A Blog About The Concept Paper

... 

"Comparing Social Presence in Korean Learning: Cue Richness, Warmth, Involvement Online and Face-to-Face"

Learning Korean has become increasingly popular, and along with that comes a big question: How do different learning environments shape the way students connect with their teachers and classmates? This blog post presents my concept paper for a CMC (Computer-Mediated Communication), where I explore an important topic in language education—social presence.

Social presence refers to how “connected,” “seen,” or “personally engaged” we feel in an interaction. When learning a language like Korean, this sense of connection matters because it can affect motivation, confidence, and participation. Today, many learners experience Korean lessons either online or through traditional face-to-face classes. This study asks: How do these environments differ in creating a meaningful sense of presence?

Why This Topic Matters

Online learning has opened doors to convenience and accessibility. Meanwhile, face-to-face classes still offer naturally rich interpersonal interaction. Both have strengths—but do they make us feel equally connected? Understanding this can help both students and teachers choose or design more effective learning experiences.

What This Study Aims to Explore

This concept paper focuses on three important aspects of social presence:

1. Cue Richness

How many communication cues are available?

For example: facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, visual aids, and real-time reactions.

2. Warmth

How friendly, supportive, or personally engaging the teacher and peers seem.

3. Involvement

How active and engaged learners feel during the lesson—whether they participate, respond, and interact meaningfully.

These three dimensions will be compared between online and face-to-face Korean learning settings.

Why This Study Is Important

The insights from this paper may help:

Korean language teachers design more engaging classes

Students choose a learning environment that best suits their needs

Schools and institutions in planning effective programs

Researchers in exploring CMC and language education further

The main goal is to understand how learning modality shapes students’ social presence. By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of online and in-person formats, this study hopes to guide better teaching strategies and help students maximize their learning experience—no matter the platform.

This study focuses only on social presence in the context of Korean learning.

It does not evaluate teaching effectiveness or language proficiency.

Participants will include learners currently studying Korean either online or offline.

As Korean learning becomes more popular, it’s important to understand not just what students learn, but how they experience the learning environment. Social presence plays a big role in maintaining motivation and confidence—two things essential in mastering a language.

By comparing online and face-to-face setups, this concept paper aims to highlight how educators and learners can create more meaningful, connected, and engaging Korean learning experiences.