Ministry Of Education In Taiwan Research Articles

Networked Learning Communities in Promoting Teachers’ Receptivity to Change: How Professional Learning Beliefs and Behaviors Mediate

More research on networked learning communities (NLCs) and the causal mechanism among the effects of NLCs are needed. To better understand the impacts of NLCs and the influential factors, this study intended to discover how teachers’ participation in networked learning communities affects their beliefs and behaviors of professional learning and further influence their receptivity to change. Adopting a survey design, we collected 226 valid questionnaires from the pilot schools joining the program of Learning Community under Leadership for Learning supported by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. First, the results indicated that the program’s intervention of NLCs had a significant positive effect on teachers’ receptivity to change. Second, teachers’ participation in NLCs also showed a significant impact on their beliefs and behaviors regarding professional learning. Third, teachers’ beliefs in professional collaborative learning could significantly enhance their behaviors of professional collaborative learning. Fourth, the program’s intervention, employing hands-on professional learning activities, had a significant impact on teachers’ inclination to realize the program, both through direct influence and the mediation of beliefs about professional learning. The results acquired from this study would be conducive to developing strategies to support implementing the NLCs program.

Haplotype-resolved DNA methylome of African cassava genome.

Haplotype-resolved DNA methylome of African cassava genome.

Predicting the Enrollments in Humanities and STEM Programs in Higher Education Using ARIMAX Models

Traditionally, the participation patterns in the humanities and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs in higher education differ. This study aimed to tackle this issue using concurrent time series data sets in the expanding higher education system. Authors selected the higher education system in Taiwan as an example. The participation in the humanities and STEM programs, covering 71 periods from 1950-2020, were collected from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. The authors applied CCF (cross-correlation function) and ARIMAX (multivariable autoregressive integrated moving average) models to select the fittest model to predict the future trend. The humanities was the input variable and STEM was the output variable in the model. The findings revealed that ARIMAX (1,2,1) works well for these target data sets. According to the findings, enrollment in STEM programs will decrease with the decline in humanities programs in the future. This finding may provide useful information for related policy makers.

The Learning Outcomes of Industry Expert Collaborative Teaching and Enterprise Visits on Students in Business Schools of Universities of Technology in Taiwan

Abstract Technological and vocational education has developed in Taiwan for over 60 years and played a crucial role in cultivating talents for infrastructure construction and driving industries and economic growth there. Universities and colleges across Taiwan have introduced resources from various industries and adopted the two-teacher system to strengthen their practical teaching in recent years. To be specific, these schools hire experts in various industries for collaborative teaching and encourage enterprise visits, thereby presenting more opportunities for students to get involved in experiential learning. This study explored the learning outcomes of industry expert collaborative teaching and enterprise visits on students studying in business schools of universities of technology in Taiwan. Moreover, policies announced by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan were introduced and analyzed. Finally, the specific suggestions proposed in this study can be served as a reference to industries, the government, universities, and institutions in their effort to innovate teaching methods and improve teaching quality. JEL classification numbers: A22, D83. Keywords: Technological and vocational education, Industry expert collaborative teaching, Enterprise visits, Learning outcomes.

University social responsibility to promote coastal partnership: Introducing Taiwan coastal communities

THE World University Rankings 2022 includes more than 1600 universities across 99 countries and territories. The rankings is based on 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators. Forty-two Taiwanese universities are listed on THE table. The Ministry of Education in Taiwan has been promoting university social responsibility (USR), encouraging universities to conduct various USR projects. Universities thus come to play an important role in helping regional revitalization by contributing professional knowledge and skills, and providing creative ideas, and will in turn also help the participating universities moving toward the THE rankings. This special issue compiles 7 articles focusing on the coastal revitalization in Taiwan, with universities' participation in the USR Program as the facilitators to achieve the goal of regional revitalization. With the compilation of this special issue, we are hoping to provide a thorough discussion of the situations and possible solutions to the social and economic problems that may apply to all coastal areas.

