate the effect of that information on liking and other affiliative outcomes, and participants underestimated how much they were liked after the interaction. The implications of the findings are important because people are increasingly becoming acquainted through visual forms of CMC, which has been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-01466-4.

Adapting to the COVID-19 World: A Case Study of Collective Learning in a Social Entrepreneurial Organisation

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how a social entrepreneurial organisation in Sweden collectively learned to adapt itself to the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Using an abductive approach, this study conducted single case fieldwork on a social entrepreneurial organisation called SFE. The following research questions were asked: What are the changes in collective learning conditions that SFE has to face during the pandemic? What are the outcomes of collective learning during the pandemic in SFE? Findings: This study results indicate that collective learning conditions were changed by restructuring the organisation's design and teamwork during the pandemic, which facilitated sharing of knowledge and experiences. This collective learning helped the organisation develop new virtual projects during the pandemic. Another result of this collective learning was the members' new shared understanding of the organisation's vision. Research limitations/implications: This study hopes to broaden the understanding of the relationship between collective learning in organisations and organisational adaptation in times of crisis. Practical implications: This study can help leaders of social entrepreneurial organisations understand what changes are necessary to create a team that collectively learns. Originality/value: The data had the advantage of being gathered as a real-time process, and the researcher witnessed how the organisation achieved adaptation as it happened and not just through its members' reflection of it as a past phenomenon.

„EGY ÉVE ITT ÜLÖK, ÉS A KÉPERNYŐMHÖZ BESZÉLEK" – A TÁRSAS VISZONYOK KIALAKÍTÁSA ÉS FENNTARTÁSA CMC-BEN

A COYID-19-járvány okozta változások megerosítették a CMC kommunikáció részesedését a kommunikáció egészében. Egy éve mindannyian a képernyok elott ülünk, és mindeközben felmerülnek a következo kérdések: Vajon hogyan valósítjuk meg, és hogyan dolgozzuk fel a társas viszonyokat? Hogyan dolgozzuk fel magát a társas kontextust? Egy év bezártság után hogyan muködtetjük a kommunikációs sémákat? Mekkora társas hálózatokat tartunk fenn, és milyen csatornákon keresztül? A tanulmány egy három részbol álló vizsgálat elso, kérdoívre alapuló részében ezeket a kérdéseket járja körül. A kutatás lengyel és magyar anyanyelvu adatközlok körében, két korcsoportban (18-30 évesek és 30-50 évesek) végzett kvalitatív vizsgálaton alapul. Az eredmények azt mutatják, hogy a CMC-csatorna kiválasztása kapcsolatban áll a társas viszony jellegével - baráti, ismerosi körben a chatüzenetek a legnépszerubbek, az online videóbeszélgetés viszont erosen formális helyzetekhez kapcsolódik. A vizsgálat eredményei tehát azt jelzik, hogy a társas kapcsolatok jellege hatással van a CMC-csatornák kiválasztására. A kommunikáció során használt különbözo grafikai jelek alkalmazása is a társas kontextustól függ, azaz a CMC-ben bizonyos mértékben a társas kontextus feldolgozását jelölhetik.Alternate abstract:The changes caused by the COVID-19 epidemic reinforced the share of CMC in communication. We have all been sitting here in front of the screen for a year, but how can we develop and process social relations? How do we process the social context? How do we operate communication schemes after a year of closure? How big social networks do we maintain, and through what channels? The first part of the three-part study, based on a questionnaire, addresses the mentioned questions. The study is based on a qualitative study conducted between Polish and Hungarian native speakers in two age groups (18-30 years old and 30-50 years old). The results of the research show that the selection of the CMC channel is related to the nature of the social relationship - among friends, acquaintances the exchange of chat messages was the most popular, while the online video chat is strongly associated with formal situations. The results of the research show that the nature of the social relationship has a crucial impact on selecting CMC channel. The use of different graphical symbols used in communication depends on the social contexts, as they indicate how we process a certain social contexts in the CMC.

