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The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities. However, the growing body of work on hegemonic masculinity (HM) has paid insufficient attention to its role in and responses to state policies in the context of a pandemic. Using a case study of Taiwan – one of the few countries in the world to have successfully eradicated domestic outbreaks throughout most of the pandemic – I investigate the extent to which HM mediated an unrecognized sovereign state’s strategy for combating the pandemic but also its reinforcement of gendered hierarchies. I argue that China’s alienation of Taiwan in the international community is a form of HM and subsequently led to Taiwan’s militarized rhetoric with respect to COVID. I also contend that such HM at the international level was mirrored at the domestic level through the collective conceptualization of which patients were “legitimate” and which citizens were loyal. Yet, the domestic social responses to COVID-19 were gendered, classed, raced, and aged, further marginalizing those with protected characteristics. The study offers implications for how HM shapes who belongs as members of society and how citizenship is tied to individuals’ contributions to collective nationhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to unravel the key determinants of individuals' information seeking behavior during health crises. It challenges conventional perspectives that solely emphasize individual experiences. It also undermines frameworks that draw direct parallels between individual experiences and media factors, disregarding the mediating role of media. Models like the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS) also have limitations as they prioritize media mediation over recognizing the direct impacts of individual experiences on information seeking behaviors. We hereby propose a framework, the Media-Mediated Model of Information Seeking Behavior, that sheds light on the interplay between individual and media experiences. Analysis of survey data involving 5,469 participants in three Chinese societies, including mainland China (n = 2,067), Hong Kong (n = 1,913), and Taiwan (n = 1,489), reveals that individual experiences have both direct and indirect effects on information seeking, mediated by media utility. Experience of symptoms and risk perception depend on people's perceptions of the utility of media, while efficacy and media trust directly influence information seeking behaviors. These findings contribute to theoretical understanding and offer practical guidelines. Public institutions and health promoters can leverage media platforms to shape people's perceptions of health issues and encourage active information behaviors. It is also crucial to prioritize cultivating public trust in media and efficacy during crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior work has shown Americans have higher levels of memory specificity than East Asians. Neuroimaging studies have not investigated mechanisms that account for cultural differences at retrieval. In this study, we use fMRI to assess whether mnemonic discrimination, distinguishing novel from previously encountered stimuli, accounts for cultural differences in memory. Fifty-five American and 55 Taiwanese young adults completed an object recognition paradigm testing discrimination of old targets, similar lures and novel foils. Mnemonic discrimination was tested by comparing discrimination of similar lures from studied targets, and results showed the relationship between activity in right fusiform gyrus and behavioural discrimination between target and lure objects differed across cultural groups. Parametric modulation analyses of activity during lure correct rejections also indicated that groups differed in left superior parietal cortex response to variations in lure similarity. Additional analyses of old vs. new activity indicated that Americans and Taiwanese differ in the neural activity supporting general object recognition in the hippocampus, left inferior frontal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus. Results are juxtaposed against comparisons of the regions activated in common across the two cultures. Overall, Americans and Taiwanese differ in the extent to which they recruit visual processing and attention modulating brain regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While in recent years, the introduction of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) courses has been increasing in Taiwanese and Vietnamese universities, use of EMI courses is still in an early phase, and their effectiveness remains under-explored in both territories. This study aims to develop an EMI effectiveness scale and apply importance-performance analysis (IPA) to measure student assessment of EMI courses based on that scale. Using the convenience sampling method with structured questionnaires to collect the data, 815 usable samples were collected, representing 490 Taiwanese and 325 Vietnamese undergraduate students. The findings describe successful development of an EMI effectiveness scale comprised of three factors with 19 items. IPA analysis determined that, in both territories, the most important EMI factor considered was the teachers' teaching characteristics, while 'cross-cultural and international outlook development' was perceived as the most underperformed and least important dimension. The analysis also shows that different territories have various weaknesses and strengths in EMI; territories could benefit from studying other territories' outperforming areas. Suggestions for improving EMI in both territories' university contexts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) was found to significantly improve cognitive function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia in the UK. However, indigenous research on older adults with dementia in Taiwan is scarce. Therefore, this study developed and investigated the effects of a Taiwan version of group CST (CST-T) through a quasi-experimental trial. Excluding the dropouts, there were 13 