Taiwanese Students Research Articles

Recruiting English teachers from the Outer Circle: perspectives of Taiwanese students

ABSTRACT This study explores Taiwanese university students' attitudes towards recruiting teachers from the Outer Circle (OC) in response to Taiwan's high demand for English teachers. Forty-six first-year non-English majors from a large university in northern Taiwan participated in the study, which used four instruments. Results showed that, given the choice between Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circle teachers, Taiwanese freshmen students preferred teachers from the Inner and Expanding Circles over those from the OC. Despite this, interview data revealed that students would consider OC English teachers under certain conditions, such as those with less distracting regional accents. Other factors that positively impacted students' perception of OC teachers included their role in facilitating communication with native-English speakers and the cultural diversity they brought to the campus. However, students perceived OC English teachers' speech as unintelligible and believed that American English contributed most to international communication. The study's implications for teacher recruitment are discussed.

A Comparison of Psychological Well-Being, Coping Strategies, and Emotional Problems Between Taiwanese and Australian Nursing Students.

Nursing professional health courses have been reported to be very exhaustive and stressful, with most nursing students reporting moderate levels of stress. This study was designed to compare the spiritual well-being, coping strategies, psychological well-being, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation between Taiwanese and Australian nursing students. Three hundred eighty-one nursing students (180 from Taiwan and 201 from Australia) were recruited for this cross-sectional comparative research study. The Psychological Well-being Scale, Spiritual Well-being Scale, Coping Strategies Inventory Short-Form, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Zung Depression Scale, and Brief Screen for Adolescent Depression Scale were used to collect data. SPSS 27.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive data analysis, chi-square tests, independent t test, Pearson correlations, and stepwise multiple regressions were used to examine the research questions. Students in Australia had higher mean scores than Taiwanese nursing students for psychological well-being, life satisfaction/self-actualization, and using problem-focused disengagement coping strategies, whereas Taiwanese students had higher mean scores for using emotion-focused engagement coping strategies and depression than their Australian nursing students. Spiritual well-being and problem-focused disengagement were shown to be significantly and positively related to psychological well-being and significantly and negatively related to anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in both groups. No significant difference between Australian students and Taiwanese students was found in anxiety, suicidal ideation, and negative-emotion-related alcohol use. The multiple regressions performed in this study support life satisfaction/self-actualization and the emotion-focused disengagement coping strategy as significant predictors of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in both student groups. The findings of this study help nursing program faculty better understand the key factors of influence on nursing student mental health and provide a conceptual framework for using problem-focused coping strategies and spiritual education on students.

Thinking more wisely: using the Socratic method to develop critical thinking skills amongst healthcare students

BackgroundIn medicine, critical thinking is required for managing and tolerating medical uncertainty, as well as solving professional problems and treating diseases. However, the core of Confucianism, teacher-centered and exam-oriented settings in middle and high school education may pose challenges to developing critical thinking in Han Chinese or Taiwanese students. Students may be adversely affected by these pedagogies since student-centered settings were more effective in stimulating their critical and reflective thinking, as well as a sense of responsibility, in the ever-changing world. Therefore, guiding students with less stable foundations of critical thinking might require a different approach. A review article highlighted the potential utility of the Socratic method as a tool for teaching critical thinking in the healthcare field. The method involves posing a series of questions to students. More importantly, medical students and residents in clinical teaching are familiar with the method. Almost all healthcare students must complete a biochemistry laboratory course as part of their basic science training. Thus, we aimed to train students to develop critical thinking in the biochemistry laboratory course by using learning sheets and teacher guidance based on the Socratic method and questioning.MethodWe recruited second-year students from a medical school, of whom 32 had medical science and biotechnology majors (MSB), 27 had pharmaceutical science majors (PS), and 85 were medical undergraduate (MU) students. An exercise in critical thinking was conducted during a biochemistry laboratory course, which consisted of five different biochemical experiments, along with learning sheets that contained three or four critical thinking questions. Then, the teacher evaluated the students’ ability to think critically based on nine intellectual dimensions (clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, fairness, and significance) based on the universal intellectual standards developed by Prof. Linda Elder and Richard Paul. In the following analysis, regression models and multivariate analysis were used to determine how students improved over time, and trajectory analysis were carried out in order to observe the trends in students’ critical thinking skills construction.ResultsClarity and logic dimensions were identified as the key elements to facilitate the development of critical thinking skills through learning sheets and teacher guidance in students across all three different healthcare majors. The results showed that metacognitive monitoring via Socratic questioning learning sheets have demonstrated potential encourage students to develop critical thinking skills in all dimensions. Another unique contribution of current study was present the heterogeneous learning patterns and progress trajectories of clarity and logic dimensions within classes.ConclusionUsing the Socratic learning model could effectively develop students’ critical thinking skills so they can more effectively care for their patients.

