Learning In Taiwan Research Articles

Empowering university students’ learning in Taiwan’s higher education: Pathways to overcome challenges

Taiwan’s higher education is characterized by tradition, innovation, and persistent pursuit of academic excellence. However, similar to its global counterparts, many challenges are prevalent in Taiwan’s educational sector that impede its progress and effectiveness. These challenges encompass demographic shifts, financial constraints, quality assurance, internationalization efforts, and technology integration. This study analyzes the challenges in higher education in Taiwan, and offers strategies to address them and improve university students’ learning experiences. The researchers used literature analysis methods to analyze the challenges in higher education in Taiwan, and analyze the pathways to overcome challenges. These pathways can address current challenges and help empower students to thrive in Taiwanese higher education, fostering an adaptable, skilled, and socially conscious generation of learners. These pathways are as follows: (1) In response to the declining birthrate, develop university curricula and courses incorporating diverse perspectives, improve university enrollment, and increase investment in higher education; (2) Improve teaching and learning quality assurance; (3) The internationalization of higher education promotes foreign internationalization and local internationalization; (4) Integrating technology into higher education teaching and providing more diverse online teaching and abundant learning experiences for students.

LIFELONG LEARNING FOR THE OLDER POPULATION—TECHNOLOGY WITH THE OLDER LEARNERS

Abstract Advances in digital information technology and population aging are two hallmarks of the 21st century. Modern students are increasingly dependent on digital technology in their education. However, how to make digital technology less exclusive to young students remains an important issue. The COVID-19 pandemic has also popularized remote learning and the use of communication software among all ages. Teaching remotely has broadened access to education for all ages. Therefore, how to use technology to help older people achieve the goal of lifelong learning remains critical. This presentation will review the literature to explore the relationship between technology and older adults, as well as share the author’s experience leading older adults to use technology for online learning in Taiwan. The key takeaways from this presentation will help educators understand the benefits and challenges of technology use among older adults, and highlight ways to bridge the digital divide between older and younger learners in the classroom.

Governing the rural futures: Anxiety machine, anticipatory actions and rural affective politics

Regional revitalisation ideas are widely regarded as cures for socio-economic problems in rural areas in developed countries. Instead of relying on exogenous resources, the concept seeks to revalorise rural communities through cultural resources and self-responsibility. Such an approach to rural development has gained rapid popularity across East Asian regions over the past decade. Rather than merely focusing on the movement of people and ideas, a growing body of literature on policy mobility directs more attention to the power relations of the movement. However, less attention has been paid to how rural futures are anticipated and acted upon and how policies that have implemented specific futures elsewhere are justified. To address these theoretical gaps, this paper draws on the work of future geographies and develops the idea of the anxiety machine. I suggest that the study of policy mobility must seriously consider how rural futures are imagined and governed, and what rural affective politics emerged from the enactment of particular futures. With reference to a case study of rural revitalisation policy learning in Taiwan and Japan, this paper suggests that an emphasis on the circulation of global anticipatory knowledge advances the understanding of the geographies of rural policy-making.

The Project-Based Learning Study of Insurance Information Courses to Simulate the Application of Online Analytical Processing

The use of data warehouses combined with online analytical processing (OLAP) platforms has become popular in Taiwan’s insurance market. However, most schools do not have an insurance data warehouse and OLAP platform for student learning in Taiwan. The researched courses are insurance information system courses for two university classes. Based on the teacher’s experience and innovativeness, those courses are integrated using the guided project-based learning approach. Students need to build a customer micro-database, analyze customer figures through pivot analysis charts, and plan marketing campaigns. The study finds a project-based learning approach is helpful to enhance students’ OLAP analysis abilities. Secondly, the research finds that the flexibility for students to choose the topic of their project is one of the key success factors. Thirdly, the evaluation share of the student’s learning scores is important for the completion of the project. Fourthly, the courses are accompanied with satisfaction questionnaires to monitor the learning results and analyze the learning satisfaction for students among course A, course B, and the college average. Those students in the two classes both have higher satisfaction scores than the college average, but there are still differences between the classes after the t-test.