experimental participants (M = 78.9 ± 9.0) and 13 control participants (77.9 ± 5.6). The results indicated significant improvements in cognitive function, QOL, and daily life functioning in the experimental group compared with the control group, and these effects remained evident at a 3-month follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present survey research investigated older people's volunteering competency relating to social inequality by exploring the latent ability profile and demographic correlates of 1,000 older volunteers in 73 community care centersin southern Taiwan. Older volunteers were classified into advanced (n = 509), basic (n = 214), and novice (n = 277) groups. Demographics examined included: individualistic characteristics (religious beliefs), resources (education; number of chronic diseases), andsocial factors (serving area and spoken language, volunteering duration, marital status, and gender). Apparent inequality issues were revealed. The advanced group was better educated, Mandarin-speaking, and in urban areas. while the novice group featured the opposite (lower education Taiwanese-speaking suburban areas). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tension between broadening university capacity and maintaining quality is a global phenomenon. While numerous studies have analysed the enactments of various policies that aimed to address declining university quality, few have examined the underlying beliefs that define what is conceptualised as a 'quality problem' within the policy proposals. Utilising Carol Bacchi's 'What's the Problem Represented to be?' (WPR) approach, this study provides a nuanced analysis of this issue, centring on an underexplored aspect: how the 'quality' is made to be a particular kind of problem within a specific policy. Specifically, it scrutinises an uncommon policy in Taiwan – proposing the reduction of university places as a solution to declining quality – to critically analyse what quality is established as 'reality' that set limits on how higher education can be thought. A central thesis of this analysis is that higher education system comes into existence through ongoing formation as specific kind of object rather than existing as a fixed entity. Understanding the construction of quality problem and the objectification of higher education requires a critical examination of the underlying assumptions and a detailed mapping of heterogeneous practices that create forms of authority for certain perceptions of 'quality' accepted as true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a fine-grained measure for evaluating syntactic abilities in Mandarin-speaking children for educational and clinical purposes as a supplement to MLU. Method: In total, 99 typically developing children, aged 2;0 to 5;11, living in Taipei, Taiwan, participated in this study. Spontaneous language samples were elicited in free-play situations. The first 100 intelligible utterances were coded with a newly developed scheme: the Mandarin Assessment of Productive Syntax-Revised (MAPS-R). For the examination of concurrent validity, MLU was also computed. Results: Significant age-related differences were observed in both MLU and MAPS-R scores. Strong correlations were found between MLU and MAPS-R scores, confirming the validity of MAPS-R as a measure of syntactic development. MAPS-R further revealed that Mandarin-speaking children expanded noun phrases with the general classifier 'GE' very early on, followed by a locative expression. Verb expansions began with resultative complements and aspect markers. Sentences with complex predication structures, such as serial verbs/pivotal sentences, were still not widely used when the MLU value is below 4.5. Conclusions: The study showed that MAPS-R is a reliable and valid measure that can provide a rich profile of the syntactic development of Mandarin-speaking children. It can be a useful reference for speech therapists to set a baseline for developing language intervention plans and to monitor their outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life history of the Taiwanese spider wasp Minotocyphus formosanus (Pompilidae: Pepsinae) is reported, including the developmental process of the immature stages. The larva was attached by the spider wasp to the abdomen of the funnel-web spider Macrothele hungae (Mygalomorphae: Macrothelidae). In terms of mode of life, M. formosanus was established as a koinobiont ectoparasitoid. These biological findings are the first reports for not only the species M. formosanus, but also the genus Minotocyphus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many epidemiologic studies have reported an association between high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and increased mortality rates. Concurrently an association between decreased concentration of these airborne PM2.5 pollutants and a decline in mortality frequency was noted in certain investigations globally; however, only a very few of these studies were conducted in Asia. Taiwan was found to exhibit a 30% decline in ambient PM2.5 levels over the last 20 years. The aim of this ecological investigation was to examine the contribution of annual reductions in ambient PM2.5 to changes in age-standardized natural-cause mortality rates (ASRs) in 65 townships in Taiwan from 2006 to 2020 controlling for lung cancer mortality rate, physician density, and annual household income. Data demonstrated a 0.9/105 fall in adjusted ASR for every 10 ug/m3 reduction in mean annual PM2.5 level in Taiwan during this 14-year period, suggesting a significant association between reductions in ambient PM2.5 levels and decreases in natural-cause mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social investment has emerged as a new policy paradigm in the world. The social investment transformation has triggered the 'resource-transfer' game in advanced welfare states. This study illustrates that this argument is problematic when we focus on the SI transformation in East Asian welfare states. By examining the Taiwanese welfare state, we found that the compressed modernity