School In Southern Taiwan Research Articles

Curriculum leadership in a rural indigenous high school in Taiwan implementing the 108 Curriculum Guidelines

AbstractThe 108 Curriculum Guidelines (108CG) were implemented in high schools in Taiwan in 2019 and have increased the flexibility of curriculum offerings. Schools must now offer diverse curricula, flexible options and self‐directed learning courses based on students' needs and teachers' expertise. This study explores how rural high schools in Taiwan promote curriculum leadership following the implementation of the 108CG. Using a case school in southern Taiwan as the study site, it examines the current implementation of the 108CG in rural high schools, the processes and strategies that school members employ in applying curriculum leadership and the challenges they encounter. Six participants from the case school were interviewed, from August 2021 to May 2022. We also conducted observations and document analyses. The results show that the principal and mid‐level leaders' collaborative efforts are integral to advancing the 108CG. However, the school faces challenges in implementing the 108CG due to its environmental context. The principal's major challenge stems from the differing curriculum interpretations by tribal chiefs and families in the community. Mid‐level leaders also grapple with students' passive learning attitudes and the need for preparedness among teachers for curriculum reform. Although the 108CG have been in operation for more than 4 years, rural high schools continue to face challenges in implementing them. Introducing collaborative lesson planning and using checklists during curriculum review meetings could help track curriculum progress.

The Effect of Applying Language Picture Books in Reciprocal Teaching on Students’ Language Learning Motivations

The research nature of this study is to examine the priority of English as a foreign language in many non-English speaking countries in the context of globalization with a focus on the importance of English for cross-linguistic communication and interpersonal communication. The research purpose is to understand the effects of language picture books applied to interactive teaching methods on English language learning motivation, learning performance, and language and reading ability of elementary school students in southern Taiwan. The research method used herein is an experimental design model. In total, 192 students in eight classes in Grade Six of two elementary schools in southern Taiwan, each with four classes of 24 students, who used the same picture book materials are taken as the research subjects for an experimental study. The research method includes the application of language picture books to interactive teaching methods, combined with a variety of teaching activities, to create a fun and enjoyable learning atmosphere. The study observes students’ active participation and learning performance in the classroom and evaluates the impacts of these activities on their learning motivation, language ability, and reading ability were evaluated. The findings of this study are as follows. 1) The use of the interactive teaching method with language picture books has a significant effect on students’ motivation to learn English, by observing students’ active participation in the classroom. 2) The English picture books inspire children’s curiosity and interest in reading, increase their motivation for English learning, and make them quite interested in reading. 3) The course incorporated a variety of teaching activities to create a happy learning atmosphere, so that students can continue to work toward their English learning goals after the course is over. We also present the conclusions and discussions based on the results in the hope that language picture books can develop students’ capacity for listening and concentration and contribute to the development and improvement of their language ability and reading ability.

Developing a weather prediction project-based machine learning course in facilitating AI learning among high school students

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has changed lifestyles, work patterns, and educational approaches. However, courses that can guide students through the practical applications of AI technology are still scarce in K-12 education. This study aimed to develop a project-based machine learning (ML) course for the implementation of AI technology. The core idea of this course, which focused on the supervised learning of AI ML technology, was designed based on the project of weather prediction. Furthermore, data collection and status display were realized using various hardware devices such as Arduino and sensors, whereas ML algorithms were implemented in Python programming language. A total of 68 eleventh-grade senior high school students from a public school in Southern Taiwan participated in this study. The main variables included understanding AI concepts, computational thinking (CT), and learning attitude. Data were analyzed using quantitative statistics, including descriptive statistics, t-test, and analysis of covariance, supplemented with qualitative data. Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) the proposed course on the implementation of ML helps students understand the basic concepts of AI; (2) students demonstrate a significant improvement in CT skills after attending this course; (3) although the students’ attitude toward learning AI shows no significant change after attending this course, their overall view for it is positive; (4) contrary to their learning attitude, the CT skills among the students with different capabilities of learning AI are significantly dissimilar. Overall, the machine-learning implementation course developed in this study can serve as a reference for promoting AI education in the future. However, considering learners’ prior knowledge in programming, setting up appropriate learning scaffolding for them, and providing them with more examples of the applications of AI in real-life scenarios is still necessary when conducting the course for improving the students’ attitude toward AI.