Senior learning in Taiwan: achievements and challenges

Senior learning in Taiwan: achievements and challenges

Teacher Professional Development and Practice of Project-Based Learning in Taiwan: The Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy

ABSTRACT Throughout the world, educational leaders are pushing for a movement away from teacher-directed learning to engaging students in student-driven learning. Project-based learning (PBL) has been adopted as an instructional approach that promotes student inquiry and cognitive growth. At the national level, Taiwan has launched a curriculum reform to encourage PBL-type learning opportunities for students. This study draws on the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) of 3,835 lower secondary teachers to investigate the degree to which Taiwan teachers engage in PBL. We identify influential factors for PBL using “the form” rather than “the content” of professional development and consider self-efficacy as a moderator to examine if the effect of professional development on PBL varies in teachers with different self-confidence in professional competence. The result indicates that teachers do not engage in PBL teaching strategies regularly. However, certain types of professional development do predict PBL practices, and self-efficacy is a significant moderator of this relationship. Professional development should attend to the advancement of teacher self-efficacy, primarily focusing on fostering capabilities of managing classrooms so the impact on teacher pedagogical practice can be greater. Additionally, school leaders should provide experiential learning and create enabling environments to sustain teachers’ drive for innovative teaching strategies.

Health literacy training program for community healthcare providers using hybrid online team-based learning in Taiwan

BackgroundHealth literacy (HL) has proven to be a determining factor influencing the health of individuals. Community health providers (CHPs) work on the front line of improving public HL. Increasing their understanding of HL and their ability to incorporate HL into healthcare can reduce obstacles in healthcare services. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an HL training program for CHP by using the hybrid online team-based learning (TBL) model.MethodsA quasi-experimental study and focused group interviews were conducted. We developed a six weeks HL online course for CHPs. The program included teaching videos for pre-class preparation, a 90-min online TBL model, and a case discussion in the last two weeks. Team application activities were designed for each class to enhance knowledge application. A total of 81 CHPs from 20 public health centers took the course and provided complete data for analysis. Learning effectiveness was evaluated based on the familiarity, attitude, and confidence in implementing HL practices, course satisfaction, and participants’ learning experiences.ResultsThe comparison showed that the participants’ familiarity with HL (4.29 ± 1.76 vs 6.92 ± 1.52, p < .001), attitude (7.39 ± 1.88 vs 8.10 ± 1.44, p = .004), and confidence in implementing HL practices (6.22 ± 1.48 vs 7.61 ± 1.34, p < .001) increased after the course. The average satisfaction with the teaching strategies was 4.06 ± .53 points, the average helpfulness to practice was 4.13 ± .55 points, and the overall feedback on satisfaction with learning was 4.06 ± .58 points (the full score was 5 points). According to the learning experience of the 20 participants in the focus group discussion, the experiences of teaching strategies and the learning experiences of the HL course were summed up into two categories, seven themes, and 13 subthemes. The results showed a positive experience with the hybrid online TBL program.ConclusionThe use of hybrid online TBL model is a feasible and valid approach for the HL training of CHPs. The result can serve as a reference for the on-the-job training of various healthcare workers.

Mapping Asbestos-Cement Corrugated Roofing Tiles with Imagery Cube via Machine Learning in Taiwan

