International Journal of Research in English Education

en Social Presence, Synchronous Tool Usage and Learning Performance in the e-Learning Classroom: What is the Bottom Line? Social Presence, Synchronous Tool Usage and Learning Performance in the e-Learning Classroom: What is the Bottom Line? تخصصي Special پژوهشي Research <span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">This study aimed to determine the university students’ level of social presence, preferred synchronous learning tool, and learning performance and their differences according to sex, age, year, major, Blackboard experience, and perceived computer literacy. The relationship between students’ social presence, preferred synchronous tool, and learning performance was also determined. The respondents were 29 students enrolled in the ESL online elective class, Global Business Communication, at a university in South Korea. There were two sets of online surveys used in this study. The statistical tools used in this study were the mean, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Mann-Whitney Test, and Kruskal-Wallis Test. The results showed that the students maintained a Moderately High level of social presence throughout the duration of the course, chose KakaoTalk as their preferred synchronous learning tool, and concluded the course with an overall average grade, or learning performance level of “B”. There was a significant difference regarding the students’ learning performance when they were classified according to Blackboard experience; and no significant relationship existed between the students’ social presence, preferred synchronous tool, and learning performance. </span></span> This study aimed to determine the university students’ level of social presence, preferred synchronous learning tool, and learning performance and their differences according to sex, age, year, major, Blackboard experience, and perceived computer literacy. The relationship between students’ social presence, preferred synchronous tool, and learning performance was also determined. The respondents were 29 students enrolled in the ESL online elective class, Global Business Communication, at a university in South Korea. There were two sets of online surveys used in this study. The statistical tools used in this study were the mean, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Mann-Whitney Test, and Kruskal-Wallis Test. The results showed that the students maintained a Moderately High level of social presence throughout the duration of the course, chose KakaoTalk as their preferred synchronous learning tool, and concluded the course with an overall average grade, or learning performance level of “B”. There was a significant difference regarding the students’ learning performance when they were classified according to Blackboard experience; and no significant relationship existed between the students’ social presence, preferred synchronous tool, and learning performance. Blackboard, learning performance, e-Learning, social presence, synchronous online tools Blackboard, learning performance, e-Learning, social presence, synchronous online tools 80 100 http://ijreeonline.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-738-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Yolanda Mathews Yolanda Mathews ymathews@hotmail.com 10031947532846001951 10031947532846001951 Yes International College, The University of Suwon, South Korea Lelanie Basco Lelanie Basco lelaniembasco@yahoo.com 10031947532846001952 10031947532846001952 No International College, The University of Suwon, South Korea