Research on information searching strategies in high school students’ quality of argumentative essay writing

ABSTRACT Several studies have explored the effects of cognitive tools, such as scaffolding, on the quality of argumentation in online argumentation activities. However, although information searching is the most popular online activity, few studies have investigated the roles of online information resources in the quality of argumentation. This study explored the role of information searching strategies in the quality of argumentative essay writing. Participants were 91 eighth-grade students from two classes at a junior high school in southern Taiwan. Results showed that students’ online argumentation and information searching behaviours were clustered into three strategies, namely “browsing for discussion,” “browsing without discussion,” and “less information seeking.” The results also demonstrated that students who adopted the “browsing without discussion” strategy had higher quality argumentation skills in claims, grounds, warrants, and rebuttals than those students who used the “less information seeking” strategy. Students who used the “browsing for discussion” strategy had higher quality argumentation skills in rebuttal than those students with the “less information seeking” strategy. Hence, this study highlights the positive role of students’ information searching strategies for explaining the quality of argumentative essay writing.

A comprehensive analysis of the intervention of a fresh air ventilation system on indoor air quality in classrooms

Adequate classroom air quality is vital to student health and learning outcomes. Prolonged periods of air conditioner use in enclosed classrooms may result in poor air quality. However, opening classroom windows may expose students to air pollutants if the outdoor air quality is poor. This study investigated CO2 and PM2.5 concentrations in 86 classrooms installed with air conditioners in elementary and middle schools in southern Taiwan, each additionally installed with a fresh air ventilation system equipped with an E11-class filter. Enclosed air-conditioned classrooms generally have a CO2 concentration greater than 2500 ppm; occasionally, this figure reaches 3500 ppm. With the installed air ventilation system operating, the mean classroom CO2 concentration decreased to 1084 ± 203 ppm, and the median CO2 concentration decreased to 1120 ppm. However, the CO2 concentrations of over half the classrooms remained higher than the concentration advised by the World Health Organization (1000 ppm). This high CO2 concentration was a result of the short distance (1.5–2 m) between the indoor air outlet and the recirculated air inlet resulting in a shortened circuit of air travel. Also, the initial filter installed over the indoor air outlet of the system reduced air penetration into the classroom. When the ventilation system was manually activated without activating the air conditioners, the median PM2.5 concentration measured at the indoor air outlet and the median classroom PM2.5 concentration were 2 μg/m3 and 20 μg/m3, respectively. This implied the presence of other sources of PM2.5 in classrooms, particularly ceiling and wall-mounted fans. The activation of these fans spread dust onto classroom furniture. Overall, fresh air ventilation systems providing filtered air improve classroom ventilation efficiency and indoor air quality by reducing CO2 and PM2.5 concentrations, but the cleanliness of fans and furniture must be maintained.

Case Study of Bilingual Program in Junior High School in Southern Taiwan

The national policy for bilingual education was declared in 2017 in Taiwan. Since then, Taiwan has been on the way to becoming a bilingual nation by 2030. Relevant plans, workshops, and immersion teaching activities have been proposed and challenged teachers in Taiwan. Based on such outcomes, we investigate students’ attitudes toward bilingual programs and the importance of code-switching and mixing in teaching. The data analysis and findings indicate that 1) students’ English proficiency does not affect their attitudes toward the bilingual program, 2) there are no gender differences in the attitudes toward the bilingual program, 3) teachers usually code-switch and mix when asking students questions, explaining the steps and main ideas, and repeating the instructions or descriptions, and 4) the code-switching and mixing are essential when students learn the course content in the bilingual class. According to such findings, teachers can supplement their bilingual teaching. Besides, foreign teachers are considerably helpful in building a proper bilingual learning environment. With them, students participate in language learning more actively. This study result can be a reference for educational administrations for their planning.

Delay discounting, time perspective, and self-schemas in adolescent alcohol drinking and disordered eating behaviors