Locating and calculating the number of asbestos-cement corrugated roofing tiles is the first step in the demolition process. In this work, archived image cubes of Taiwan served as the fundamental data source used via machine learning approach to identify the existence of asbestos-cement corrugated roofing tiles with more than 85% accuracy. An adequate quantity of ground-truth data covering all the types of roofs via aerial hyperspectral scan was the key to success for this study. Twenty randomly picked samples from the ground-truth group were examined by X-ray refraction detection to ensure correct identification of asbestos-cement corrugated roofing tiles with remote sensing. To improve the classifying accuracy ratio, two different machine learning algorithms were applied to gather the target layers individually using the same universal training model established from 400 ground-truth samples. The agreement portions within the overlapping layers of these two approaches were labeled as the potential targets, and the pixel growth technique was performed to detect the roofing boundary and create the polygon layer with size information. Exacting images from aerial photos within the chosen polygon were compared to up-to-date Sentinel-1 images to find the temporal disagreements and remove the mismatched buildings, identified as non-asbestos roofs, from the database to reflect the actual condition of present data. This automatic matching could be easily performed by machine learning to resolve the information lag while using archived data, which is an essential issue when detecting targets with non-simultaneous acquired images over a large area. To meet the 85% kappa accuracy requirement, the recurring processes were applied to find the optimal parameters of the machine learning model. Meanwhile, this study found that the support vector machine method was easier to handle, and the convolution neuro network method offered better accuracy in automatic classification with a universal training model for vast areas. This work demonstrated a feasible approach using low-cost and low-resolution archived images to automatically detect the existence of asbestos-cement corrugated roofing tiles over large regions. The entire work was completed within 16 months for an area of 36,000 km2, and the detected number of asbestos-cement corrugated roofing tiles was more than three times the initial estimation by statistics method from two small-area field surveys.

Individual Differences in Digital Game-Based Supply Chains Management Learning: Evidence from Higher Vocational Education in Taiwan

This study aims to investigate the differences in the learning path and value between students of different genders and educational backgrounds in digital game-based learning in Taiwan’s higher vocational education. A game-based digital Supply Chains Learning System was used to explore the value network based on “system attributes—learning consequences—target value” from the perspective of the student. To investigate the research question, this study conducted a cross-analysis of differences in gender and education background. Findings from the study revealed that irrespective of gender and educational background in higher vocational education in Taiwan, students developed distinctively different learning paths, values, and emphasis from specific system attributes. These findings will not only enable trainers and educators to learn more about the differences in learning by individuals but will also serve as useful guidelines for the improvement of the teaching strategy used by digital games developers.

The benefits and drawbacks of adopting mobile learning as perceived by junior high school teachers in Taiwan

ABSTRACT The Taiwan government is trying to explore the benefits of using mobile devices to enhance the effectiveness of student learning. While many plans and projects have been launched, but the results are still meager. This research is thus aimed to discover the benefits and challenges of promoting mobile learning in Taiwan. 120 self-developed questionnaires were delivered to five junior high schools that have participated in governmental mobile learning projects. The results indicated that teachers give higher average scores to the benefits of mobile learning than drawbacks. The major benefits include inspiring students’ learning interests, improving students’ concentration, enriching the curriculum contents, and enhancing learning conveniences, while school members lacking internet security literacy and lacking adequate competences to effectively apply mobile learning in the classroom are perceived as the major challenges.

The Ideology of English-as-the-global-language in Taiwan’s Private English Language Schools

English is regarded as a key to globalization or internationalization and future success for Taiwan and its people. One of the most extraordinary results of English-as-the-global-language of English teaching and learning in Taiwan is private English language schools are ubiquitous. Research into how private English language schools weld together English-as-the-global-language and English teaching and learning has yet received much attention. This study aims to investigate how Taiwan’s private English language schools’ television commercials market English-as-the-global-language and what the underlying ideologies of English-as-the-global-language are. Exploring the ideology of English-as-the-global-language, Critical Discourse Analysis was employed herein to analyze 106 private English language school television commercials produced from 2000 to 2020 in Taiwan. The results indicate that English as the key to internationalization and future success is an ideology. Moreover, the ideological concept of English-as-the-global-language is central to English teaching and learning ideologies in Taiwan, such as an early start in English learning, English-only as the ideal English teaching method, and native-speaker norms in English teaching and learning.