Ocean literacy among Taiwanese and Japanese high school students

The sea surrounds both Taiwan and Japan, but they have adopted different marine education policies. This study used the ocean literacy framework published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to examine the ocean literacy of high school students in Taiwan and Japan. We also investigated the channels through which students acquired marine biology knowledge and whether parental education level and students’ attitudes toward the ocean affected ocean literacy. Tests were administered in Japanese and Chinese to assess students’ ocean literacy, attitude, and background. This study used descriptive statistics, the independent sample t-test, and multigroup structural equation modeling. Taiwanese students considerably outperformed Japanese students in ocean literacy, scoring significantly higher in five of the seven ocean literacy principles. In Taiwan, higher parental education level led to higher ocean literacy scores, but not in Japan. Access to information regarding marine biology also differed by country. These results provide a reference to high schools, teachers, and policymakers in Taiwan and Japan and can help improve curricula, learning environments, and marine education policies.

Factors affecting willingness and future intention to eat insects in students of an edible insect course

Interest in insects as food has increased globally over the last decade. Factors affecting willingness to eat insects in countries without traditions of edible insects have been studied predominantly in Europe, and with a predominant focus on consumer attributes such as levels of food neophobia or disgust. This study examined attitudes in Taiwan, where edible insects are not commonly consumed, and included attributes of edible insects as a food innovation, using Diffusion of Innovations Theory as the framework to model explanatory variables affecting consumer choice. These choices not only included willingness to eat insect products in varying levels of disguise, but also the desire, intention, and probability of actually eating insects within the next month, in order to identify factors affecting passive rejection from lack of supply instead of active rejection. Taiwanese students of an edible insect course were surveyed on their willingness and intention to eat insects, and their views towards novel foods, insects in general, and insects as food. Food neophobia and levels of disgust or fear of insects had the strongest effects on respondent willingness and intent to eat insects. Processed insect products were seen as more acceptable, yet also riskier and less acceptable to less innovative consumers. Concern over the environmental footprint of one’s diet correlated with a willingness to replace traditional meat with insects, but otherwise was not a significant predictor of likelihood to eat insects. Variables related to insect product supply such as trialability and observability were not significant, but perceived approval or disapproval from peers and family strongly correlated with willingness to eat insects. Strongly neophobic and entomophobic consumers may remain unwilling to add insects to their diets even if they are educated on the rationale for doing so.

Students’ perceptions of good citizenship in an East Asian society: A secondary analysis of the ICCS 2016

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of Taiwanese students’ perceptions of good citizenship in terms of citizenship behaviours rooted in Western democracy and character and moral (CM) oriented citizenship. Data from Taiwanese eighth graders participating in the 2016 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) were examined. Citizenship behaviours were measured by items from the ICCS student questionnaire and the ICCS Asian Regional Module. The results showed that students who emphasised all but CM oriented citizenship had the weakest attitude towards the personal morality of politicians. Students who endorsed all citizenship behaviours had the highest levels of expected civic engagement. The findings suggest that the development of the good citizenship perceived by Taiwanese students may be enhanced by multiple sources in addition to citizenship education.

A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis of English Education Studies Regarding Development of Taiwanese Students’ Skills in the University Level

Technology is crucial to language learning particularly the English language and entails enormous potential. It is also clear that the evolution of technology in the present times has a significant impact on how well foreign language learners acquire their new language. As a result, the current study's objective is to give a meta-synthesis of research findings on student development activities published in prestigious academic journals. Eight 2020–2022 studies examined English language learning innovations. For a systematic review, the studies were grouped using the Critical Skills for Evaluation Program (CASP) checklist and PRISMA 2020 flow diagram. Thematic analysis identified four primary themes were: (1) Using multimedia technology for speaking, (2) Designing and delivering writing courses, (3) Internet-based listening and reading pedagogy, (4) Attending cramming classes. The study's meta-theme, dimensions of a student development activity, emerged. It is advised that teachers and students consider the following aspects of the student development activity in their regular English language study.

