Taiwanese Undergraduates Research Articles

Influence of dynamic assessment on Taiwanese undergraduates and graduate students’ academic writing of research proposals

Abstract Dynamic assessment (DA) integrates assessment and instruction between the instructor and learners. It emphasizes the learning process. DA was introduced to 24 undergraduates and 9 graduate students in two academic writing courses in Taiwan. The analysis of the pre- and post-tests, writing portfolios, observations, and interviews reached the following major conclusions. First, participants had a positive attitude toward DA, particularly regarding expert evaluation as the mediation for identifying global and local errors. Secondly, the integration of DA influenced the participants’ academic writing on research proposals, particularly the structure and the use of the APA format. Thirdly, participants regarded the instructor’s model writing and the exemplary journal articles as useful mediations. Suggestions on the effective integration of DA into academic writing courses are provided.

Navigating Motivation: Freshmen’s Quest for English Proficiency in Taiwanese University Contexts

English language proficiency is crucial in today’s globalized world, prompting Taiwanese universities to mandate one to four years of English courses. With the implementation of a national bilingual education program for college students, universities aim to enhance English proficiency through Freshman English courses, facilitating a smooth transition to English-mediated instruction in subsequent years, particularly in specialized subjects. Despite the official emphasis on English’s importance for future success, the effectiveness of language instruction hinges on understanding students’ motivations. This study investigates English learning motivations among Taiwanese undergraduates, utilizing a Likert-scale questionnaire to discern general trends. The sample comprises 360 undergraduates from a northern Taiwanese university, with factor analysis revealing five motivational factors: intrinsic appreciation, instrumental motivation, external expectations motivation, exam-driven motivation, and interpersonal influence. These findings offer valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of English language learning motivations among Taiwanese freshmen, contributing to existing literature by highlighting nuanced motivational factors. The identified motivational factors hold implications for both theoretical understanding and pedagogical approaches, providing educators with insights to tailor instruction to students’ diverse motivations. This study aims to enrich the discourse on language learning motivation and serve as a foundation for future research in similar contexts.

Lend Me Your Ears: A Study on Taking the Role of Podcasters by Taiwanese EFL Learners

Podcasting has become a popular medium for people to express themselves and share their knowledge with a global audience. However, there is still a lack of research on how podcasting can be used as a tool for education and personal development. The current study, framed in Jenkins’ participatory culture where artistic expression and civic engagement are valued, aimed to fill this gap in research. Ten Taiwanese undergraduate English majors were invited to take the role of podcasters to create their original podcast programs and upload them to popular podcast platforms. A podcaster diary was also kept by each participant to document his/her experience as a podcaster. It was found that the participants generally enjoyed the experience of creating their first podcast programs. Their various podcast topics largely reflected their current lifestyles and interests. Multiple learning opportunities were afforded by this experience as the participants learned to use their voices to share their lives and display their knowledge. These results highlighted the potential of podcasting as a tool for personal and professional growth in the digital age. It is hoped that these results will offer important insights on how to help students open up windows of opportunities for personal learning and career enhancement.

Taiwanese undergraduates’ motivation, willingness to communicate, and use of English language on Facebook: A mediation model

I examined the effects of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and willingness to communicate on Taiwanese undergraduates’ use of the English language on Facebook. Structural equation modeling was adopted to test the hypotheses in the conceptual model with a sample of 320 Taiwanese undergraduates. The results showed that both intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation were significantly associated with students’ willingness to communicate and with their use of English on Facebook. Moreover, intrinsic motivation had a more powerful effect than did extrinsic motivation on willingness to communicate, and extrinsic motivation was negatively associated with use of English on Facebook. Willingness to communicate mediated the relationships between both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and use of English on Facebook. The findings suggest that fostering intrinsic motivation among students is crucial for enhancing willingness to communicate in English, which, in turn, has a positive impact on their English usage on Facebook.

How Did Taiwanese Undergraduate Students Perceive Their English Reading and Writing Abilities?

How Did Taiwanese Undergraduate Students Perceive Their English Reading and Writing Abilities?