Education as a Strategy for Active Aging Learning Center in Taiwan

The population of individuals who are over 65 years-old in Taiwan has grown from less than 10% in 2008 to 14% in 2018. Since 2008, Taiwan has officially been an aging nation as defined by the World Health Organization. With the current rate of growth, we expect the country to become a super-aged society with 20% of the population being older than 65 years of age in 2025. The challenge Taiwan currently faces in bracing for a rapidly aging society is more difficult than ever. In response to a rapidly aging population, universities have been cooperating with the government since 2008 in promoting a community-based lifelong learning-oriented "active aging" education policy, of which we collectively call "Senior Learning" (“Le-Ling Learning” in Mandarin, meaning “Active Aging Learning”). 12 years into implementing the program, 369 senior learning centers have been established in Taiwan by 2020. These established centers with their extensions can be found throughout Taiwan, including 360 towns and cities as well as 3,175 villages. These centers, supported by local resources (e.g. schools, and non-governmental organizations), provide senior learning courses and activities. There are thousands of community volunteers participating every year, as well as over 200,000 hours of Active Aging Learning course duration prepared by the government; moreover, there are currently 200 instructors trained for teaching these programs. Active Aging Learning program has truly become a “zeitgeist” in Taiwan in response to the elderly society. In caring for the elderly, meaningful educational learning has become the best strategy as reflected by the public.&#x0D; The purpose of this article is to report on the developmental background, promotion model, effectiveness of, and the prospects of Active Aging Learning in Taiwan. The contents of this article include: (1) the conceptual basis of Active Aging Learning, (2) the practice mode and strategy of Active Aging Learning, (3) the implementation effect of Active Aging Learning, and (4) the future progress of Active Aging Learning. The research data in this article originate from policy documents, both qualitative and quantitative data for the implementation of the Active Aging Learning program, as well as my 12 years of practical observations and experience as the overall project principal investigator. Through reading this article, the readers can quickly understand the implementation process, effectiveness, and problems of senior learning in Taiwan, as well as the key findings of our 12 years of experience. We found that the best strategy for an aging society is not to emphasize "care" in the context of traditional pathology, but to learn in order to "prevent". Educational strategies and talent cultivation are the broad directions of our active efforts.

Online Learning as a Panacea? An Empirical Study to Discuss Problem-Based Cooperative Learning in Taiwan

Due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), many schools and universities have closed worldwide, however, the UNESCO recommended the use of distance learning to reach learners remotely and limit the disruption of education. this is an empirical study to discuss if the role of online learning really helps learners to learn programming design better on problem-based cooperative learning. This study adopted a quasi-experimental and nonequivalent control-group design, and it carried out a 7-week experimental instruction by applying online and face-to-face cooperative learning methods. The programming design learning achievement pretest and posttest were used to collect the data from the participants. And it shown that the different cooperative learning methods had significant differences in their achievement, learning online was helpful, but face-to-face learning was superior significantly than online learning in this study.

Behavioral intention towards mobile learning in Taiwan, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam

The factors that influence students' attitudes towards mobile learning (ML) is an intriguing topic. Though previous studies have examined the determinants influencing the acceptance of ML, few studies have investigated the influences of different cross-cultural factors on ML acceptance in higher education. When students from various countries participate in class, it is very important to address and improve the learning experiences of cross-cultural students. To elucidate this issue, this study proposes a conceptual model and theoretical framework through the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by incorporating diverse constructs to examine the influences of cross-cultural students' attitudes toward ML. Moreover, the following issues must be addressed: (1) examining cross-cultural ML problems within cross-cultural perspectives in a culturally sensitive manner, and (2) identifying the similarities and differences in cross-cultural students' behavioral intentions (BI) when influenced by attitude (ATT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavior control (PBC). Data were collected using an online survey from 947 respondents in Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and China. Our results show that BI towards the adoption of ML was influenced by ATT, SN, and PBC among the Taiwanese, Chinese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese undergraduate students. In addition, PBC was a significant predictor for students in Taiwan and Vietnam but was not a significant predictor for students in China and Indonesia. On the contrary, SN was significant in China and Indonesia but not in Taiwan and Vietnam. These findings showed a weaker relationship with SN in both China and Indonesia. Overall, our proposed model has reached an acceptable level. As a result, 82.3% and 81.2% acceptance levels were found for Taiwan and Vietnam, respectively, indicating that these students exhibit PBC-orientated distinguishing characteristics. This implies that students in Taiwan and Vietnam seem to be have more confidence in their ability to accept and perform a specific task for ML. Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that the 77.3% and 80.2% acceptance levels for China and Indonesia, respectively, indicate that these students also have SN-orientated distinguishing characteristics. The findings imply that students tend to follow other students’ decisions to use or not use ML. These findings are expected to facilitate decision makers and service providers in formulating appropriate strategies to improve the uptake of ML activities. Furthermore, these findings can help us understand the issues facing ML adoption in different cultural settings and contribute to the design and adequate provisions of ML programs.