Innovative Community Care and the Sustainable Development of University Social Responsibility in the Post-Pandemic Era

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has received increasing attention in recent decades. The concept of social responsibility is being applied in universities. Because universities have goals that differ significantly from corporations, the notion of university social responsibility (USR) has emerged in the academic field. The Ministry of Education in Taiwan has regularly implemented USR practice plans since 2018 (Executive Yuan, Taiwan, ROC, 2019). The core values of these plans are "local coalition" and "talent cultivation". Moreover, these plans encourage universities to use the power of professional knowledge and creation to minimize the gap between learning and application for students and to integrate local resources and hands-on strategies to better collaborate with universities around the world and expand participation in international academic activities. Sustainable development (SD) is a core objective of both CSR and USR. The United Nations has advocated for sustainable development since 1987 and formalized the five-component paradigm (people, partnership, peace, planet, and prosperity, 5Ps) in 2015. UN Agenda 2030 addresses 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), 169 targets, and 3,155 actions, encouraging all national governments to establish national SD action plans (United Nations, 2015). Based on the review of the literature and conceptual frameworks related to USR and SD (Bokhari, 2017), we integrate practice experiences and propose three suggestions for universities: 1) diversities universities could create a campus-wide climate of and comprehensive practice for social responsibility using their professional knowledge; 2) the social, economy, and environment are included in universities SD. The curriculum development of universities links to social practice activities to achieve the goals of talent cultivation to meet social needs; 3) The university projects include specific actions and timeline. The impacts and achievements of USR and SD may be appraised by internal and external experts. Fooyin University is a school of science and technology related to "Big Health". Based on the above theoretical frameworks, the outcome evaluation model of the Center for USR, the Ministry of Education, and the UN's SDGs, we implemented the "Time Wheel Sustainable Model of Social Responsibility at Fooyin University" (Figure 1) and began cooperating with private and government organizations. The model is an intervention and evaluation guideline for the time-dynamic wheel, with the target goal of cultivating health promotion and sustainable development talent. The outcomes and impacts of the model comprise four domains and sixteen indicators. Stakeholders of this model are students/alumni, teaching faculties and administration staff, communities, and the public. USR curriculum designs involve the School of Nursing, School of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Environment and Life Sciences, and College of Humanities and Management. In 2020, 718 faculties and 2,012 students participated in USR projects. In 2021, the participation numbers were 679 faculties and 2,303 students. The Fooyin USR is now firmly rooted in thirty communities. Starting in 2022, The Fooyin USR has collaborated with local private companies (CSR) and local youths and communities (regional revitalization, RR) to launch the 3 R formula framework of the USR. The goal of the 3 R action plan is to use artificial intelligence technology to provide innovative, community-based care. The USR operations of university sustainable development around Taiwan are achieving wonderful results, with even better achievements expected. This special column presents case studies of innovative community care and sustainable development within the context of university social responsibility at four universities, including Fooyin University, Siaogang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Cheng Kung University, and Taipei Medical University. Since 2020, nations around the world have fought off COVID-19. The strategies of national prevention have evolved to better respond to disasters and to live with the virus. Therefore, in the post-pandemic period, universities around Taiwan have been implementing sustainable development practices. These universities are making strong efforts to develop innovative care for communities through academic exchange and publishing in order to accomplish social responsibility.

The roles of Taiwanese universities in coastal revitalization: A study of two case projects

Coastal areas in Taiwan are facing significant problems, such as an aging population and outflow of local and talented individuals. Meanwhile, metropolitan areas are suffering issues brought on by high density populations. To help close the gap between the development levels of rural and urban areas, the Taiwanese government has initiated the local revitalization movement. The Ministry of Education in Taiwan is also encouraging universities in social responsibility and local revitalization. A number of universities have therefore brought their teams to the coastal areas. However, among the research being done about universities carrying out social responsibility projects in coastal areas, few have investigated the university role and the indispensable elements for future success. This study adopted a qualitative study method and collected and analyzed various sources of data. It first analyzed local revitalization and USR (University Social Responsibility) program in Taiwan. Then it focused on using case studies to explore two university teams that promoted the university social responsibility program in coastal revitalization. Stakeholder interviews were conducted to understand the role which Taiwanese universities play. Finally, suggestions for indispensable elements of university assisting coastal revitalization are proposed.