resulted in resource competition. After democratization, political actors exploited a window of opportunity to introduce income-protection to attract political support and votes. As a result, the old-age-oriented welfare state was consolidated, weakening the state's financial capacity in expanding active social policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines the Silicon Shield argument, which suggests that Taiwan's semiconductor industry deters Chinese aggression due to global reliance. The main argument is that this narrative lacks rigorous academic grounding and serves more as a hopeful story than a credible deterrent. By analyzing the concept under the backdrop of grand theories in international relations, the paper addresses a gap in understanding the security implications of Taiwan's semiconductor industry. It concludes that the Silicon Shield is largely a hopeful narrative. This research provides a foundation for further empirical studies and encourages academic discourse on Taiwan’s security dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for home-based eldercare, especially for those with dementia, has been growing as societies age; in this context, the acute shortage of local care labor has resulted in the use of migrant workers in many countries. Taiwan, Singapore, and Austria, all emphasizing the family’s responsibility for eldercare, have long histories of recruiting migrant workers for home-based eldercare. However, cases of mistreatment of migrant caregivers and care recipients have aroused public concern regarding migrant workers’ care capabilities and working conditions. Migrant caregivers have also reported that their lack of care skills and sufficient rest hamper their work with care recipients who have dementia. This commentary provides a critical review of the laws and policies pertaining to live-in migrant care workers’ care capabilities and working conditions; the effects of such legal frameworks; and recent changes in Taiwan, Singapore, and Austria. This article enhances our cross-country understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of using foreign labor for eldercare in private homes. Governments should enact legislation that supports live-in migrant care workers’ care capabilities and welfare, thereby also improving the well-being of care recipients and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fashion is now seen as a form of identity associated with everyday life in human society. However, it did not originate as a term with this definition. Instead the concept has been polished through the course of history. The transition from clothing as political tool, to fashion as identity, in the Chinese context did not happen overnight. This study unpacks the complex transition that not only unfolded through vital periods and various iconic events in China, but also involved and impacted upon individuals in their daily lives. Drawing on historical records in clothing/costume museums in Beijing and Shanghai, the study investigates the shift from premodern clothing toward an understanding of modern Chinese identity and clothing. In particular, the article focuses on the multiple interpretations of hybrid dress in Shanghai during the transitional period from late Qing to Republican China. The research finds that the evolving of identity of fashion was embedded in the changing identity of wearers as well as other participants in the fashion chain, which are interlocked and mutually reinforced each other in this socio-political cultural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, conducted in June and July 2022 through purposive sampling, aimed to explore the relationship between sleep and health performance in 33 pairs of elderly individuals and their migrant caregivers in southern Taiwan. Participants completed a structured questionnaire and wore an Actiwatch for seven days. Pearson correlation and independent t-test were used for analysis. Nearly 50% of foreign home care workers suffered from insomnia, and 80% of elderly care recipients with disabilities experienced sleep disorders. The number of chronic illnesses and/or dementia among the elderly and insomnia among care workers were associated with poor self-perceived health (r = –0.667, p <.001) and sleep disorders among the elderly (r = 0.368, p =.035). The problem of caregiving should be addressed. Future studies should increase the sample size and extend the duration of the study to enhance the generalizability of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review assesses interventions to reduce loneliness in Chinese older adults, analyzing 36 studies involving 3965 participants. Focusing on individuals aged 50 and over, the meta-analysis reveals a significant overall effect size (Hedges' g = 0.937, 95% CI [0.71,1.16], p<0.001), highlighting the effectiveness of psychological and mixed-method approaches. Despite promising results, methodological concerns suggest cautious interpretation. Future research should aim to refine intervention quality and examine the impact of technology-supported methods on loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilised the instant semantic analysis and feedback system (ISAFS) to assist learners in the online discussion learning activities of socio-scientific issues (SSIs) and to document their learning process behaviours for behavioural analyses. The aim was to understand the learners' discussion behaviours during the ISAFS assisted learning process and to guide them in exhibiting more effective discussion behaviours in order to facilitate the learning effectiveness of online asynchronous discussions. The research participants were 55 eleventh-grade students from a senior high school in northeastern Taiwan. A single pre-experimental group design was adopted to collect the learning process data. Eventually, 34 effective samples were considered following the online discussions. The results showed that learners with distinct computer-mediated communication competences and personality traits have different behaviour patterns. Overall, the behavioural analyses