Delay discounting, time perspective, and self-schemas are well-known predictors of health risk behaviors among adolescents. However, the associations between these constructs and their influence on such behaviors are yet to be examined. This study aimed to determine the relationships among three cognitive constructs, namely, delay discounting, time perspective, and self-schemas, and determine the associations of these constructs with alcohol drinking (alcohol use and alcohol problems) and disordered eating behaviors in adolescents. Participants were 436 eighth-graders from three public junior high schools in southern Taiwan, who answered an anonymous questionnaire assessing self-schema, delay discounting, time perspective, and health risk behaviors. Generalized linear models with robust estimation were performed to estimate the effects; gender was the covariate. Delay discounting was associated with alcohol use (OR = 1.15), but not alcohol problems and disordered eating behaviors. Present-Hedonistic time perspective was associated with alcohol use (OR = 2.01), alcohol problems (IRR = 2.23), and disordered eating behaviors (Exp(b) = 1.38); while Future time perspective was associated with alcohol problems (IRR = 2.18). Drinker self-schema was associated with alcohol use (OR = 1.62) and alcohol problems (IRR = 1.71). Fat/overweight self-schema was associated with overall disordered eating (Exp(b) = 1.03). Thus, the findings suggest that each of the three constructs is independently associated with drinking and disordered eating behaviors, and these associations vary according to the specific type of behavior. Future research identifying the underlying mechanisms linking these constructs to the abovementioned behaviors can be useful for developing targeted intervention strategies.

The Study of the Relationships of Teacher’s Creative Teaching, Imagination, and Principal’s Visionary Leadership

This study aims to investigate how a teacher’s creative teaching is affected by the teacher’s imagination and his or her school principal’s visionary leadership, and how the contextual moderating effects are at play among the cross-hierarchical factors. The research framework is divided into two levels: the individual level on how “teacher’s imagination” affects “teacher’s creative teaching” and the group level on the impact of “the principal’s visionary leadership.” From the teachers of 65 primary schools in southern Taiwan invited to participate in the survey study, 861 valid data were returned. The cross-level moderating effects were further examined via hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The result shows that the “teacher’s imagination” will impact the “creative teaching” positively. The “vision practice” will affect “autonomous learning and challenge-presenting” positively as well. Moreover, the “vision feedback” plays a positive moderator role in how “creative imagination” contributes to “interactive discussion and open-mindedness.” The implication of the study is to discover the predictive model which inspired the students’ creativity potential by cross-hierarchical perspective.

Physical Computing Strategy to Support Students’ Coding Literacy: An Educational Experiment with Arduino Boards

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of introduction of the physical computing strategy of Arduino Boards in a program design course on coding literacy and the effectiveness of the application in technical high school students. This study selected two classes of twelfth-grade students enrolled in a program design course at a technical high school in Southern Taiwan as the samples. One class was the control group (43 students), and the other was the experimental group (42 students). During the 18-week course, the control group carried out a DBL (design-based learning) programming project, and the experimental group carried out the DBL programming project using the physical computing strategy of Arduino boards. Pre- and posttests and a questionnaire survey were carried out, while ANCOVA (analysis of covariance) was used for evaluation purposes. In the course, students in the experimental group were randomly selected for semi-structured interviews to understand their learning status and to perform qualitative analysis and summarization. This study proposed the physical computing strategy of Arduino boards, featuring staged teaching content, practical teaching activities, and real themes and problem-solving tasks. The results show that the coding literacy of students in the different teaching strategy groups was significantly improved. However, in the Arduino course on DBL programming, the students in the experimental group had a significantly higher learning efficiency in coding literacy than those in the control group. Moreover, according to the qualitative analysis using student interviews, Arduino boards were found to improve students’ motivation to learn coding and to aid in systematically guiding students toward improving their coding literacy by combining their learning with DBL theory. Thus, Arduino technology can be effectively used to improve students’ programming abilities and their operational thinking in practically applying programming theories.

Moderating Effects of Friendship and Family Support on the Association Between Bullying Victimization and Perpetration in Adolescents.

School bullying can cause severe mental health problems for both victims and perpetrators. However, the association between bullying victimization and perpetration has rarely been discussed, and no study has investigated the effects of social support, such as friendship and family support, in moderating this association. Therefore, the authors examined the moderating effects of friendship and family support on the association between bullying victimization and perpetration in adolescents. Data were obtained from the 2009 Project for the Health of Adolescents. Through multistage stratified cluster sampling, 13 junior and 10 senior high schools in southern Taiwan were selected, resulting in a representative sample of 6,445 students from grades 7 to 12. School bullying and family support were examined using the Chinese version of the School Bullying Experience Questionnaire and the Family adaptability, partnership, growth, affection, resolve instrument, respectively. Friendship support was measured using the subscale of the Taiwanese Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adolescents and adolescents' number of friends, time spent with friends, and friend distributions. Linear regression modeling and the Johnson-Neyman technique were used to examine the moderating effects of friendship and family support on the association between bullying victimization and perpetration. For active bullying, having fun and talkative friends and friends outside school negatively moderated the intensity of the association between bullying victimization and perpetration (regression coefficients: -0.02 to -0.05), whereas, for passive bullying, only friends outside school negatively moderated the intensity of the association (regression coefficient: -0.05). By contrast, some components of friendship support positively moderated the associations. These findings suggest that higher friendship quality and having more friends outside of school attenuate the association between bullying victimization and perpetration in adolescents, thus increasing the understanding of the moderating role that social support play in such associations.