Why Do Bystanders Become Cyberbullies? The Effect of Perceived Reasonableness of Online Messages on Bystanders' Aggressive Tendency and Its Underlying Mechanism.

The objectives of this study were to examine the influence of bystanders' perceived reasonableness of online messages on their aggressive tendency toward victims and to examine the mediating role of bystanders' attribution of responsibility to victims on their aggressive tendency toward the victims. Our study involved two parts: In Study 1, 295 Taiwanese undergraduates were recruited, and questionnaires were distributed to them to measure their perceived reasonableness of cyberbullying attacks. In Study 2, a total of 78 university students were recruited. The participants' perceived reasonableness of cyberbullying attacks was reduced through experimental manipulation. Subsequently, they were randomly assigned to a group with relatively low reasonableness or a control group. The results of both studies revealed that the participants' aggressive tendency toward the victim was influenced by their perceived reasonableness of cyberbully messages. The relation between perceived reasonableness and aggressive tendency was mediated by the participants' attribution of responsibility to the victim.

Measuring Cognitive and Social Interactive Attributes of Digital Natives: Development and Validation of a Scale.

Scholars refer to individuals who have been immersed in digital environments and who make easy use of digital languages to interact with the world as "digital natives," and Teo proposed four attributes of digital natives to illustrate their behavioral tendencies. We aimed to expand Teo's framework and to develop and validate the Scale of Digital Native Attributes (SDNA) for measuring cognitive and social interactive attributes of digital natives. Based on pre-test results, we retained 10 attributes and 37 SDNA items, with 3-4 items in each sub-dimension. We then recruited 887 Taiwanese undergraduates as respondents and conducted confirmatory factor analysis to establish construct validity. Moreover, the SDNA correlated with several other related measurements to demonstrate satisfactory criterion-related validity. Internal consistency was evaluated by McDonald's Omega (ω) and Cronbach's α coefficient, showing satisfactory reliability. This preliminary tool is now ready for cross validation and temporal reliability testing in further research.

Psychometric properties of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S) in the Taiwanese context

Academic engagement in recent years has become the focus of determining student learning and achievement. However,despite this growing awareness that has revolutionized academic policies and educational approaches, literature on engagement in the academic context is still in its infancy. This study seeks to remedy this through the confirmation of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students’ (UWES-S) promising psychometric properties and by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between academic engagement, personality traits, and social media addiction, a determinant that has yet to be explored. Our findings indicate that of the five personality traits analyzed, agreeableness had the strongest negative correlation with academic engagement, and perhaps equally as striking is the positive, albeit insignificant, association between social media and academic engagement. Furthermore, the most informative and least informative items for academic engagement were identified using IRT analysis. Finally, this study also addresses several gaps in the literature by determining that the one-factor construct of the UWES-S is an adequate measure of academic engagement compared to its three-factor counterpart and by demonstrating the measurement invariance of the UWES-S across gender, class year, and academic major in our sample of Taiwanese undergraduates.

Pilot Study of Attitudes of Taiwanese Veterinarians and Undergraduate Veterinary Students toward Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence.

Simple SummaryThere is a strong association between animal abuse and interpersonal violence; therefore, veterinarians may encounter both. Dealing with animal abuse cases is beneficial for advancing animal welfare and the overall public health. Veterinarians play an important professional role in identifying and responding to this relationship. This is the first study in Taiwan to investigate the current situation of animal abuse from the perspective of veterinarians. Our results established that the incidence of suspected physical animal abuse encountered by veterinarians in Taiwan was 0.16 cases per 100 patients, and 63.9% of our respondents had seen suspected of animal physical abuse in the past five years. Approximately 10% of animal abuse cases were likely concurrent with human abuse. Most respondents (about 80%) agreed that animal abuse and human abuse frequently co-occur. However, it did not affect their willingness to assist or report abuse. In total, 88.7% of respondents supported mandatory reporting of animal abuse. The results of this study underscore the urgent advancement of education and the importance of the crucial veterinary role in both animal and interpersonal abuse cases.There is a strong association between animal abuse and interpersonal violence; therefore, veterinarians may encounter both. Dealing with animal abuse cases is beneficial for advancing animal welfare and the overall public health. Veterinarians play an important role in identifying and responding to this relationship. This study estimated the incidence of animal abuse encountered by veterinarians, examined veterinarians’ awareness of the relationship between animal abuse and human abuse, examined veterinarians’ attitudes towards how they deal with abuse cases, and related demographic characteristics to their attitudes of intervention and the frequency of encountering abuse cases. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was designed and distributed through social media. Our results show that respondents’ motivation to interfere for animal abuse cases was positively related to their moral or legal responsibility, willingness to assist, and agreement of mandatory reporting. Our results indicated that respondents who believed they had been provided with adequate training were more willing to deal with animal abuse, more capable of distinguishing abuse cases, and did not believe that dealing with abuse cases was beyond their ability. However, more than 60% of our respondents self-evaluated that the animal cruelty awareness training courses were insufficient. Hence, in addition to the traditional role of veterinarians, identifying and responding to animal cruelty should be enhanced through education.