reveal that different learning behaviours would result in distinct learning effectiveness, and that learners with different computer-mediated communication competences and personality traits would present various learning behaviours. Based on the research results, suggestions for the application of ISAFS in teaching and implications for future developments are proposed. The findings could be instrumental in the improvement of the teaching process through online discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined phonological processing as reflected in Mandarin word and non-word repetition. Issues related to dementia effects, age effects, and linguistic variables are discussed. Forty-five speakers of Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan took part in this study. Fourteen seniors with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 14 healthy adults, and 17 healthy seniors individually completed a task of word repetition. Scores of accurate repetition were calculated, and error types as well as error frequency were analysed. Linguistic variables, including lexicality, frequency, non-word, and syllable length, were discussed. Major findings were indicative of a significant dementia effect, in which participants with AD were significantly impaired in repeating words with more syllables, specifically 5-syllable non-words of low frequency. Numerous significant age effects were noted. Theoretical implications and directions for future study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2008, the Taiwan Ministry of Education has been encouraging government agencies and private organizations to establish Active aging learning centers (AALCs). This has led to the engagement of AALCs across communities in Taiwan. We explored AALC organizers' experiences with negotiations during program planning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 AALC program planners: five men and 13 women. They were aged 38–75 years, with an average age of 56 years. The interview data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. The results indicated that the interviewees managed the opinions and needs of various policy planners, internal and external departments, groups, and individuals. The interviewees also noted that new directions and concepts for courses were the foundation for negotiations. The internal negotiation was based on the needs of the older adults, whereas external negotiation was based on mutually beneficial relationships. To set goals and establish systems for cooperation and program development, the interviewees had to consider a range of opinions. Under shared policies and regulations, they negotiated the interests and needs of all parties and considered the community's characteristics to develop older adult learning courses. In conclusion, understanding the outcomes of negotiations facilitates not only the planning of courses that cater to specific needs and characteristics but also the integration of older adult learning into the community, thereby promoting lifelong learning, intergenerational integration, and local development. The findings of this study can serve as references for AALCs during negotiations, communication, management, and program planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses document, observation, and interview to analyze ten Taiwanese elementary school English teachers' practice and exercise of leadership among other colleagues during professional dialogue and to examine what influenced the practice of leadership. This study has the following major findings. First, participants' leadership was mainly centered on improving colleagues' teaching and learning practices, rather than traditional leadership in terms of power and authority. Secondly, lack of time, negotiating with administrators, consensus among teachers, and expertise in English instruction affected participants' effectiveness in leading the meetings and discussions. Suggestions on effectively exercise leadership in professional dialogue are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To improve the quality of community health nursing practice, the learning outcomes of nursing students in community health nursing courses must be enhanced. Although the flipped classroom is considered an effective innovative teaching strategy, evidence of its application in community health nursing courses is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of a flipped classroom approach on community nursing competence, academic performance, course engagement, and learning satisfaction for a community health nursing course. Design: A quasi-experimental study design was adopted between September 2021 and January 2022. Methods: Two classes of nursing students (n = 92) from a 2-year nursing program at a university in Taiwan were recruited. The classes were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 50) that attended a flipped classroom and the control group (n = 42) that received traditional lecture-based instruction. Findings: Compared with the control group, the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in community nursing competence (p =.012) and significantly higher academic performance (p =.005). In addition, the course engagement and learning satisfaction of the two groups were high, but not significantly different. Conclusions: A flipped classroom can be an important strategy to enhance community nursing competence and academic performance. Clinical Evidence: The flipped classroom strategy can enhance community nursing competence of nursing students, which may improve the quality of population-based healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most corporate projects suffer from the problem of scope creep, despite of the methodologies available to cope with this issue. Organisations have utilised computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) approaches to enhance employees' project management (PM) training. Most prior studies on CSCL and PM focus on the application of CSCL for PM training in the contexts of educational institutions. It is thus uncertain that