Mandarin Chinese peer advice online: a study of gender disparity

AbstractIn the higher education environment, peer-to-peer evaluation is a common learning activity and is beneficial to students’ development. Nevertheless, peer evaluations often include unsolicited advice, which potentially damages the face of advice-receivers and their interpersonal relationship with advice-givers. In the literature, little is known about how the potentially face-destructive advice messages in the academic discourse are pragmatically constructed by Chinese speakers who generally define advice-giving as a rapport-building behavior. The present study, therefore, investigated how Chinese language users rhetorically manage their unsolicited peer advice in an online learning activity. Also, whether and how the gender of the advice-givers and receivers exert impacts on the advice configurations in the formal institutional setting were examined. The corpus involved 1,118 units of advice speech events elicited from peer evaluations given by 43 Chinese-speaking Taiwanese students. The results revealed that the institutional context where the advice was addressed was critical to the advice-giver’s linguistic implicitness and selections of redressive modifiers. Besides, the gender of both the advice-givers and receivers had significant impacts on the pragmatics of the given advice. While the females often employedconditionalconstructions andreasoningdiscursive moves, the males preferred usingsubjectivizersto redress their advice, especially those addressed to men.

YouTube self-directed learning in the US and Taiwan: an application of the personal responsibility orientation model

PurposeTo facilitate the use of YouTube as an important global video portal for self-directed learning (SDL), it is important to understand YouTube users' distinctive learning experiences across cultures. This study examines factors influencing YouTube SDL based on the personal responsibility orientation (PRO) model. In addition, the two markets, US and Taiwan, were chosen to explore if national cultural differences affect YouTube users' SDL frequency and goals along with PRO variables.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered online survey of 372 college aged-YouTube users in the US and Taiwan was conducted to obtain the self-reported SDL behavior on YouTube and other demographic and video usage variable information.FindingsFrequent video sharing and information seeking motives likely facilitate general YouTube SDL, while initiating online video search leads to specific goal-oriented SDL such as problem-solving and skill-improvement. Although American students use YouTube more frequently for SDL than Taiwanese students, Taiwanese students use YouTube more for specific skill improvement.Social implicationsYouTube's social affordance enables YouTube users' informal and SDL across different national cultures and thus the role such social media play in encouraging lifelong learning needs further attention.Originality/valueThis study contributes to understanding how YouTube fosters the informal learning process through functions enabling YouTube users' self-directed information seeking, sharing and engaging with online videos with a cross-national comparison. This study is also expected to offer insights to promote the use of YouTube for SDL as a first cross-national study applying the PRO model in the context of YouTube SDL.

Factors and Clusters of Musical Self-Concept Discovered in a Cross-Cultural Sample of Swiss, Chinese, and Taiwanese Students

Cultural and societal settings in which an individual is raised, and the role of music and musical training during an individual’s upbringing, shape the relation to music and the conception of the self with regard to music in the present and in the future. Accordingly, differing cultural and musical biographical backgrounds are reflected in differences of musical self-concepts. The aim was to assess distinct musical self-concept types of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Swiss university music students with an adapted version of the Musical Self-Concept Inquiry (MUSCI), and to analyze these types in terms of the manifestation of different dimensions of the musical self-concept as well as sociodemographic and further personal characteristics. 805 university music students took part in the study. The sample included 293 Swiss, 356 Chinese, and 156 Taiwanese students. An adapted version of the Musical Self-Concept Inquiry was administered, and the data subjected to a principal component and a confirmatory factor analysis to determine the factors of the musical self-concept. A cluster analysis was carried out to identify self-concept clusters. H-, U-, Chi2, and two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov Z-tests were carried out to assess cluster differences in the factor manifestations, as well as sociodemographic and further personal aspects. The Musical Self-Concept Inquiry-SwisSino could be confirmed with regard to three factors (ability, mood management, dance), while other factors could not be retained. Three significantly distinct clusters were identified, which differed regarding the factor manifestation and the students’ origin, gender, course of study, main instrument, practice hours, and parental educational background and musical activity. However, due to only a few dimensions of the musical self-concept being verified, the broadness of the concept was restricted. Advances in quantitative comparative music studies will thus require further work on conceptional issues as well as the clarification of cultural notions and adequate translations.