A Comparison of the Learning Outcomes for a PBL-based Information Literacy Course in Three Different Innovative Teaching Environments

Abstract This study proposes an innovative blended flipped and online mode for PBL-flipped and PBL-online study, a PBL-blended format of instruction. The study determines whether different pedagogical strategies – PBL-flipped, PBL-online and PBL-blended – influence the validation results for the ARCS model and the PBL learning outcomes. The study population consists of 116 students who use the general education Information and Literacy Ethics digital materials for higher education produced by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. The quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that the paths in the ARCS model are all statistically significant for the three methods of instruction and there are no significant differences among the three methods of instruction in terms of class participation and learning scores. However, there is a very noticeable improvement in the PBL learning process in the aspects of reliable leadership and group collaboration learning in blended groups. Self-directed learning is also enhanced and negative learning attitudes are significantly reduced in blended groups. The study demonstrates that the proposed PBL-blended teaching mode is a more efficient and effective way of promoting PBL learning in information literacy courses.

How to Safely Reopen Colleges and Universities During COVID-19: Experiences From Taiwan

Reopening colleges and universities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a special challenge worldwide. Taiwan is one of the few countries where schools are functioning normally. To secure the safety of students and staff, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan established general guidelines for college campuses. The guidelines delineated creation of a task force at each university; school-based risk screening based on travel history, occupation, contacts, and clusters; measures on self-management of health and quarantine; general hygiene measures (including wearing masks indoors); principles on ventilation and sanitization; regulations on school assemblies; a process for reporting suspected cases; and policies on school closing and make-up classes. It also announced that a class should be suspended if 1 student or staff member in it tested positive and that a school should be closed for 14 days if it had 2 or more confirmed cases. As of 18 June 2020, there have been 7 confirmed cases in 6 Taiwanese universities since the start of the pandemic. One university was temporarily closed, adopted virtual classes, and quickly reopened after 14 days of contact tracing and quarantine of possible contacts. Taiwan's experience suggests that, under certain circumstances, safely reopening colleges and universities this fall may be feasible with a combination of strategies that include containment (access control with contact tracing and quarantine) and mitigation (hygiene, sanitation, ventilation, and social distancing) practices.

0580 Habitual Sleep Pattern, Anxiety and Depression are Predictive of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in a Large-Scale Clinical Samples of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract Introduction Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common symptom that patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) seek medical attention for. Prevalence ranged from 20% to 60%. Previous studies reported factors associated with EDS included age, body mass index (BMI), depression, and OSA severity. In most studies, the sample size was small, participants having specific co-morbidities, and the definitions of EDS was heterogeneous. Moreover, the association between anxiety, depression, habitual sleep pattern, and EDS has not been widely studied. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the prevalence of EDS and associated factors, especially anxiety, depression, and habitual sleep pattern, in a large-scale clinical sample. Methods Data was prospectively collected from 8,081 adult patients who underwent initial overnight polysomnography (PSG) for the first time were referred from 2009 to 2016. Patients with total recording time less than 240 minutes and missing data were excluded. Data collected include demographics, anthropometrics, co-morbidities, and self-reported habitual sleep patterns. Subjective sleepiness was assessed by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) with EDS defined as ESS ≥10. Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The stepwise forward Logistic regression was used to identified predictors for EDS. Results In 5,780 (82.6%) patients with OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, AHI≥5/h), mean age was 63.9±0.2 yr, BMI was 27.7±0.1, and ESS was 10.4±0.1 and 80.5% were male. Prevalence of EDS in all OSA patients was 55.1% where the patients with severe OSA had higher prevalence (59.8%) than that in mild (49.5%) and moderate OSA (51.8%). Anxiety (OR: 2.036, 95% CI:1.153-1.502), depression (OR: 1.159, 95% CI:1.01-1.33), and short sleep (<6hr/night) (OR:1.316, 95% CI:1.32,1.70) were top three risk factors for EDS. Other risk factors for EDS included AHI, arousal index, % total sleep time with SpO2<90%, %REM, smoking while hypnotic use and long sleep (≥ 8hr/night) were associated with lower risk. Conclusion Anxiety, depression, short sleep are predictive and OSA severity are predictive of EDS while long sleep was associated with lower risk. Support National Taiwan University (NTU-EPR-104R8951-1; 105R8951-1; 106R880301), Center of electronics technology integration (NTU-107L900502, 108L900502) by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan and MediaTek Inc (201802034RIND).