Towards understanding usable privacy concerns among older adults

While researchers have examined privacy among a wide range of users, there has been less focus on the perceptions of older adults, who may exhibit attitudes towards privacy that differ from their younger counterparts. Lower levels of awareness regarding potential online privacy violations, coupled with limited knowledge of protective measures that can be adopted to counter online attacks, are known to lead to negative outcomes for some older adults, including falling victim to scams and data breaches. The research described in this dissertation focuses on an investigation of older adults' privacy and security perceptions regarding digital and non-digital technologies, and identifies how their usage and adoption of tools and technologies are impacted by these perceptions. To this end, three studies have been conducted exploring the (1) complex privacy behaviors of older adults and comparisons with younger age groups, (2) adoption barriers and motivators of online security tools, and (3) experiences and concerns when older adults were required to transition to online communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. An exploratory study was initially conducted, to identify older adults' perceptions of usable privacy and general concerns about privacy threats, while drawing comparisons to findings from younger age groups. After identifying that perceptions of privacy impact older adults' adoption of these tools in the second study, a third study was conducted, which investigated how these perceptions impacted older adults who were either forced to adopt or who continued using online conferencing tools due to the social distancing requirements imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative inquiry was conducted to examine usable privacy and security, and to gain a deeper understanding of older adults' intricate mental models. Findings from the work described in this dissertation can be used to inform design guidance for interface developers and researchers aiming to support privacy among older groups of users. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Evaluating a Pandemic Chat Service in a Consumer Health Library

When The Learning Center, a consumer health library at a cancer center, closed its doors in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was not a robust system of virtual outreach in place. Staff decided to implement a chat/SMS service as one way to reach patrons during the library's 16-month shutdown, but usage numbers were low. A variety of factors can affect use and complicate success, and quantitative measures may not be the sole factor in evaluating a new service and whether it should continue. This article will talk about service implementation, challenges and context, patron and staff satisfaction, and lessons learned from the process.

Tablets as a vehicle for imprisoned people's digital connection with loved ones

The intersection between criminal justice and technology is fairly understudied, despite increasing technological advancements in the world and within the criminal justice system. A rather recent addition to the technological landscape of prison is the adoption of tablets used by imprisoned people for communication and connection with loved ones and other activities, which is particularly important given the context of COVID-19, a virus which caused a global pandemic from 2020-2022. While the use of tablets by imprisoned people appears to be a new trend, the use of tablets in prison both prior to and during the pandemic has remained an untested phenomenon, not yet evaluated by social scientists. The dissertation sought to address this gap in literature by interviewing fifteen people formerly incarcerated in the Ohio State Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) and surveying a difficult to reach population, people currently incarcerated in ODRC (n=78), concerning their communication with loved ones using tablets and its meaning on their life and re-entry into society. The results of this study indicate that tablets are socially-situated in nature, and therefore the meaning of tablets depends upon the use of tablets by imprisoned people which is mediated by several factors concerning imprisoned people's individual and environmental contexts. The quantitative study indicates that imprisoned people's use and experience of tablets prior to and during COVID-19 is mediated by their demographic characteristics such as their age, parental status, marital status, and years served in prison, according to the quantitative study. The qualitative study indicates that several factors concerning imprisoned people's life inside of prison (e.g., technical glitches and correctional officers' attitudes) and outside of prison (e.g., their support system and financial standing) mediate their use of tablets in prison, and ultimately undermine the meaning of tablets for imprisoned people. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Armchair tourism: Exploring individuals' innovative travel experience in the with-corona era

This study investigates the experiential components of armchair travelling and their effect on the armchair travelers' responses, which include perceived authenticity, destination image, and behavioral intention, by using a mixed-method approach. A total of 414 survey responses collected through an online research panel were analyzed by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The analysis reveals that a sense of telepresence and copresence are the major factors, which generate authenticity and a positive destination image. Perceived ease of use influences building a favorable destination image, whereas self-other online interactions significantly create a sense of authenticity with the armchair travel experience. The content analysis for the qualitative data collected using an open-ended question shows that the armchair travelers gain vicarious travel experiences and resolve mental stress through armchair travelling. Based on the results, this study provides meaningful theoretical and practical implications to the armchair tourism literature and industry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Emoji use in online communication with emerging adults: The impact on ambiguity, affect, and social connection

