Showing papers in "Asia-pacific Education Researcher in 2016"

An Augmented-Reality-Based Concept Map to Support Mobile Learning for Science

Abstract: Computer hardware and mobile devices have developed rapidly in recent years, and augmented reality (AR) technology has been increasingly applied in mobile learning. Although instructional AR applications have yielded satisfactory results and prompted students’ curiosity and interest, a number of problems remain. The crucial topic for AR applications is the lack of appropriate instructional scaffolds to help students organize the content to be learned. Moreover, a lack of appropriate instructional activities and scaffolds often results in student confusion and frustration. Therefore, we integrated AR with concept maps to form a concept-mapped AR (CMAR) scaffold. Subsequently, whether CMAR improves learning outcomes, motivation, and attitude in mobile learning activities was determined. An empirical study was conducted on 71 fifth-grade elementary students in Southern Taiwan. The students were divided into CMAR and AR system groups. The results showed that students in the CMAR group performed significantly better than those in the AR group. The student interview results also showed that the CMAR system helped students organize what they wanted to learn.

The Effects of Virtual Reality Learning Environment on Student Cognitive and Linguistic Development.

Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) has brought about numerous alternative learning opportunities in the last decade, and with modern products such as Oculus Rift and other wearable Virtual Reality technologies being introduced into society, VR will promisingly continue to provide yet unseen opportunities in the next few decades and therefore is a technology that deserves serious consideration and study. In an attempt to better understand how virtual worlds positively affect student learning, this study used an online 3D VR English language learning platform and conducted an experiment to evaluate the student learning effectiveness based on Bloom’s cognitive complexity level. t test analysis was used to determine the effectiveness of the learning platform, while structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to determine the learning model behind the pedagogy. Participants were 448 students at a science and technology university in Taiwan. Results show that students improved their phonological, morphological, grammar and syntax knowledge, and virtual world learning assisted in the development of a more complex and higher level of thinking. The SEM analysis results indicated the virtual learning environment with unique features of immersion and ease of use, together with help-seeking positively affected student language cognition.

Exploring the Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities in China: A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract: This mixed-method study explored the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) in Chinese schools. Informed by the existing literature on PLCs, the authors conducted a questionnaire survey of teachers in seven schools in Shanghai to explore the characteristics of Chinese PLCs. Follow-up qualitative interviews were also conducted to examine the underlying reasons for such characteristics perceived by teachers. Results show that PLCs in the Chinese schools can be conceptualized in terms of collaborative learning, professional competency, facilitative leadership, structural support, and cultural barriers, which can be attributed to school education system, traditional social cultures, and ways of teacher recognition. Practical implications as well as suggestions for future research are also provided.

Psychological Capital Predicts Academic Engagement and Well-Being in Filipino High School Students

Abstract: Previous literature emphasized the role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in fostering positive organizational and work outcomes. However, there were very scarce investigations on the benefits of PsyCap especially in non-Western academic settings. The current research addresses this gap through assessing the extent to which PsyCap can be associated with optimal academic and well-being outcomes. There were 606 Filipino high school students who were recruited in the study. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that PsyCap positively predicted academic engagement, flourishing, interdependent happiness, and positive affect. Implications of the findings are elaborated in terms of how PsyCap can potentially assist in facilitating positive student outcomes in a non-Western context.

Beyond Math Anxiety: Positive Emotions Predict Mathematics Achievement, Self-Regulation, and Self-Efficacy

Abstract: Research on the affective dimensions of mathematics learning and achievement has tended to focus on negative emotions and on mathematics anxiety in particular, with much less work on positive emotions. Drawing from a positive education perspective, we aim to contribute to the growing literature on positive emotions and learning. We hypothesize that positive emotions are associated with learning and achievement in mathematics, even when mathematics anxiety is considered. Filipino students enrolled in a college trigonometry course completed the Academic Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics and scales assessing their self-efficacy and self-regulation in trigonometry. Students’ final grades for the course were recorded with their informed consent. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that enjoyment and pride explained a significant amount of variance in the final grades, self-regulation, and self-efficacy, even after accounting for the variance explained by gender and anxiety. Although the results cannot be interpreted as indicating a causal relationship between positive emotions and achievement, the results indicate how positive emotions in mathematics learning can contribute to a more balanced picture of the role of affective states in mathematics learning.