Liver Fibrosis Associated with Potential Vinyl Chloride and Ethylene Dichloride Exposure from the Petrochemical Industry

Background & Aims: The understanding of the relationship between exposure to carcinogenic vinyl chloride (VCM) and ethylene dichloride (EDC) and liver fibrosis is limited. This study aimed to investigate the associations between the urinary metabolite levels of VCM and EDC and the risk of fibrosis in residents living near a petrochemical complex. Approach & Results: Our study comprised 447 adult residents of two townships with questionnaire survey and health examination near the largest petrochemical complex in Taiwan. The urinary levels of thiodiglycolic acid (TdGA), the metabolite of VCM and EDC, were detected in study subjects. We utilized fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) as the liver fibrosis index. Adjusted generalized linear and logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the associations between those exposure and the risk of fibrosis. The subjects living in the closer township had significantly higher TdGA levels than those living in the more distant (269.6 ±200.7 vs. 199.2±164.7 μg/g creatinine). It showed that TdGA levels were 6.51 μg/g creatinine lower 1 km away from the emission source of the complex after adjusting for confounding factors. It demonstrated that the subjects with the highest TdGA levels (>343.3 μg/g creatinine) had a significantly higher risk of abnormal FIB-4 (OR=2.09; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.77), and those with higher TdGA levels (232.7 to 343.3 μg/g creatinine) had a marginally higher risk of abnormal FIB-4 (OR=1.65; 95% CI: 0.94, 2.90). Conclusion: The residents living closer to the VCM/PVC plant in the complex had higher urinary TdGA levels, which were significantly associated with the risk of fibrosis. This confirmed that the EDC and VCM potentially emitted from the petrochemical industry may have an impact on the liver health of nearby residents. Funding Statement: This research was funded by a grant from the Changhua County Public Health Bureau in Taiwan (grant number 1040723). The study was also funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan (grant number MOST 107-3017-F-002-003, MOST 108-3017-F-002-001) and Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan (grant numbers NTU-107L9003, NTU380 108L9003). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan, and written informed consent forms were signed by each subject.

Increased Time Outdoors Is Followed by Reversal of the Long-Term Trend to Reduced Visual Acuity in Taiwan Primary School Students

To investigate the change in the prevalence of reduced visual acuity (VA) in Taiwanese school children after a policy intervention promoting increased time outdoors. Prospective cohort study based on the Taiwan School Student Visual Acuity Screen (TSVAS) by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. All school children from grades 1 through 6 were enrolled in the TSVAS from 2001 through2015. The TSVAS requires each school in Taiwan to perform measurements of uncorrected VA (UCVA) on all students in grades 1 through 6 every half year using a Tumbling E chart. Reduced VA was defined as UCVA of 20/25 or less. Data from 1.2 to 1.9 million primary school children each year were collected from 2001 through 2015. A policy program named Tian-Tian 120 encouraged schools to take students outdoors for 120 minutes every day for myopia prevention. It was instituted in September 2010. To investigate the impact of the intervention, a segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series was performed. Prevalence of reduced VA. From 2001 to 2011, the prevalence of reduced VA of school children from grades 1 through 6 increased from 34.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 34.7%-34.9%) to 50.0% (95% CI, 49.9%-50.1%). After the implementation of the Tian-Tian 120 outdoor program, the prevalence decreased continuously from 49.4% (95% CI, 49.3%-49.5%) in 2012 to 46.1% (95% CI, 46.0%-46.2%) in 2015, reversing the previous long-term trend. For the segmented regression analysis controlling for gender and grade, a significant constant upward trend before the intervention in the mean annual change of prevalence was found (+1.58%; standard error [SE], 0.08; P < 0.001). After the intervention, the trend changed significantly, with a constant decrease by -2.34% annually (SE, 0.23; P < 0.001). Policy intervention to promote increased time outdoors in schools was followed by a reversal of the long-term trend toward increased low VA in school children in Taiwan. Because randomized trials have demonstrated outdoor exposure slowing myopia onset, interventions to promote increased time outdoors may be useful in other areas affected by an epidemic of myopia.