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing guidelines has had a great impact on society. Emerging adults (ages 18-29) specifically are struggling as their need for social connection is critical to their mental health. However, the lack of nonverbal cues in electronically mediated communication (EMC) makes maintaining relationships online more difficult. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, our online communication has been advancing, so that some nonverbal cues, such as gestures and facial expressions, can be replicated in text conversations through emojis. Specifically, this study examined the role of emojis in providing emotional cues to reduce ambiguity, enhance positive affect, decrease negative affect, and increase feelings of social connectedness. Four separate ANCOVAs were conducted in order to explore the differences between emojis conditions (positive, negative, neutral, and no emojis) on the outcome variables while including current levels of psychological distress as a covariate. For each of the four models, there was at least one emoji condition that was statistically different than the others, suggesting that the inclusion of emojis had a significant impact on perceived ambiguity, changes in positive and negative affect, and feelings of connectedness. Additional pairwise t-tests demonstrated that the ambiguous text message was the clearest when it was accompanied by a positive emoji, when compared to both the negative and neutral emoji condition. The statements with a positive emoji, instead of no emoji, contributed to less of a decrease in positive affect. Additionally, the addition of each emoji had a unique impact on negative affect. Furthermore, positive emojis, when added to an ambiguous text message, contributed the most to feelings of connectedness when compared to the negative emoji, the neutral emoji, and no emoji conditions. Limitations and future directions are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

L2 communicative competence analysis via synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) as an alternative to formal classrooms

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically altered formal classrooms and traditional learning environments with many educational institutions forced to teach online. Communicative L2 classes are impacted as in-person, face-to-face interactions are key to developing communicative competence. This qualitative research study investigates if L2 communicative competence can be demonstrated via online synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) platforms as an alternative to formal classrooms. Previous research on SCMC has focused on its implementation in a blended learning environment to support formal classrooms. The study analyzes seven recorded group interactions of 22 Japanese university students in a communication class for a presentation and discussion project done completely online while being physically isolated. The study observes whether L2 communicative competence can be demonstrated via expression, integration, and negotiation of meaning. Additionally, technological competence via procedural and technological negotiation is examined. The study shows that with careful planning, structured scaffolding from the instructor and technological familiarity and acceptance from the students, L2 communicative competence via SCMC platforms can be demonstrated, to varying degrees, when formal classrooms are not available. Formal classrooms may never be completely replaced but the development of SCMC platforms shows technological possibilities in future L2 learning environments. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Shaping path of trust: the role of information credibility, social support, information sharing and perceived privacy risk in social commerce

PurposeCurrently, the Covid-19 pandemic is changing how consumers shop, encouraging deeper levels and increased reliance on e-commerce systems and social media such as online communities. The online interaction of consumers is more important and brings many uncertainties, which impact the original commerce environment. This study aim to investigate the ethical consideration of information credibility and perceived privacy risk from a psychology perspective in marketing, this study draws on social support theory from social psychology to develop a research model to investigate the role of information credibility and perceived privacy risk on social commerce websites.Design/methodology/approachThis study investigated social commerce websites and communities. The research data of this study was collected through a questionnaire from consumers on three famous social commerce platforms. Using PLS-SEM to perform data analysis, this study research the importance of information credibility, perceived privacy risk and trust on social commerce websites.FindingsThe findings discuss individuals' reaction to privacy issues and to understand the motives to disclose or reveal personal information within a marketing or consumption context. The research also explores the theoretical implications by integrating theories from information systems and social psychology to investigate ethical issues in social commerce.Originality/valueCovid-19 makes peer-to-peer communication in online communities is developing collaborative consumption, and information produced in these communities can influence the decisions of consumers. Covid-19 has exacerbated such a change in social commerce environment. Therefore, information credibility plays an important role in developing online communities. It is important to look at the psychological antecedents that drive consumers' willingness to share their personal information when using online communities. The author has clarified which aspects of trust in social commerce should be strategized, including information trustworthiness, perceived privacy risks, social support and information sharing. These are the details that companies should pay more attention to when operating social commerce. Only by paying more attention to these details and giving consumers a positive feeling can consumers' trust be maintained or enhanced, ultimately leading to a successful trust economy.