Learning English in Tourism and Hospitality Internships Overseas: Reflections from Six Taiwanese College Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the overseas internship experiences and determine whether they helped to enhance the intended English learning outcomes for students who will be working in the service industry. Seventeen entries of reflective journals written by six students who interned overseas were analyzed. The participants reported their frustrations in language learning and described how these experiences could complement their overall career development in the future. The students identified a gap between everyday language needs in the industry and their language training received in Taiwan. The results indicated that the participants thought the English courses in Taiwan have disproportionately emphasized reading or writing skills, whereas speaking and listening were in high demand in the workplace, particularly given the difficulties occurring in cross-cultural communication. The analysis also indicated that the participants&amp;rsquo; oversea working experiences positively affected their English learning motivation. These experiences also helped the participants notice differences in interactions with people from various linguistic backgrounds. English learning in Taiwan is traditionally embedded in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms that are reading/writing-centered and examination-oriented. The course content should be revised to improve students&amp;rsquo; oral communication skills for the workplace.

How are Live-Streaming Services and Social Media Platforms Changing On-Job MBA Students’ Learning? A Case Study for Applying e-Case Live in Management Case-Based Learning in Taiwan

This study examines how social media and live-streaming services can be used to assist on-job MBA students with their learning of Management cases. A learning framework called e-Case Live, which integrates a popular live-steaming broadcast service with social media, is proposed. A total of 48 on-job MBA students participated in this study to learn about the practices of Management in a case-based course. In terms of the two case-learning scenarios, the traditional case-based learning method group (TG) consisted of 23 participants, while the e-Case Live learning method group (e-CaseG) consisted of 25 participants. Students' perceptions were explored in terms of synchronous discussion, asynchronous discussion, and social presence. The results of this study indicate that: (1) compared to traditional classroom instructional methods, most on-job MBA students were more satisfied with e-Case Live in terms of synchronous and asynchronous discussion, but no significant difference was found in terms of social presence; (2) integrating live-streaming services with social media platforms can offer a valuable instructional method for on-job students who practice authentic problem solving by applying what they learn; (3) the e-Case Live framework can effectively enhance student involvement and engagement in understanding the contexts embedded in Management cases; and (4) social media has increased the interaction between teachers and students both in and out of the classroom.

A Classroom-Oriented Exploration of Rural High School Teacher’s Motivational Practice on Student Motivation

This study offers an insight into teachers’ use of motivational strategies in the context of English learning in Taiwan’s rural high schools and also rural students’ self-reported levels of motivation. It is generally believed that teachers’ use of motivational strategies can have an impact on student motivation, especially in rural schools where teachers are usually highly influential in EFL learning. However, only a few empirical studies support this contention. This study examines the connection between teachers’ use of motivational teaching practices and observed students’ motivated behavior in rural junior high schools in Taiwan. Twelve classes in five rural junior high schools were observed using a classroom observation instrument alongside a self-reporting questionnaire. Data collected from the observation scheme follows a real-time coding principle to examine teacher motivational practice and learner motivated behaviors. The findings indicate, firstly, that teachers’ motivational strategies are associated with their students’ motivated behaviors and that, secondly, they are not significantly related to students’ self-reported motivational states. Thirdly, the findings suggest a need for teachers and educational authorities to enhance and sustain student motivation regarding both English learning in rural schools and the importance of additional teacher training in relation to motivational practice.