THE IMPACT OF THE ENGLISH LISTENING TEST IN THE HIGH-STAKES NATIONAL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION ON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Listening is a fundamental language skill that enables language learners to receive information and interact with others. Learners use strategies to facilitate learning, perform tasks, and compensate for gaps in linguistic knowledge. Listening and learning strategies have not received much attention at secondary level in Taiwan until recently. From 2014, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan has made the English listening test a part of the large-scale, nation-wide senior high school entrance examination. As the need for teaching and learning English listening is growing increasingly important, the present study aims to explore to what extent the formal English listening test impacts on the teaching and learning of listening in junior high school. In the study, 311 junior high school students and 12 teachers participated; questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were employed. Descriptive statistics and one-way MANOVA were used to analyze quantitative data. The findings showed the test impacted learning more than teaching. In particular, cognitive and social strategies for listening were more frequently adopted by the students than rehearsal and paralinguistic inferencing strategies. While the students expected learner-centered and communication-oriented teaching approaches to listening, the junior high school teachers in fact adopted more of a text-oriented or ‘testing’ approach.

Using a Listening Vocabulary Levels Test to Explore the Effect of Vocabulary Knowledge on GEPT Listening Comprehension Performance

ABSTRACTThe Ministry of Education in Taiwan encourages universities to adopt English ability as an exit requirement for graduates. Nearly 65% of universities use the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) or other compatible standardized tests as an exit test for university graduates. However, it remains unclear what level of vocabulary knowledge a second language (L2) learner needs in order to achieve a passing score for listening on the exit test. The L2 vocabulary assessment literature also clearly shows a need for a test that measures aural English vocabulary knowledge. To address the gaps, this study explored the effect of vocabulary knowledge on performance on the GEPT listening subtest by using a validated Listening Vocabulary Levels Test to provide a more accurate estimate of the receptive vocabulary of L2 learners. The findings showed (1) a strong positive correlation between vocabulary knowledge and overall listening skills, with comprehension of short talks (Part III) most closely related to vocabulary knowledge and most challenging to participants; (2) no absolute vocabulary threshold above which L2 learners passed the GEPT listening subtest, although a substantial increase in passing rate was observed at the 3,000-word vocabulary level; and (3) a minimum vocabulary level of 3,000-word families is required for 98% lexical coverage in the overall GEPT listening subtest, and a higher level of vocabulary knowledge is needed for L2 learners to comprehend conversations and short talks, compared with comprehension and answering of questions. The study findings provide insight into the role of aural receptive vocabulary knowledge in listening comprehension, and the implications for language teachers, materials writers, and test developers are also discussed.

Predicting Learning Outcomes with MOOC Clickstreams

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have gradually become a dominant trend in education. Since 2014, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan has been promoting MOOC programs, with successful results. The ability of students to work at their own pace, however, is associated with low MOOC completion rates and has recently become a focus. The development of a mechanism to effectively improve course completion rates continues to be of great interest to both teachers and researchers. This study established a series of learning behaviors using the video clickstream records of students, through a MOOC platform, to identify seven types of cognitive participation models of learners. We subsequently built practical machine learning models by using K-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machines (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms to predict students’ learning outcomes via their learning behaviors. The ANN machine learning method had the highest prediction accuracy. Based on the prediction results, we saw a correlation between video viewing behavior and learning outcomes. This could allow teachers to help students needing extra support successfully pass the course. To further improve our method, we classified the course videos based on their content. There were three video categories: theoretical, experimental, and analytic. Different prediction models were built for each of these three video types and their combinations. We performed the accuracy verification; our experimental results showed that we could use only theoretical and experimental video data, instead of all three types of data, to generate prediction models without significant differences in prediction accuracy. In addition to data reduction in model generation, this could help teachers evaluate the effectiveness of course videos.

