Computer assisted language learning (CALL) has become increasingly common as a means of helping learners develop essential skills in a second or foreign language. However, while many CALL programs claim to be based on principles of second language acquisition (SLA) theory and research, evaluation of design and learning outcomes at the level of individual CALL exercises is lacking in the existing literature. The following proposed study will explore the design of computer-based vocabulary matching exercises using both written text and images and the effects of various design manipulations on learning outcomes. The study will use eye-tracking to investigate what users attend to on screen as they work through a series of exercises with different configurations of written words and images. It will ask whether manipulation of text and image features and combinations can have an effect on learners’ attention to the various elements, and if so, whether differences in levels of attention results in higher or lower scores for measures of learning. Specifically, eye-tracking data will be compared to post-test scores for recall and recognition of target vocabulary items to look for a correlation between levels of attention to written forms in-task and post-test gains in scores for vocabulary learning.

Korean popular music, commonly referred to as K-pop, has become globally popular through its dissemination on social media. The K-pop industry is known to adapt to, and capitalize on, the shifting landscape of social media ever since the early 2000s. Recent integration and utilization of livestream services on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have created a necessity for the K-pop industry to adapt to the dynamic landscape of social media in order to appeal to a growing transnational internet audience. In accommodating the shifting social media landscape, the relationships among K-pop fandoms, producers, and the performers, known as "idols," as well as the spaces in which they interact, have transformed. This transformation can be seen in the media content produced by fans and K-pop groups. Companies that manage K-pop groups and produce their music utilize livestreams to promote the idea that K-pop groups are accessible and relatable to fans. The idea that K-pop groups are accessible creates a dynamic that encourages fans to invest time, money, and subtitling skills into livestream apps like the V-app in order to support their favorite K-pop groups. Korean entertainment companies also use trainee competition shows to turn the trainee experiences into reality television shows, in which viewers' votes are a significant factor in determining winners. These shows encourage a co-dependent relationship between K-pop groups and the show's viewers. On YouTube, which has always been an important platform for global dissemination of K-pop, fan-produced media content, such as dance cover videos and reaction videos, are now contributing more to global popularity of K-pop. TWICE, a K-pop girl group, which is under contract with the prominent K-pop production company, JYP Entertainment, debuted through a trainee competition show and regularly participates in new practices on social media by connecting with fans on livestreaming videos, by hosting cover dance contests, and by promoting fan-reaction videos on YouTube. With the girl group, TWICE, as a case study, I delineate the complex interactions among fandom, Korean entertainment companies, and the K-pop groups. My analysis focuses on the interactions among those three parties in the social media. First, I assess how the K-pop industry utilizes trainee competition shows to foster fan attachment to the K-pop groups even before they debut as a process of commodification. I then examine fan-produced media content, using the cultural studies scholar, John Fiske's idea of productive fan culture, or "fan productivity," a concept that confers socio-cultural value to participation in fan-related activities. Finally, I use statistical analysis to compare how dissemination tools such as livestreams, dance cover videos, and reaction videos contribute to the growing popularity of TWICE.