Language Learning as Linguistic Entrepreneurship: Implications for Language Education

Abstract: The growing emphasis on accountability, competitiveness, efficiency, and profit demonstrates how language education has been impacted by neoliberalism. To bring out the implications of neoliberalism on language education, we explore how language learning is increasingly constructed as a form of linguistic entrepreneurship, or an act of aligning with the moral imperative to strategically exploit language-related resources for enhancing one’s worth in the world. To critically examine the political conditions that promote such an ethical regime, we focus on how linguistic entrepreneurship can be indexed through two distinct aspects, the motivation for and the mode of language learning. We then discuss under what circumstances the notion of linguistic entrepreneurship might be invoked and what kind of contradictions this entails. We conclude by considering the implications for language policy and language education.

The Role of Resilience and Coping Styles in Subjective Well-Being Among Chinese University Students

Abstract: This study examined the relationship among resilience, coping styles, and subjective well-being (SWB) among 239 Chinese university students, with a focus on the mediating role of coping styles in the relationship between resilience and SWB and the moderating function of resilience in the prediction of SWB from coping styles. Results of latent variable modeling showed that (a) resilience and coping styles significantly predicted SWB, (b) emotion-oriented coping style served as a significant mediator in the relationship between resilience and negative affect, and (c) resilience acted as a moderator in the relationship between task-oriented coping style and life satisfaction. Specifically, for students who showed lower levels of resilience, the adoption of task-oriented coping styles facilitated their life satisfaction. However, the higher levels of resilience seemed not to further the positive effect of the adoption of task-oriented coping styles on students’ life satisfaction. Implications for university students’ positive education are discussed.

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Academic Achievement: A 5-Year Panel Analysis

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal causal relationship among Korean students’ past academic performance, self-efficacy beliefs, and academic achievement. The study used an autoregressive cross-lagged model to assess the casual ordering of self-efficacy beliefs and academic achievement in a representative sample of 1177 Korean students over a five-year period from the 8 to 12th grades. Results indicated that the academic performance of students from the first semester of the 8th grade positively predicted self-efficacy beliefs for the second semester of the 8th grade and that self-efficacy beliefs from the second semester of the 8th grade positively predicted the academic achievement of students for the first semester of the 9th grade; this pattern evidenced through to the 12th grade. A reciprocal relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and academic achievement was seen, such that the effect of past academic performance on self-efficacy beliefs was larger than the effect of selfefficacy beliefs on academic achievement. These findings point to the importance of integrating the reciprocal model into practice and utilizing interventions delivered by educators, school counselors, and school psychologists that target both self-efficacy and academic achievement. Future research is needed to evaluate interventions designed to address both self-efficacy and academic achievement.

Autonomous Motivation in the Indonesian Classroom: Relationship with Teacher Support Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory

Abstract: Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that teacher autonomy, competence, and relatedness support are crucial universal promotors for students’ interest in learning, which is in line with the general aims of positive education. This study examines the relationship between the three dimensions of students’ perception of Indonesian teachers´ autonomy, competence, and relatedness support and students’ perceived autonomous motivation in secondary education (Grades 10–12). Particularly the relative importance of the three dimensions of teacher support on two types of autonomous motivation (identified versus intrinsic) were explored. The three dimensions of teacher support (N teacher = 202) were measured with the Teacher as Social Context questionnaire, and the Questionnaire on Motivational Dimension was used to measure the students’ autonomous motivation (N students = 4396). Results show that teacher autonomy, competence, and relatedness support are all related to the Indonesian students’ autonomous motivation. Compared to findings from the Western context, the relative importance of autonomy support was shown to be less salient. This is in line with some other Asian studies. The relative importance of autonomy support seems to vary amongst different countries within Asia. We conclude that the three teaching support dimensions are relevant for autonomous motivation of Indonesian students, which confirms the applicability of SDT for the Indonesian context.