Investigating mental health outcomes of undergraduates and graduate students in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This study is an exploration of the major stressors associated with the COVID-19 for students in higher education in Taiwan. Participants: The sample comprised 838 higher education students studying at various Taiwanese universities. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered at different postsecondary institutions during the semi-lockdown period of COVID-19, which mandated online instruction. Machine learning was employed to determine the variables that most highly predicted students’ mental health using R. Results: The findings revealed that COVID-19-related experiences, including social interactions, financial conditions, and educational experiences, were significantly associated with mental health outcomes. Particularly, loneliness are significantly related to social interactions and educational experiences. Conclusions: Findings revealed that Covid-19 impacted Taiwanese students’ financial conditions, educational experiences, and social interactions, which were significant predictors of their mental health outcomes such as anxiety, loneliness and depression. The current study contributes to the gap in knowledge about mental health issues among postsecondary students during the pandemic.

Design thinking competence as self-perceived by nursing students in Taiwan: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundCompetence in design thinking plays a pivotal role when undertaking innovative problem-solving. Our knowledge on nursing students' self-perceived design thinking competence, however, is noticeably lacking, particularly in Taiwan. ObjectTo examine Taiwanese nursing students' self-perceived competence in design thinking. DesignDescriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study. ParticipantsOne hundred and one nursing students enrolled in the interdisciplinary capstone courses, which were jointly offered to industrial design students, as part of a 4-year nursing program at a science and technology university in northern Taiwan. MethodsSelf-reported questionnaire data were collected from students, including their demographics and self-perceived competence in design thinking as measured by the Creative Synthesis Inventory and the Design Thinking Traits Questionnaire between January 2020 and January 2021. ResultsDistinctive and reliable individual differences were found in nursing students' self-perceived competence in design thinking. In addition, students perceived a significantly higher creative synthesis skill of discovery in developing an understanding of potential users and a significantly lower design thinking trait of optimism, not backing down from challenging problems. Finally, greater perceived competence in creative synthesis skills were significantly correlated with greater perceived competence in all design thinking traits, except the trait of optimism. ConclusionsResults indicated that significant individual differences exist in Taiwanese nursing students' self-perceived design thinking competence, suggesting opportunities for helping students with lower perceived competence. Overall, Taiwanese students believed themselves to be less skilled in visualization, prototyping, and evaluation as well as lacking an attribute of optimism when encountering challenging problems. Therefore, as informed by the design thinking framework, nursing schools should focus on developing strategies through training and practice to foster creative synthesis skills and designer traits in students, particularly targeting those who self-perceived as less competent and those skills and traits self-perceived as weaknesses.

To explore the impact of augmented reality digital picture books in environmental education courses on environmental attitudes and environmental behaviors of children from different cultures.

Environmental education has long been closely related to sustainable development. In this study, in response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an augmented reality (AR) digital picture book was created using the unique natural ecosystem of Taiwan's Orchid Island as a source of self-efficacy for science learning. Interactive environmental education learning through AR drawing was used to determine whether students' science learning self-efficacy and environmental attitudes significantly influenced the environmental behavioral skills of culturally diverse children. In this study, 26 elementary sixth-grade Taiwanese students and 26 elementary sixth-grade Japanese students were invited to participate in an extended reality drawing activity as an environmental education curriculum. Based on the sample size of 52, the survey results were accurate with a sampling error of 3.8% with a confidence level of 95%. A questionnaire survey was administered to the 52 students after the event. After the valid questionnaire samples were collected, a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis was conducted with Smart PLS 3.0 on the small sample. The results of the study showed that students who had a better self-efficacy in science learning were more likely to engage in conservation actions related to the natural environment in their daily lives. In this study, the constructs of environmental behavior were further discussed and the hypothesis model was validated using the quantitative empirical method. The results of the study revealed good reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the constructs in the hypothesis model, and the hypothesis model itself was validated. In the validated model, students' science learning self-efficacy affects the sustainability of their environmental behaviors, but only through the role of environmental attitudes. However, the environmental attitudes construct plays a fully mediating role in the model.

Association of Digital Health Literacy with Future Anxiety as Mediated by Information Satisfaction and Fear of COVID-19: A Pathway Analysis among Taiwanese Students.