The effects of increasing dementia knowledge on alleviating stigmatizing attitudes among elementary school students in Taiwan

AbstractObjectivesBased on the published research that disseminating dementia knowledge reduced stigmatizing attitude toward persons with dementia, this project is going to carry out the research results into dementia care practice through disseminating dementia knowledge to school age children in Taiwan.BackgroundStigma attached to dementia is a common theme across cultures as reported in the literature. Despite retaining cultural adherence to filial piety, which includes respect for the aging, stigmatizing attitudes toward dementia remain a hindrance to timely diagnosis and services utilization in Asian communities (Chiu et al., 2014). Community education about dementia may be helpful to lower this barrier to early detection and intervention (Cheng et al., 2011; Devlin et al., 2007). Most studies focus on the impact of disseminating knowledge to adults. Little is known regarding its effects of increasing dementia knowledge in school age children on combating dementia stigma and mental health issues in aging populations in Asia.MethodsA Quasi‐experimental design will be employed in this study. The third and fourth graders in selected elementary schools in southern Taiwan will be administered a questionnaire eliciting current understanding of dementia prior to a power point introducing dementia, and followed by the repetition of the questionnaire for a pre and post‐ test elicitation and identification of concepts grasped and concepts missed.ResultsThis is an on‐going research project and the results are in process. Implications: Young children often help older family members care for older persons with dementia who are home‐bound; they may be more empathetic if they know more about the condition affecting their relative.

The Effect of a Pedagogical STEAM Model on Students’ Project Competence and Learning Motivation

The development of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Liberal Arts, and Mathematics) curricula has emerged in the past decade. A pedagogical STEAM (Scaffolding, Tutoring, Engaging, Argumentation, and Modeling) model was proposed in this study to implement interdisciplinary STEAM curricula. The effects of this model on students’ project competence and learning motivation were evaluated. A quasi-experimental design was adopted in the study. One hundred fourteen participants were recruited from a high school in southern Taiwan. There were 57 students in the experimental group (27 males; 30 females) and 57 in the comparison group (35 males; 22 females). The results revealed that the implementation of the pedagogical STEAM model was able to enhance the project competence and learning motivation of the students in the experimental group. Qualitative data from student interviews also revealed that the students had positive perceptions of the model. The main implication of this study is that the pedagogical STEAM model has the potential to be used as a teaching guide for the high school interdisciplinary curricula.

Effectiveness of a school-based social marketing intervention to promote adolescent sexual health

Objective: Schools should design holistic sex education programmes to improve sex knowledge and enhance positive sexual attitudes among adolescents. A school-based social marketing sex education programme named Starting from love – Go! Go! Go! was designed. This study determined the effectiveness of the intervention to promote adolescent sexual health in junior high schools in Southern Taiwan. Method: A one-group pretest–posttest design was utilised. Cluster random sampling was used to select participants (seventh-grade students aged 13–14 years) from 24 junior high schools. Results: A total of 1,407 seventh-grade participants completed the survey. Among the 1,407 participants, 714 were boys and 693 were girls. The results revealed that the total average sexual knowledge score of the participants was 1.55 points higher after the interventions, indicating significantly increased sexual knowledge ( p < .001). The sexual attitudes of participants after the interventions significantly improved compared with those beforehand ( p < .001). Moreover, the sexual knowledge and attitudes of participants exhibited a positive correlation ( r = .357, p < .001). Conclusion: The proposed school-based social marketing sex education programme holds the potential to improve sexual knowledge and enhance positive sexual attitudes of the junior high school students and the educational efficacy of sex education with respect to sex-related concerns.