A Study of Digital Media Literacy of the 5th and 6th Grade Primary Students in Beijing

Abstract: With the aim of examining the digital media literacy of primary school students, a perceived digital media literacy of primary student scale was developed. A cluster sampling was conducted, and 796 primary students in Beijing took part in this study. Results indicated that the instrument demonstrated good reliability and validity. The participants (the 5th and 6th grade primary students) reported rather a high level of critical understanding and technical skills. Regarding digital media literacy, although significant differences appeared within different grades and age groups, there was no significant difference between female and male students. Moreover, primary students’ digital media literacy was significantly influenced by students’ digital media experience and parental mediation. The implications regarding the findings of the digital media literacy of primary students were discussed.

Fostering Strategic Learning: The Development and Validation of the Writing Strategies for Motivational Regulation Questionnaire (WSMRQ)

Abstract: This article describes the development and validation of a survey instrument, the Writing Strategies for Motivational Regulation Questionnaire (WSMRQ), designed to measure Chinese university students’ reported use of motivational regulation strategies in writing in English as a second/foreign language (L2). Conceptualized in a self-regulated learning framework, the WSMRQ was developed and validated. Two independent samples of 359 and 373 Chinese university students were recruited. The data were subject to exploratory factory analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), respectively, to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instrument. Results of the EFA revealed a five-factor structure of motivational regulation strategies: Interesting enhancement, performance self-talk, mastery self-talk, emotional control, and environment structuring. The CFA results from another sample supported a five-factor correlated model with the best fit, confirming the validity and reliability of the WSMRQ. The significant, moderate correlations between the five motivational regulation strategies and writing scores showed the instrument's reasonable predictive validity. Pedagogical implications are also discussed.

Reading Performance and Self-regulated Learning of Hong Kong Students: What We Learnt from PISA 2009

Abstract: The outperformance of Chinese students in large-scale international assessments has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers. This study explored the relationship between an important student factor, self-regulated learning (SRL), and Hong Kong students’ reading performance on Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA). Using data from PISA 2009, this study found that Hong Kong students obtained an overall strong performance on the PISA 2009 reading assessment. They were relatively good at reflecting and evaluating and reading continuous texts. Compared with the OECD average, Hong Kong students showed better reading engagement and perceived a more positive classroom disciplinary climate in their reading lessons, but they used fewer control strategies, had poorer awareness of effective reading strategies, and perceived a lower degree of teacher stimulation and scaffolding. Reading enjoyment and control strategies were the most important SRL components facilitating Hong Kong students’ reading performance, after controlling for other background variables in multilevel analysis. Possible cultural and contextual factors affecting Hong Kong students’ SRL and reading performance, and their relationship are discussed to shed light for understanding the paradox of Chinese learners and improving the instructional practices in Chinese classes.

Engaging Students in Literature Circles: Vocational English Reading Programs

Abstract: This article reports the findings of ethnographic classroom research on the deployment of literature circles in English reading classes in the vocational secondary education sector in Indonesia. Grounded in micro-interactional, thematic, and discourse analyses, empirical findings showed that the students engaged actively in text selection, role assignment, and text meaning making through sharing-and-discussion sessions. Empirical data also revealed that they could learn a wide array of lexico-grammar through discussing chosen texts with others. This group discussion activity also paves the way for sharing and discussing both content knowledge (vocational subjects) and genre and lexico-grammatical features. This suggests that literature circles could promote students’ content knowledge and language learning enrichment. Through role scaffolding by teachers and peer support, students could not only explore varied features of the language—e.g., how lexico-grammar was used in context through texts but also enrich their content knowledge. This empirical evidence supports the use of the literature circles in intensive reading programs in order to engage students in collaborative learning and to build a learning community in which teachers play a pivotal role as a guide throughout the literature circle process.