Examining English Ability-Grouping Practices by Aligning CEFR Levels with University-Level General English Courses in Taiwan

In higher education in Taiwan, mandatory general English courses like Freshman English adopt ability-grouping practices to assign students to classes of different proficiency levels. However, little research has explored the efficacy of ability-grouping criteria and standardized the language-proficiency description for general English courses of different proficiency levels. Thus, this study recruited 806 Taiwanese undergraduates from Freshman English classes of advanced, intermediate, and basic proficiency levels to take the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT), and compared their scores on the Joint College Entrance Examination English subject (namely the General Scholastic Ability Test, GSAT) with OOPT. The findings indicated that the ability-grouping criterion was effective to classify students into three groups of different proficiency levels. A positive relationship between the GSAT and OOPT scores was identified. A clear trend, but with some overlapping correspondence, was displayed between the class levels and Common European Framework of Reference levels derived from the OOPT scoring report. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future studies are provided.

Design Thinking and Creativity: An Empirical Study on Their Correlation

In the design field, creativity and design thinking are crucial attributes for professional designer. The current study attempts to examine these relationships through an empirical approach. Two studies were reported. In the first study, we found that everyday creativity was correlated with execution, collaboration, reasoning and reflection of design thinking ( r .32 - .35). In addition, scholar creativity was related to ideation ( r = .24) and reasoning and reflection of design thinking ( r = .31). The second study demonstrates that creativity was only related to reasoning and reflection ( r = .30). Furthermore, creative personality was related to reasoning and reflection ( r = .50), ideation ( r = .51), and collaboration ( r = .27). Several limitations were found and implications of studies were discussed. Keywords: Creativity, Design thinking, Design education, Taiwanese undergraduates, MANOVA DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-2-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2022

Do Taiwanese Undergraduate Students with SLD Use Different Learning Strategies than Students without These Disabilities?

AbstractThis study investigated the learning strategies that university students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) report using in the Chinese language context. Participants were 105 first‐year undergraduate students with SLD and 134 typically developing peers. Three questionnaires about reported reading/writing difficulties, metacognitive knowledge, and learning strategies were administered. Students with SLD reported using fewer learning strategies than students without SLD. The use of writing/research skills, which are the skills used to research topics from various sources in different ways (e.g., organizing writing projects, and monitoring for errors), significantly negatively predicted the reported reading/writing difficulties in both groups. These findings help expand our understanding of which learning strategies are useful for students with SLD and university instructors use more suitable techniques to facilitate the learning of these students.

Introducing the Concept of Consonance-Disconsonance of Best Practice: A Focus on the Development of 'Student Profiling'.