The relationship between children's overweight and quality of life: A comparison of Sizing Me Up, PedsQL and Kid-KINDL

Background/Objective: Overweight and obese children are likely to encounter negative impact on psychological well-being and quality of life (QoL). Hence, for overweight and obese children, measuring QoL could go beyond simply assessing objective medical parameters and cover their physical health, psychological well-being, and social interaction. Generic (Kid-KINDL and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory [PedsQL]) and weight-related (Sizing Me Up) measures are two major types of QoL measurement instruments; however, little is known about the differences between them. Method: We recruited 569 3rd to 6th graders from eleven schools in Southern Taiwan. In addition to the three QoL questionnaires, the Child Depression Inventory and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were applied. Results: Depression had significantly negative associations with all three QoL questionnaires. Self-esteem was only associated with Kid-KINDL. Body mass index had a significantly stronger relationship with Sizing Me Up than its relationships with PedsQL and Kid-KINDL. In other words, the items related to body size concerns in Size Me Up significantly contributed to impaired overweight/obese children’s QoL. Conclusions: The study further identified the characters and strength of these QoL measures for better suggestions on evaluating physical and psychological issues for overweight/obese children.

Astigmatism in Chinese primary school children: prevalence, change, and effect on myopic shift.

To study the prevalence, type, and progression of astigmatism in primary school children, and its effect on myopic shift. A prospective study carried out in a primary school in southern Taiwan. The study was performed on a subset of children, one year after initial examination. Refractive error measured by cycloplegic autorefraction was the main study outcome. Astigmatism was recorded as negative cylinder form, and we defined clinical significant astigmatism (CSA) as cylinder refraction -1.0 D or greater. Myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of -0.50 D or greater. Three hundred sixty-two children, mean age was 8.97 y/o (SD 1.41; range 7 to 11 y/o) participated in the study. One hundred nineteen (32.9 %) subjects had CSA at the initial screening. The mean cylinder refraction was -0.80 + 0.84 diopters (D) (-5.25 D to 0.00 D), with predominant with rule astigmatism (69.7%). In the 183 children studied longitudinally, the mean cylinder refraction was reduced from -0.74 D to -0.58 D (p< 0.05). The cylinder refraction in the initial CSA group was not associated with SER change (p=0.99) or axial length change (p=0.55). Compared to the initial non-CSA group, the initial CSA group had no significant difference in axial length elongation (p=0.20). The prevalence of astigmatism was not low in the Chinese primary school children and with-the-rule astigmatism was predominant. The astigmatism decreased during the 1 year follow-up. The CSA was not associated with myopia progression (p=0.99).

Factors Associated With Peer Victimization Among Adolescents in Taiwan

Adolescents who have experienced peer victimization face a higher risk of negative health outcomes. However, little is known about the factors that are associated with peer victimization among adolescents in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to examine the factors related to peer victimization among Taiwanese adolescents. A cross-sectional design was employed. Three hundred seventy-seven adolescents aged 13-16 years from seven middle schools in southern Taiwan were recruited as participants. Validated, self-reported questionnaires were used to gather data on demographic characteristics, resilience, peer relationship, parental monitoring, school connectedness, social support, and peer victimization. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the factors that were related to peer victimization. About 17% (n = 64) of the participants experienced peer victimization during the previous 1-year period. Logistic regression analysis indicated that parental monitoring of daily life, school connectedness, and peer support were significant predictors of a reduced risk of peer victimization. The final model explained 23.1% of the total variance in less peer victimization and predicted 80.1% of peer victimization. School connectedness and peer support were identified as important factors facilitating the avoidance of peer victimization among adolescents in Taiwan. Healthcare providers and school personnel should consider school-based programs to improve school connectedness and to build an atmosphere of peer support to reduce peer victimization. Educating parents to monitor their adolescents' daily activities is also encouraged in concert with these school-based programs.

Comparing quality of life instruments: Sizing them up versus pediatric quality of life inventory and Kid-KINDL

Introduction: Children with overweight or obesity are very likely to experience health problems including low levels of psychological well-being and impaired quality of life (QoL). Given that the importance of QoL includes policymaking measuring QoL is especially crucial. Therefore, comparing generic (Kid-KINDL and Pediatric QoL Inventory [PedsQL]) and weight-related (Sizing Them Up) measures could provide insights for healthcare providers to decide how and when to use which QoL instrument. Methods: I recruited 199 school children studied between 3rd and 6th grades from 11 schools in Southern Taiwan, and all the children completed child depression inventory (for depression) and Rosenberg self-esteem scale (for self-esteem); one of their parents completed Sizing Them Up, PedsQL, and Kid-KINDL. Results: I constructed structural equation modeling to investigate the associations between these instruments, and the results indicated that self-esteem had the strongest relationship with Kid-KINDL; weight had the strongest relationship with Sizing Them Up. Moreover, both PedsQL and Kid-KINDL could observe the depression among children. Conclusion: Healthcare providers may have insights to select appropriate measure to assess QoL for overweight/obese children according to my findings.