Learning with Social Media: How do Preservice Teachers Integrate YouTube and Social Media in Teaching?

Abstract: Little is known about digital-native preservice teachers’ pedagogies. They seem to be built on instructional strategies of integrating emergent affordances of the Internet technologies. This study aims to gain deeper understandings of the teachers’ pedagogies by exploring their preferred social media as instructional tools used in teaching practicums. A qualitative case study of a group of preservice teachers who integrated the technology in their teaching in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools was conducted. The results reveal the teachers’ pedagogies built on three instructional strategies with four preferences for the use of social media. Among the social media tools, YouTube was commonly used with other social media and non-social media tools, particularly for teaching in secondary schools. Consequently, three forms of pedagogy—the direct, constructivist and participatory, were identified in the digital-native preservice teachers’ instructional strategies of integrating potential social media affordances. The implications of the findings for preparing and developing the teachers’ knowledge of integrating emergent technologies to form their pedagogies are also discussed.

Teaching Chinese to International Students in China: Political Rhetoric and Ground Realities

Abstract: This paper presents an on-going study of the enactment of The International Promotion of Chinese Policy (国际汉语推广政策). It explores how Chinese teaching and learning take place in a Chinese university under the Study in China Programme which allows international students, after a period of intensive Chinese language learning, to transfer to academic courses taught in Chinese for Chinese students at the tertiary level. This programme has expanded in recent years in response to the government’s goal to enhance China’s soft power globally. By studying policy documents, engaging in conversations with students and teachers and observing classrooms, our study reveals that there are conflicting interests of social actors at national, institutional and individual levels, causing considerable conflicts and tensions in three aspects: (1) the divergent goals of internationalisation between the government and the higher education institution; (2) the imperative need of academic Chinese for subject learning and the actual offer of Chinese for everyday communication and (3) the competing role of English versus Chinese as a lingua franca for international students in the university setting. These conflicts make it difficult for international students to benefit from the subject courses, and for universities to implement successful language programmes for international students, and this renders the political objective of this programme difficult to achieve.

LMS Acceptance: The Instructor Role

Abstract: Learning management systems (LMS) have become the norm in recent years in higher education to further engage students and lecturers. The e-learning tools within LMS provide knowledge sharing and community building opportunities that can support both critical thinking and higher order learning skills through conversation and collaboration. However, the mere existence of tools does not guarantee users’ adoption and acceptance. Several effective arrangements are required to engage users. This paper focuses on different aspects of lecturers’ attitude that impact user engagement with LMS tools reporting on findings from 74 interviews with students and lecturers from different disciplines within a major Australian university. Results indicate that lecturers’ teaching style and habits, active participation in online activities as well as designing appropriate tasks and assessment procedure are important determinants of lecturers’ attitude in engaging students with LMS tools.

Students’ decision-making about postgraduate education at G University in China: the main factors and the role of family and of teachers

Abstract: The paper draws on findings from a case study which explored factors influencing students’ decision-making of postgraduate (PG) education at G University in China. Both questionnaires and follow-up interviews were used for data collection. This paper reports the main reasons for students’ choices of subject and institution for PG education, and the influences of families and teachers, and of guanxi in their decision-making. The findings show that both families and teachers play important roles in shaping students’ decision-making about PG education. It provides insights into students’ decision-making about higher education embedded in the Chinese culture of Confucianism.

Participants’ Experiences and Interactions on Facebook Group in an EFL Course in Taiwan

Abstract: Educational practitioners have attempted to use online technology such as Facebook (FB) in recent years to incorporate learning into students’ daily social media usage. Past studies have explored FB affordances for informal learning, with a lack of investigations on interactive patterns among course participants, especially for learners in East Asian contexts. To fill the research gap, this study adopts the community of inquiry model (CoI) in an attempt to find out (1) how interactions on a FB Group facilitate the formation of an online learning community in Taiwan, and (2) students’ and teacher’s experiences of using FB Group for English learning. Content analysis of the group page through thematic coding, and Chi Square tests resulted in significant relations among interaction types, initiation type, and response type for the posts. Semi-structured interviews further yielded more positive than negative experiences associated with the FB usage. The results are discussed in relation to three elements of the CoI, with an indication of a strong teacher presence for fostering the online learning environment in this particular learning context.