The present study, using a non-experimental approach, investigated a theoretical concept of best practice, which we recently introduced – namely: a ‘state of consonance’ and a ‘state of disconsonance’ of best practice. Consonance of best practice posits that different levels of best practice (e.g., low level of best practice versus optimal level of best practice), as well as other comparable psychological constructs (e.g., motivation towards learning) would cluster or ‘group’ together. Disconsonance of best practice, in contrast, would indicate non-overlapping of contrasting levels of best practice (i.e., low level of best practice versus optimal level of best practice). Taiwanese undergraduates (N = 831) from five private universities in Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan took part in the study by responding to a suite of Likert-scale questionnaires (e.g., Best Practice Questionnaires, Motivation towards Learning Questionnaire), which took approximately 30–35 min to complete. Cluster analysis, commonly known as ClA, was used to analyze the data and seek theoretical understanding into the nature of the consonance of best practice. Results, overall, showed support for our proposition, resulting in four distinct profiles: ‘a Balanced Profile,’ ‘an Intrinsic Motivation Profile,’ ‘a Current Best Practice + Interest Profile,’ and ‘a Current Best Practice + Motivation Profile.’ This evidence, helping to advance further research development, has a number of practical implications for consideration. For example, how could we use the Balanced Profile to develop learning objectives and/or pedagogical practices that would encourage students to enjoy their learning experiences?

Communicative language teaching and English as a foreign language undergraduates’ communicative competence in Tourism English

Due to the increasing demand of English-speaking professionals in the tourism and hospitality industry, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of implementing Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) on cultivating undergraduates' communicative competence in Tourism English in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. This study adopted mixed methods research design. 70 Taiwanese undergraduates were recruited to participate in the pretests (paper-based and oral-based), pre-questionnaires, posttests (paper-based and oral-based), post-questionnaires, and focus group interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed via descriptive analysis and paired-samples t-test. Qualitative data was examined by thematic analysis. Findings indicated that students' progress towards better communicative competence in paper-based tests and oral-based tests were both significant. Their perceptions of communicative competence also echoed the results. The findings of the study implied that Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) facilitates students’ English learning, raises their confidence, and enhances their communicative competence in Tourism English. This study ultimately provides practical suggestions for pedagogy.

Effectiveness of a theory of planned behavior-based intervention for promoting periodontal preventive behaviors among medical students in Taiwan

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of an oral self-care education intervention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior in Taiwanese undergraduates. Participants We recruited 63 and 90 students in the experimental group (EG) and comparison group (CG), respectively, from a medical university. Methods A quasi-experimental design was employed. The EG received health education and a brief action and coping planning intervention. Results The EG was significantly more likely to brush for more than 3 minutes (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.52), use the modified Bass brushing technique (aOR = 7.81), and floss (aOR = 21.21) at the 2-week follow-up than was the CG. At the 6-week follow-up, the combined effect of high action and coping planning with high perceived power for predicting floss use was observed in the EG (p < 0.05). Conclusions Intervention may promote periodontal-disease-preventing behaviors in undergraduates, particularly for achieving adherence to daily flossing.

Comparison of social and culture based risk perception of personal hygiene behaviours

This study investigated students' risk perceptions with respect to personal hygiene behaviours (PHBs) from a sociocultural perspective along three dimensions: oral intake, physical contact, and preventative. A framework for an ecological system incorporates personal-social-cultural schemata shaping one's PHBs was proposed. A questionnaire survey and interview were administrated to 113 Taiwanese undergraduates who rated their risk concerns regarding 22 PHBs items; interviews were also conducted post-questionnaire to solicit opinions regarding item responses. A descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and post hoc comparison were performed for quantitative data analysis while qualitative data quoting students' elaboration on their responses were presented. This study reached three main conclusions. First, there is a significant difference between the risk perception scores of oral intake PHBs compared to physical contact PHBs. Second, the risk perception scores between this study and the American survey differ significantly. Furthermore, 13 of the items are considered to be socioculturally-embedded PHBs, differing substantially between the two study populations. Therefore, this study suggests that, in order to promote health policy and education, biology, society and culture levels need to be considered.