Digital Health Literacy (DHL) helps online users with navigating the infodemic and co-existing conspiracy beliefs to avoid mental distress and maintain well-being. We aimed to investigate the association between DHL and future anxiety (FA); and examine the potential mediation roles of information satisfaction and fear of COVID-19 (F-CoV). A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1631 Taiwanese university students aged 18 years and above from June 2021 to March 2022. Data collected were socio-demographic characteristics (sex, age, social status, university location), information satisfaction, F-CoV, DHL and FA (using Future Dark scale). The linear regression model was used to explore factors associated with FA. The pathway analysis was further used to evaluate the direct and indirect relationship between DHL and FA. A higher score of DHL (B = -0.21; 95% CI, -0.37, -0.06; p = 0.006), and information satisfaction (B = -0.16; 95% CI, -0.24, -0.08; p < 0.001) were associated with a lower FA score, whereas a higher F-CoV score was associated with a higher FA score (B = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.36, 0.50; p < 0.001). DHL showed the direct impact (B = -0.1; 95% CI, -0.17, -0.04; p = 0.002) and indirect impact on FA as mediated by information satisfaction (B = -0.04; 95% CI, -0.06, -0.01; p = 0.002) and F-CoV (B = -0.06, 95% CI, -0.08, -0.04; p < 0.001). Strategic approaches to promote DHL, information satisfaction, lower F-CoV are suggested to reduce FA among students.

Elementary School Students’ Length Estimation Skills—Analyzing a Multidimensional Construct in a Cross-Country Study

Measurement estimation skills are relevant for our everyday life and should be addressed in the mathematics classroom. Although students’ measurement estimation skills were examined in several empirical studies, a structure model to describe these skills is still missing. The current research aimed at analyzing the structure of length estimation skills as one basic measurement estimation skill. Taking into account the different kinds of estimation situations, a test on length estimation skills was developed and administered in two contrasting samples of 3rd- and 4th-grade students from Germany and Taiwan in two studies. Study 1 (N = 248) followed an exploratory approach to analyze the structure of length estimation skills (research question 1). Exploratory factor analysis suggested a 3-dimensional model of length estimation skills, dividing the dimensions (1) estimating lengths of small objects, (2) estimating lengths of objects that are not small but touchable, and (3) estimating lengths of objects that are not small and not touchable. This 3-dimensional structure could be confirmed using confirmatory factor analyses in study 2 (N = 903). In addition, the test on students’ length estimation skills proved to be partially measurement invariant across the two groups (research question 2). The cross-national comparison (research question 3) revealed differences between Taiwanese and German students’ length estimation skills that correspond to the educational traditions in each country. Taiwanese students reached better results on the dimensions small as well as not small and touchable while German students were ahead in the dimension not small and not touchable.

Measurement invariance and latent mean differences of the digital native assessment scale across Chinese mainland, Macau, and Taiwan: an exploratory structural equation modeling approach

ABSTRACT Given the lack of cultural consideration of studies on digital natives, this study reports on a large-scale validation of the Digital Native Assessment Scale (DNAS) among university students from three regions of Greater China: Chinese mainland, Macau, and Taiwan, to examine measurement invariance and latent mean differences in the four constructs of the DNAS, grew up with technology, comfortable with multitasking, reliant on graphics for communication, and thrive on instant gratifications and rewards. The results from 5198 participants revealed the DNAS has a stable factorial structure and is valid in measuring students’ digital nativity. The DNAS achieved a strong/scalar measurement invariance among students from the three regions in each of the four factors. Latent mean difference tests suggested that Macau students had significantly higher levels on all four constructs than those from the mainland, with small to medium effects; and the latent means of Taiwanese students were significantly higher than those of mainland students in three constructs (i.e. Tech, Multi, and Graphics), with small to large effects. Discussions of the findings were provided by taking into account the historical, economic, and cultural backgrounds of the three regions.

Dairy Product Consumption and Preferences of Polish and Taiwanese Students—NPD Case Study