Internal and External Loci-of-Hope Predict Use of Individual and Collaborative Learning Strategies: Evidence from University Students in Four Asian Cities

Abstract: Positive education emphasizes the role of hope in student achievement and in buffering the effects of students’ difficulties in school. In this study, we demonstrate how internal and external loci-of-hope relate to students’ use of different learning strategies in school. We asked 967 university students from four cities to answer the locus-of-hope scales, cognitive strategy scales, and engager collaborative learning scales. Separate regression analyses of data from the four cities indicate that internal locus-of-hope consistently predicted use of all three individual learning strategies (except for rehearsal in the Manila sample), whereas, external-peer locus-of-hope consistently predicted use of collaborative learning strategies. The findings extend previous findings on hope and learning by showing how hope relates to the learning strategies adopted by students. Moreover, the study extends theorizing about hope in schools by showing how relational hopeful thoughts that draw from shared agency with classmates are associated with collaborative learning strategies.

Saving Shanghai Dialect: A Case for Bottom-Up Language Planning in China

Abstract: This paper examines the dynamic interplay between language policy and local stakeholders in the process of dialect planning in the city of Shanghai, in the context of social tensions surrounding the decline of Shanghai dialect in mainland China. A process-oriented Language Management Theory (LMT) model is adopted as the analytical framework to reveal the interactive facet of micro language planning. Drawing on in-depth interviews and document analysis, the paper analyzes and interprets ten key players’ perceptions and experiences in relation to the ‘saving Shanghai dialect’ movement. Qualitative data analysis demonstrates five stages in the dialect planning process and reveals how individuals’ agency, when struggling and striving for local language rights, exert bottom-up influence upon language policy-making. The findings also unravel the social political duality between macro structure and individual agency. The paper ends with a discussion on the need to negotiate the individual agency in a more interactive and democratic dialog with predefined policy constraints. This study may have implications for multilingual/multidialectal contexts in other geographical locations where linguistic diversity in the local contexts is encountering shifts in language use and language changes. Besides, this study may also enrich applicability of the LMT framework which reveals the interactive and dynamic process by unbundling individual responses and influences on language planning.

Revisiting Chinese Cultural Issues in Peer Feedback in EFL Writing: Insights from a Multiple Case Study

Abstract: The present case study aims to revisit the role of Chinese traditional cultural issues in group peer feedback by examining how Chinese EFL students respond to several typical Chinese cultural issues that have emerged from the literature—“collectivism and group harmony,” “face-saving,” and “power distance” and what factors have shaped their beliefs and practices regarding these cultural issues. Multiple sources of data were collected, including video recordings of peer feedback sessions, interviews, and stimulated recalls. The findings show that while there were individual differences in the four students’ beliefs and practices with regard to the cultural issues, on the whole the cultural issues did not constrain their group peer feedback activity. The study also found that the students’ beliefs and practices were embedded in a number of interrelating individual and contextual factors like the Chinese cultures of learning, the group context, and the students’ previous feedback experience. This study cast doubt on previous research that suggests the traditional Chinese cultural issues constrained the implementation of peer feedback activity and marred the effectiveness of peer feedback in L2 writing.