The subject-dependent, cumulative, and recency association of aerobic fitness with academic performance in Taiwanese junior high school students

BackgroundThe objective of the current study was to examine whether the relation between aerobic fitness and academic achievement during adolescence is subject-dependent, and to investigate cumulative and recency effects.MethodsThis study made use of two nationwide datasets. The first was the aerobic fitness profile of junior high school students collected by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. The second contained the scores on the Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students (BCTJH). The sample consisted of 382,259 students who completed the BCTJH in the 5 years between 2009 and 2013. Data on each student’s aerobic fitness during their three years of junior high school were matched with their exam results at the end of this period.ResultsThe results revealed that students classified as highly-fit during at least one of the three years had higher BCTJH scores than those who never achieved this level, with the size of effect increasing with the length of time that fitness was maintained. Additionally, aerobic fitness in the final year was more closely linked to BCTJH scores than that in the earlier two years. Fitness was also more strongly associated with exam performance in math, science and social science, relative to language-related subjects.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that while aerobic fitness is positively related to academic achievement in Taiwanese junior high school students, the relationship depends on academic subject, as well as the length and time of being aerobically fit.

School-based anti-bullying strategies in Taiwan and their effects

The Ministry of Education in Taiwan provides subsidies to selected schools to implement school-based anti-bullying strategies. This study explored the types of strategies that were adopted in anti-bullying schools and investigated whether the prevalence rates of bullying were decreased and anti-bullying awareness increased among students in these schools relative to ordinary schools. Six anti-bullying schools and six ordinary schools participated in this project. A total of 1712 and 1593 students participated in the pre-test and post-test, respectively. Results found that higher numbers anti-bullying strategies adopted in schools did not correspond to lower prevalence rates of bullying and victimization. There were no significant differences in the mean scores for anti-bullying attitudes, the prevalence rates of bullying, victimization, and bully-victims between anti-bullying schools and ordinary schools. This suggests that schools should focus on the quality or effectiveness of their anti-bullying strategies rather than the number of strategies employed.

English Online Tutoring: A Study of University Students Learning to Teach Junior High Students

Since 2006, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan has collaborated with universities to launch synchronous online one-on-one tutoring in afterschool programs at rural schools to provide educational e-learning opportunities. The purpose of implementing the free online tutoring program is further to bridge the gap of students’ academic performance and the gap of learning opportunities between urban and rural schools. This study investigated how EFL university students learned to tutor junior high students English in an online afterschool program. Twenty-two students participated in this tutoring program. The research data were collected from the tutors’ reflective journal notes after each tutoring session, meeting discussions, and the post-project survey. Research results showed this tutoring project inspired the tutors to be teachers, to develop their sense of responsibility, to be independent, and to learn to care students. This study then offers pedagogical implications and suggestions for researchers and educators interested in researching into this topic.

Effects of higher education expansion on gender parity: a 65-year trajectory in Taiwan

This study explores gender parity on the basis of distinctive expansion stages in the higher education system of Taiwan. Gender parity is one of the key components used to determine equal opportunities for accessing higher education. Therefore, this study evaluated gender parity and explored the potential gaps at the undergraduate, master and doctoral levels by using a quantitative longitudinal method to determine the effects of the system expansion. Student enrollment data from 1950 to 2014 were collected from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan and transformed by Becker’s coefficient of discrimination (D) to interpret the significance of the gender parity at various development stages in the system. In addition, this study applied an ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model to predict the D for the next decade. Reviewing the D trend from 1950 to 2014, this study found that higher education expansion has played a crucial role in promoting gender parity. The results of the ARIMA model reveal that the numbers of male and female students studying in undergraduate programs will become more equal in the next decade. Although male students are still favored for enrollment at the master and doctoral levels, the disparity is declining according to the results of this study. The findings in this study can be used to justify a higher education expansion policy based on the function of gender parity.

Taiwanese students’ perceptions of teaching assistants’ effectiveness in group work education

To effectively enhance teaching quality at universities, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan established a programme for promoting teaching excellence and adopted a teaching assistant (TA) system in 2004. Although studies of TA systems have covered various topics, empirical research investigating student perspectives of TA systems in the group work curriculum are lacking. The aim of this study was to explore students’ perspective on the effectiveness of TAs in classroom instruction and practical group training. To evaluate second-year university students’ perceptions, a two-part questionnaire consisting of eight Likert-type statements and four free-response questions was utilised. The majority of responses to Likert-type statements were 5 or 4; three conceptual themes indicated that students were highly concerned with the quality of TAs. The study provides a preliminary step in addressing the necessity of TAs in group work; long-term goals should be to invite more TAs into practical social work courses. In this paper, the study’s findings, their possible implications for group work education, and directions for future research are discussed.