Smartphone Dependence among Undergraduates in Taiwan

Smartphones have become a new means of communication and a major method of obtaining information. Dependence on or the excessive use of smartphones may affect health in the long term. However, little attention has been focused on smartphone use and dependence among undergraduates. Therefore, this study investigated the smartphone use behavior of Taiwanese undergraduates and their dependence on smartphones. A cross-sectional study design with a structured questionnaire was used for undergraduates aged≥20 years from four universities. The results suggested that the majority of participants, particularly women, experienced physical discomfort caused by smartphone use. Moreover, the participants exhibited a moderate to high dependence on smartphones. Smartphone use and dependence were both affected by family economic status, monthly allowance, and major. The findings indicated that health care providers, educators, and parents can play critical roles in encouraging the healthy use of smartphones among undergraduates.&#x0D;

Negative Cognitions Prior to Trauma Predict Acute Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology.

Based on emotional processing theory, preexisting negative cognitions may contribute to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The present study prospectively examined the association between preexisting PTSD-related cognitions and subsequent acute PTSD symptoms, and the potential mediators of this association. We also compared the effect of preexisting depressive cognitions and preexisting PTSD-related cognitions on PTSD symptoms. In the current study, 810 Taiwanese undergraduates completed a baseline survey (T1), of which 73.1% (n = 592) participated in a second survey two months later (T2). Of those who completed both surveys, 97 experienced a trauma at least one week before T2; this group comprised the final sample. Hierarchical regression showed that preexisting PTSD-related cognitions (β = .38, p < .001, sr2 = .117), but not preexisting depressive cognitions (β = .11, p = .315, sr2 = .011), were a significant and substantial predictor of acute PTSD symptoms after we controlled for established pretrauma risk factors (i.e., gender, prior trauma, and prior psychological problems). Multiple mediation analysis revealed that negative appraisal of symptoms (a1 b1 = 0.90, 95% CI [0.16, 2.18], PM = .251) and trauma-related rumination (a3 b3 = 1.23, 95% CI [0.23, 2.86], PM = .341), but not trauma memory disorganization (a2 b2 = 0.65, 95% CI [-0.17, 1.92], PM = .182), significantly mediated between preexisting PTSD-related cognitions and acute PTSD symptoms. Our findings highlight the role of preexisting negative cognitions in acute PTSD symptomatology. The development of PTSD symptoms is likely determined by the interaction of risk factors before and after trauma.

Development of the college-attendance value scale for second-year students in Taiwan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: to develop the college-attendance value scale (CAVS) in the Taiwan context to understand undergraduates’ reasons for or benefits from college education, and to examine how the value relates to additional motivational goals, academic performance, and expected terminal degree. Design/methodology/approach Data analyses involved sophomores (n=729) who completed a learning-experience survey that included CAVS of the personal value and collective value subscales, expected terminal degree, Achievement Goal Questionnaire, and cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Construct validity evidence was substantiated by the results of exploratory factor analysis (n=364) for two-factor identification, and by the results of confirmatory factor analysis (n=365) for a good model-fit. Findings The interrelations between variables in regression analysis supported the predictive validity; achievement goals were predictors of CGPA, while personal value was a sole predictor of expected terminal degree. Findings suggest that CAVS is a predictive measure for Taiwanese undergraduates’ academic performance and choices. Practical implications In terms of policy implications, college students’ values of college attendance should not only be regularly investigated by institutional research, but should be widely applied by university students, educators and administrators to facilitate the optimal learning development for each undergraduate. Originality/value The study develops a short but effective scale of college-attendance value for the Taiwanese students who usually attend college after graduating from high school. The CAVS is useful in manifesting the students’ major reasons for pursuing college education.

The Effect of Teacher Charisma on Student Attitude Towards Calculus Learning

Teachers with an understanding of what and how their teaching influence students’ learning are better able to adapt their teaching in the class. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between teacher charisma and student attitude towards calculus. There are 1,150 Taiwanese undergraduates participated the research and two instruments, Attitude Toward Calculus Inventory (ATCI) and Inventory of Teaching Charisma in the College Classroom (ITCCC), were used to assess the participants’ attitudes toward calculus and the perception about their teacher charisma. After collection of data, analyses including descriptive statistics, t test, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were performed in SPSS. The study concludes that there are differences between the attitude levels of students by gender; male students report more positive attitudes than females on calculus. Moreover, students’ perceptions of the teacher’s charisma were found to contribute significantly to the predictor equation for students’ attitude towards calculus.