Effects of the Best Possible Self Activity on Subjective Well-Being and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract: The field of positive psychology has identified brief interventions that increase individuals’ well-being and decrease depressive symptoms. An example is the best possible self (BPS) activity. It is a writing exercise that asks participants to project themselves into the future, and imagine they have met all their goals in every domain of their life. The first objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of BPS in increasing subjective well-being of youths in an Asian context. 191 participants were recruited from an institute of higher learning in Singapore. Classes were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group was given instructions for the BPS intervention while the control group was asked to write about their past week. Participants completed two sessions that were 1 month apart. Results indicated that for the first session, the experimental group exhibited a significantly larger decrease in negative affect compared to the control group. Analyses of change scores indicated that changes in positive affect were related to changes in optimism scores whereas changes in negative affect were related to changes in life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Examining the Effectiveness of Digital Textbook use on Students’ Learning Outcomes in South Korea: A Meta-analysis

Abstract: This meta-analysis examines the effects of digital textbook (DT) use on students’ learning outcomes in South Korea. The South Korean government launched a DT project in 2007; thorough examinations of the effectiveness of DTs are currently underway before effecting the full application of DTs in local schools nationwide. Using 625 effect sizes (ESs) from 26 primary studies, this study found the overall ES of DT use to be 0.34, using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses based on several moderator variables such as school level, subject, location, and publication type were conducted to determine the effects of DT use. The overall results with subgroup analyses suggest that the effects on student motivation are higher than the effects on achievement. These findings indicate that DT can be used as an effective tool to increase student motivation. To fully realize the potential of DT in the classroom, we suggest deregulation of the rigid DT review and approval policy.

Analyzing the Social Knowledge Construction and Online Searching Behavior of High School Learners During a Collaborative Problem Solving Learning Activity: a Multi-Dimensional Behavioral Pattern Analysis

Abstract: The present study aims to explore the behavioral patterns of the social knowledge construction process and the online searching behaviors in a collaborative problem solving learning activity for high school students, and further compares the different behavioral patterns of the high- and low-performing teams. A total of 78 high school students from two schools participated. This study applied sequential analysis to analyze the students’ social knowledge construction and online searching behavior from a large amount of screen-recording data. Interestingly, the results indicate that social interaction that is irrelevant to the discussion task is significantly correlated with academic-related discussion content. Reaching a higher cognitive level of social knowledge construction (e.g., reaching agreement or applying newly constructed meaning) contributes to a successful team project. For online searching behavior, the high-performing teams exhibited systematic online searching behavior and concentrated on the task, while the low-performing teams displayed chaotic searching behavior and were distracted from the task at hand, and seemed to rarely propose their searched results or ideas in their discussions. Based on the results, several possible explanations and suggestions are proposed including the need to promote more adaptive motivation and to provide scaffolding for collaborative skills.

Understanding ESL Student Teachers’ Learning of Classroom Practices in the Practicum: A Case Study in Hong Kong

Abstract: Although the importance of practicum for preservice teachers goes almost unchallenged, specific empirical evidence of growth in language teachers’ practical knowledge in the under-researched context of preservice language teacher education is limited. Informed by both the reflective approach to teaching and an activity theory perspective, this qualitative case study examines what types of classroom practices a group of ESL student teachers learned in practicum experiences, and what pedagogical strategies they appropriated to achieve their learning of those goal-oriented classroom practices. The study is different from the previous teacher reflective thinking studies in that the study participants reflected on their practice teaching experiences, and such reflections were further tested in real-classroom situations and resulted in transformational learning. The results show that the student teachers’ learning of effective classroom practices was essentially prompted by reflection of the challenges and dilemmas encountered in the learning-to-teach process. The study points to the importance of foreign and second language teacher preparation programs promoting and sustaining a culture of reflection to empower preservice language teachers to anticipate or cope with the uncertainties and challenges they will encounter in the practicum experience, which is essential to meaningful learning and knowledge construction.