Formulating the Response Strategy of Demand Hierarchy and Silver Hair Courses of the Elderly

The purpose of this study is to explore the population attributes, the level of needs, and the impact of seniority courses on their transformational learning. This study adopts a questionnaire survey method. The survey targets 396 valid samples of participants participating in lifelong learning in Taiwan. Data processing and analysis were performed using statistical methods such as sex statistics, t-test, single-factor variance analysis, and regression model. The study found that: 1. the middle-aged and elderly people with different population attributes showed significant gender, age and region in the analysis of the differences in seniority courses; 2. the middle-aged people with different population attributes analyzed the differences in demand levels. The level of significance is generally good; 3. the level of demand of middle-aged people and the predictive power of the ageing curriculum demand, it is found that the level of demand has a significant positive impact on the advanced learning curriculum; 4. According to the research results, formulate appropriate transformation learning response strategies. Finally, based on the results of this study, a number of relevant recommendations are made for middle-aged learners and follow-up research institutions for reference.

Aspects of socio-emotional learning in Taiwan\u2019s pre-schools: an exploratory study of teachers\u2019 perspectives

This paper explores the attitudes and practices of kindergarten teachers in Taiwan related to socio-emotional learning in children aged 3–6. Unlike in Western countries where socio-emotional learning is an important aspect of life in pre-schools, such learning has been given little attention in Taiwan until recently with the publication of new curriculum guidelines for kindergarten aged children. Based on an internationally recognised definition of socio-emotional learning, 1:1 interviews were conducted with 27 teachers in two urban areas in Taiwan. The study attempted to illuminate how teachers interpret their role in supporting children’s socio-emotional learning. Even in the public sector it was found that the relatively new curriculum guidelines were only casually referred to in the teachers’ professional practice though several teachers recognised that children’s socio-emotional learning in the kindergarten was now essential. However, in some pre-schools more attention was paid to developing other areas of the curriculum such as language and math, rather than to developing social and emotional skills. In the private sector, which provides two-thirds of Taiwan’s kindergarten places, the guidelines were almost completely ignored. Many teachers considered children’s socio-emotional learning in the kindergarten to be incidental even when children express negative emotions such as anger. In Taiwan’s traditional culture, the family is the dominant socialising unit for children’s early learning. Teachers hitherto have not regarded children’s socio-emotional learning as their responsibility. The authors maintain that this tradition now needs to be challenged and propose that programs of both initial and in-service training should be given priority to improve children’s socio-emotional learning and suggest ideas from an on-going initiative in the US.

Leadership of older adults’ service learning in Taiwan: a qualitative study

ABSTRACTIn Taiwan, there are service learning programs organized by older adult educational institutions that are held in high esteem. Director leadership plays a key role in the effectiveness of such institutions, and the leadership experiences of such directors in guiding service learning are worth exploring. This study conducted a qualitative approach and selected directors from eight Active Aging Learning Centers (AALCs) who achieved outstanding leadership effectiveness to take part in one-on-one and in-depth semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that: 1. Directors infused the entire service learning process with inspirational motivation by adopting through individualized consideration as a starting point. 2. When directors led the preparation process for service learning, they focused on inducing intellectual stimulation among the older adult learners, such that they felt empowered and capable of providing community services. 3. During the community service phase, directors practiced a form of leadership characterized by idealized influence to encourage, accompany, and support the elderly while they engaged in service learning. 4. The dilemma faced by directors was dissatisfaction with the leadership. Directors responded by reminding them of their original service learning intention and downplaying issues, which made the service learning group undergo a positive transformation. 5. The results of directors’ leadership had a positive effect on the community as it led to more dynamism and more people participating in community service.