Doing our Essential Work

Keynote Address: Canadian Society for Traditional Music/ Society for Ethnomusicology 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting 24 October 2020 I am speaking to you from my home in Toronto, Canada.1 I wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates and where my house is located. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous Peoples from across Turtle Island and I am grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land. (https://indigenous.utoronto.ca/about/ land-acknowledgement/) Thank you to the president and board, and leadership and memberships of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music (CSTM) and the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), for the opportunity to give this keynote lecture. The first thing I'll say is that though I'm the one monologuing right now, what's coming is the product of many dialogues - some imaginary dialogues with authors I've been reading, and many more actual phone conversations, emails, text messages, and other forms of communication with fellow scholars, parents, and people, only some of whom are named in this slide [see endnote.]2 Keynote talks are intensely focused on one person, but I am thinking of this event more as me holding the mic in a long conversation and telling you about what I've been thinking, who I've been speaking with, and what I've been reading. According to Jobson, "As a discourse of moral perfectibility founded in histories of settler colonialism and chattel slavery, liberal humanism and its anthropological register of ethnographic sentimentalism proved insufficient to confront the existential threats of climate catastrophe and authoritarian retrenchment" (2019: 259).

Provider perspectives of telehealth use in Connecticut birth-to-three programs during COVID-19

Introduction: Telehealth has been used previously in wellness, physical activity, and patient care in clinical populations. Renewed efforts by healthcare policy professionals promote telehealth to deliver services to patients during the covid-19 pandemic. Previous research has focused on the perceptions of medical providers, adult patients, and the parents and adult caregivers of children, with limited research on the use of telemedicine in young children in early intervention programs. This study aimed to collect and evaluate Connecticut Birth-to-Three providers' perceptions of using telehealth to deliver therapeutic services to children ages zero to three years. Methods: This research was a cross-sectional exploratory study utilizing an anonymous online survey. An email containing the survey link was sent to Connecticut Birth-to-Three program directors for distribution to social workers, occupational, physical, behavioral, developmental, and speech therapists employed by each agency. Results: All category service providers in this study indicated they would likely use telehealth to deliver therapeutic support services to patients. Providers with high IT familiarity levels were most likely to use telehealth. Providers with high levels of education were least likely to use telehealth. Discussion: Responses show telehealth is feasible for delivering therapeutic support services to young patients. Concerns that should be considered in future research include long-term telehealth usage, policy regulations, insurance coverage, and billing regulations. Conclusion: Telehealth is suitable for delivering therapeutic services to patients in the Connecticut Birth-to-Three program, increasing provider access to patients in covid-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

TikTok and Public Health Storytelling: An!Educational Tale

Though information technology has been edging its way into English education for years, students and teachers were thrown into new digital dilemmas in 2020 when the onset of COVID-19 normalized digital learning. The emergence of TikTok as a primary communication tool, especially for high school youth, quickly became worrisome. Not only was the app used for entertainment and surrogate social interaction, but it also became a platform for public health mis- and disinformation concerning COVID-19. English teachers have much to learn from the precarious endeavor of using social media to address urgent literacy issues, including public health literacy. What can or should English educators do about the amplification of dangerous content on TikTok? What are the risks, challenges, and affordances of supervised engagement? The pandemic amplified global precarity, highlighting disproportionate vulnerabilities based on age, race, gender, and other intersectional factors. Humans' interdependence underscores the need to examine unequal conditions in the English classroom.

Staying connected during stay-at-home: Communication with family and friends and its association with well-being

COVID-19 and the resulting stay-at-home orders issued to reduce the spread of the virus created a novel social situation in which people could not spend in-person time with their family and friends. Thus, emerging technologies like video calling and other forms of mediated communication like voice calling and text messaging became important resources for people to stay in touch. The purpose of this study was threefold. First, we wanted to test whether people would use more mediated communication (video calls, voice calls, text messaging) to stay in touch during the stay-at-home order. Second, we wanted to see if increased mediated communication would be positively associated with well-being. Finally, we explored whether mediated communication was related to age. To answer these questions, we surveyed 2092 participants who answered questions online about how their use of video calls, voice calls, and text messaging and their well-being had changed since the stay-at-home order. Our results show that people increased their use of mediated communication, particularly video calling;and increases in mediated communication with close others, particularly friends, was related to higher levels of well-being. Finally, we found that age was related only to the use of video calling;younger people tended to use more video calling. These findings support the compensatory theory of technology use, that people use technologically mediated communication to maintain contact with their close friends and family when in-person contact is not possible, and that this form of contact, when in-person interaction is unavailable, is associated with positive outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)