A study of the learning experience from an emerging technology integrated curriculum

This study aims to explore the learning effect of emerging technology integration in a senior high schoolcurriculum as implemented by the High Scope Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology, R.O.C.Through senior high school teachers’ inquiry instruction and interaction with students, it explores students’learning experience in an emerging technology integrated curriculum and further probes into subjects’perception and effect of the experience. The research questions are: (1) What are the subjects’ pastexperience with emerging technology? (2) What is the subjects’ feedback from participating in an emergingtechnology integrated curriculum practiced by teachers? (3) What is students’ personal reflection afterparticipating in an emerging technology integrated curriculum? This study adopts qualitative research ofin-depth interviews, and the subjects are 6 students in one senior high school in southern Taiwan. Since thesubjects are senior high school students who participate in an emerging technology integrated curriculumand the recorded interviews and observations are based on their agreement, this study practices purposivesampling. The research tool is the researcher’s self-designed interview outline. The study is based onmultiple sources such as in-depth interviews, observations, and feedback. The main findings of this study areas follows: 1) senior high school students’ past behavior with emerging technology is rare; 2) teachersproposed practice courses that include immediate feedback and interaction, and these courses are the mostpopular with students. Teachers’ questions and encouragement and students’ problem-solving process resultin students having a positive learning effect; 3) with experience from participating in competitions, studentsdevelop personal reflection and confidence. External praises lead to the construction of personal positiveself-concept; 4) important self-reflection includes acquisition of new knowledge, passion in attempts,demand for a great amount of originality and ideas, etc.

Providing a Clean Environment for Adolescents: Evaluation of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in Taiwan.

Cigarette smoking not only damages the health of adolescents, but also contributes to air pollution. The Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in Taiwan stipulates that cigarettes should not be sold to persons younger than 18 years. Therefore, schools should actively educate students and raise awareness of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act to reduce the level of damage to the health of adolescents and maintain good air quality. This study had two main goals: (1) to evaluate the stipulation that no person shall provide tobacco products to persons under the age of 18 and the effects of counseling strategies on store managers confirming customer ages before tobacco sale in southern Taiwan; and (2) to evaluate the situation of tobacco hazard prevention education conducted by school in southern Taiwan. A cross-sectional design was adopted for this study. Study I: The investigation involved an analysis of 234 retailers including convenience stores (n = 70), grocery stores (n = 83), and betel nut stalls (n = 81). The results indicated that among the 234 retailers, 171 (73.1%) of them routinely failed to confirm the buyers’ ages before allowing them to purchase tobacco. The number of retailers who exhibited failure to confirm customer ages before selling tobacco products had decreased from 171 (73.1%) to 59 (25.2%) and that of those who confirmed customer ages before selling tobacco products had increased from 63 (26.9%) to 175 (74.8%) after counseling strategies had been provided, thereby revealing statistical significance (χ2 = 11.26, p < 0.001). Study II: A total of 476 (89.1%) participants had received tobacco hazards prevention education and 58 (10.9%) had not. Among the various residential areas, the highest percentage of participants that did not received tobacco hazards prevention education located in the plane regions (8.4%). The government organizations should continue to adopt counseling strategies to reduce the rate of disobedience of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act by selling tobacco products to minors. Schools should pay close attention to tobacco hazard prevention education for junior high school students to ensure that such students are adequately educated about tobacco hazard prevention.

Developing EFL learners’ morphological awareness: Instructional effect, teachability of affixes, and learners’ perception

Abstract Morphological instruction has been proved to be facilitative of second language learners’ vocabulary learning. However, studies on the effect of teaching affixes on Chinese EFL learners’ vocabulary learning were relatively less explored. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the effect of teaching six affixes on Chinese EFL learners’ vocabulary learning, the teachability of affixes, and the learners’ perception toward the instruction. The participants were 40 seventh-graders from two intact classes in a junior high school in southern Taiwan. One class of 20 students served as the control group, and the other class of 20 students was assigned as the experimental group to receive the six-session training of affixes. Instruments were a morpheme identification task, a vocabulary translation test, students’ learning journals, and a questionnaire of perception toward the instruction. The results indicated the positive effect of instruction on the experimental group’s receptive learning of the affixes. In addition, the data also showed the students’ positive perception toward morphological instruction. This study concluded with theoretical implications for future studies and pedagogical implications for teaching affixes.