The present study determined the consumption and preferences of dairy products, especially fermented products, in respect of Polish and Taiwanese students, through their answers to seven research questions (RQs) as part of the design process. The research for the study was conducted in two countries: in Poland at WULS and in Taiwan at NCHU. Two-hundred students in total (19–25 years old) were selected for the study. Responses to the research questions were collected using Paper &amp; Pen Personal Interview (PAPI). The results indicate that Taiwanese students were less likely to declare consuming dairy products daily compared to Polish students (p &lt; 0.0001). Poles declared consuming dairy products every day, or once or several times a week, while Taiwanese declared several times a week or several times a month. A total of 89% of Polish students indicated milk as their most commonly consumed dairy product, followed by yoghurts (80%) and ripened cheeses (69%). A total of 95% of Taiwanese students also mentioned milk as their most consumed dairy product, then yoghurt (especially drinking yoghurt) (81%), milk desserts (70%) and Yakult (69%). In the case of fat content preference in yoghurt, Poles significantly preferred yoghurts with regular fat content, while Taiwanese significantly preferred fatty yoghurts (p &lt; 0.0001). The most common characteristic of yoghurt that influenced Polish students’ purchase decisions was its composition, followed by its consistency, appearance and its sour taste. However, for Taiwanese, the most important factors were the consistency, price and sweetness of the yoghurt. Polish students were significantly more willing to pay a higher price for a dairy functional product than Taiwanese students (p = 0.0009). The responses obtained show differences and similarities in the preferences and consumption of these products between Polish and Taiwanese students. The results of this study were used to direct the next stage of the project’s development research, the goal of which was to develop a functional dairy product that meets the preferences of consumers.

Does Cross-Regime Contact Change the Evaluation of Democracy? Evidence From Taiwanese Student Delegations Visiting Mainland China

Does visiting Mainland China alter Taiwanese students’ evaluation of Taiwan’s democracy? This question greatly concerns democratic supporters globally. Therefore, 477 Taiwanese young adults participating in Mainland China exchange programmes were recruited for this study. Social contact, social identity, political socialisation and rational choice theories were introduced to formulate four hypotheses. The results indicated that, among the three dimensions constituting the democracy evaluation following their exchange to Mainland China, the Taiwanese students showed increased positive evaluations in democratic support and degree of democratisation. Furthermore, positive evaluations for satisfaction with democracy decreased. The evaluation of Taiwan’s democracy, formed by aggregating these three dimensions, indicates that this index decreased in 27.54% of students, increased in 29.24% and remained unchanged in 43.22%. After visiting Mainland China, students exhibit a tendency towards ethnically identifying as Taiwanese, or have a worse impression of China, or have greater political trust towards Taiwanese officials, or show a lower preference for the strongman rule, leading to a more favourable evaluation of Taiwan’s democracy.

Correlation between presence of radix entomolaris in mandibular first molars and C-shaped canals in mandibular second molars: a sample of CBCT scans in Taiwanese students

The anatomy of root canals is so complex that in many cases it is not sufficient to take an intraoral radiograph to diagnose the number and shape of root canals. Therefore, Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) facilitating diagnosis and treatment planning in endodontics is gaining more and more importance. Radix entomolaris is an extra root which is found in mandibular molars and located distolingually. C-shaped canal is most commonly found in mandibular second molars and can differ significantly in shape from the typical anatomy of lower molars. The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between presence of radix entomolaris in mandibular first molars and presence of C-shaped mandibular second molars in Taiwanese students based on CBCT scans. The material consisted of 19 CBCT examinations taken in the Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Radiodiagnostics of the … Among 19 CBCT examinations 5 cases of coexistence of additional root and C- shaped canals were found. Up to 80.0% of cases were bilateral. In the studied sample there was high coincidence of radix entomolaris in mandibular first molars and C-shaped mandibular second molars. Knowledge of this correlation will prevent diagnostic errors during endodontic and surgical treatment planning.

Learning English as A Foreign Language (EFL): A Narratology

This study aimed at narrating the lived experiences of a Taiwanese student in learning English as a foreign language, which includes identifying the other means of learning English as a foreign language, the difficulties encountered in learning English as a foreign language and means of overcoming such. This study made use of a qualitative research design, employing a narrative approach, wherein the data were gathered through face-to-face interviews with the participant – a student representative who had been learning English at school since 13. The interview was audiotaped and transcribed, re-transcribed, and re-storied. The study found that other than in formal school, English could be learned through English tutorial classes, reading materials such as books, journals, and magazines in English, making use of internet applications with English as a medium such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Instagram, and talk or chat to foreigners. The study also revealed that the learner encountered difficulties in grammar and pronunciations. As observed, the student was not able to communicate in English effectively – with many grammar lapses and mispronunciations. It was further revealed that motivation and constant practice in English communication is seen by the learner as means of overcoming such difficulties. In conclusion, the study drew that foreign language learning is more difficult because exposure to the language is so limited. However, giving more talks to students in the classroom will provide means for students to practice English as a foreign language, as well as exposure to different internet applications with English as a medium.