Personality and Parenting Style as Predictors of Life Satisfaction Among Chinese Secondary Students

Abstract: Student life satisfaction plays a key role in academic achievement; however, the exploration on the predictors of life satisfaction in secondary school students is insufficient. This study explored how indigenous personality traits and parenting style predicted students’ life satisfaction. The participants were 718 junior secondary students in China with a mean age of 13.39 years. Personality, parental style, and life satisfaction were assessed through inventories which were statistically supported in the literature. The results showed that personality, parenting style, and life satisfaction were interrelated. Personality and parenting style altogether accounted for around 31 % variance in student global life satisfaction. Specifically, global life satisfaction could be predicted by the personality factors of emotional stability, dependability, and indigenous interpersonal relatedness as well as authoritative and permissive parenting styles. Different domains of life satisfaction were predicted by personality factors and parenting styles to different extents. Implications for cross-cultural theorizing and positive education are discussed.

Interrelations Between Foreign Language Listening Anxiety and Strategy Use and Their Predicting Effects on Test Performance of High- and Low-Proficient Chinese University EFL Learners

Abstract: The present research examined the associations between foreign language listening anxiety (FLLA) and strategy use (FLLSU) and their predicting effects on test performance of high- and low-proficient Chinese university English as a foreign language learners. 1160 first-year undergraduate non-English majors answered the battery of questionnaires and took the listening test, among whom 227 low- and 243 high-proficient students were included in the final analyses of the collected data. The findings were as follows: (1) the low-proficient group was significantly more anxious about English listening and less confident in their English listening proficiency, and employed word-oriented and less active listener strategies significantly more often than their high-proficient peers, (2) FLLA was generally significantly correlated with FLLSU for both high- and low-proficient groups, and (3) FLLSU was a good predictor for English listening test performance for both low- and high-proficient students. It is thus concluded that FLLA and FLLSU are two closely interrelated and important factors in second/foreign language (SL/FL) learning, that FLLSU is a more influential factor for SL/FL listening learning, and that proficiency greatly mediates students’ FLLA levels and FLLSU frequencies.

Project-Based Learning: An Approach to Promote Energy Literacy Among Secondary School Students

Abstract: Globalization, rapid industrial development, and tremendous population growth have significantly increased the demand for energy. Sustaining the energy supply requires that society be energy literate. Existing studies on secondary school students’ energy literacy suggest that effective teaching approaches can enhance energy literacy. This quasi-experimental study was designed to test the null hypotheses that project-based energy learning does not enhance knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and beliefs related to energy. For this purpose, two classes from a school were assigned to experimental and control groups. Following the intervention, an ANCOVA analysis with the pretest results as the covariate showed statistically significant differences in the four aspects that were researched. Additionally, interviews with randomly selected students from the experimental and control groups further support the findings. Implications of the findings are discussed.

The Impact of AACSB Accreditation on Business School Students in Taiwan

Abstract: As proof of educational quality and upgrading competitiveness of graduates in the global job market, business schools in Taiwan committed towards the goal of obtaining accreditation from Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), this paper exams the impact of AACSB accreditation on students’ Organization Socialization, Person-Organization Fit (P-O Fit), and learning outcomes. In addition, this study compares organizations with AACSB and those without AACSB accreditation, examining whether significant differences exist regarding student behavior, effectiveness of learning, organizational identification, organizational citizenship behavior, learning satisfaction, and wishes to transfer to another department or school. The results show that Organization Socialization, through P-O Fit, would positively affect students’ effectiveness of learning, organizational identification, organizational citizenship behavior, and learning satisfaction, and inversely affect students’ desire to transfer to other school. Overall speaking, this research offers proof of AACSB accreditation as guarantee of educational quality.

The Structural Relationship Between Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes in Korea

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationships between students’ learning outcomes and the factors that relate to these outcomes, including college environment, class participation, student–faculty interaction, and integration of experiences. The study focused on the impact of college environment and classroom participation on learning outcomes, and on the mediating effect of integration of students’ collegiate experiences. Using data from 18,551 students in 32 universities in Korea, this study employed structural equation modeling to investigate the structural relations among the variables. It was found that college environment, student–faculty interaction, and class participation have significant effects on improving students’ learning outcomes and were indirectly associated with learning outcomes through integration of experiences. Finally, we discussed the implications for future research and policy development in relation to learning outcomes of college students in Asia.