their findings are applicable to the real-world PM situations. Additionally, those studies did not specifically investigate the effects of key PM-related CSCL features on PM learning. Therefore, this study identifies and empirically investigate the effects of the key CSCL features, namely goal orientation, individual accountability, and structured interaction, on the level of scope completeness and the effectiveness of stakeholder management (SHM) in a context in which an online case-based collaborative learning system was implemented for PM learning purposes. Data collected from 264 PM professionals were analyzed using the method of partial least squares to examine the proposed research model. The results show that all the three key CSCL features have a significant direct/indirect influence on the level of scope completeness and the SHM effectiveness. Implications for theory and practice, research limitations, and future research directions are discussed correspondingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Registered Nurses working in residential aged care facilities pertaining to pain management for residents living with dementia. Background: Sub-optimal pain management continues for people living with dementia in residential aged care. Registered Nurses are the pivotal staff responsible for complex assessment and management of people residing in residential aged care facilities. Design and methods: :This integrative literature review was informed by Whittemore (2005). Searching and screening followed the PRISMA guidelines. Results: Thirteen papers were identified, the major themes identified were gaps in knowledge and skills, uncertainty of assessment, and delays in treatment. Conclusion: Registered Nurses require education on pain management for people living with dementia in residential aged care. Broader issues in residential aged care contribute to the problem and require examination. Research pertaining to Registered Nurses' roles pain management for residents living with dementia is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on deliberative democracy that contains a detailed discussion of its relationship to justice in Indigenous territory is limited. Through a case study of the controversy over a solar energy project on Kanaluvang tribal land in Taiwan, this article explores how issues of energy justice are constructed in multiple communication and deliberative sites of the governance system and the role of Indigenous activism and deliberation in addressing energy injustice. The research methods used are documentary analysis and in-depth interviews. The study presents a discursive narrative on the interconnected nature of the climate–energy–biodiversity nexus and how Indigenous activism creates deliberative spaces which reinforce Indigenous empowered space and oriented toward social learning and respect for tribal sovereignty. Indigenous activism and deliberation illuminate the emancipatory elements of Indigenous energy justice. It is crucial to connect multiple forms of tribal communication to the wider democratic system in the pursuit of energy justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile payment risk has become a critical cybersecurity factor in the cashless society. The outbreak of COVID-19 helped proliferate mobile payments that also bring significant risks to users. Using AI methods, this study analyzed six dimensions of mobile payment risks (financial, privacy, performance, psychology, time, and security) in a survey of 748 respondents from three countries (UK, Taiwan, and Mozambique). The decision tree method was employed to identify and analyze critical perceived risks. The ANOVA test provided insights on the perceived risks between countries. The ANOVA test showed that UK users were concerned about financial and time risks; those in Mozambique were concerned about performance, psychological, and security risks; and those in Taiwan were concerned about privacy risks. The results revealed that decision trees outperformed other methods (such as neural networks, logistic regression, support vector machine (SVM), random forest, and Naïve Bayes models). Performance risk (Taiwan and Mozambique) and security risk (UK) are the most significant factors. Cultural differences influence mobile payment risk perception in different countries. The risk-reduction strategies were also matched to the critical factors by the decision tree. This showed that simplification and risk-sharing strategies were the major tactics in all three countries. The clarification strategy works for Taiwan and Mozambique, which focuses on the benefits of using mobile payments. The results suggest that enterprises should improve and simplify the mobile payment process and collaborate with the third parties to reduce and share cybersecurity risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported for decades that preschool children (age 4-7) tend to assign non-adult-like interpretations for sentences with pre-subject exclusive only. This study reports findings from two experiments investigating (1) the effects of (in)congruent implicit questions in discourse contexts and (2) word order transformation on children's interpretations of Mandarin pre-subject zhiyou 'only'. Experiment 1 showed that children performed non-adult-like in the incongruent discourse condition, similar to the patterns found in previous studies, but adult-like in the congruent discourse condition. Experiment 2 showed that using sentences similar to English 'Those who ate apples was only the boy' where the VP precedes the subject NP with zhiyou 'only' was not sufficient to overcome the processing difficulty caused by the incongruent discourse for preschool children. The results demonstrate that a congruent context taking the VP as the background (i.e., given and salient information) in Experiment 1, but not the syntactic manipulation in Experiment 2, is sufficient for children to interpret sentences with pre-subject zhiyou 'only' at an adult-like level of accuracy. The findings demonstrate that children have the syntactic knowledge for sentences with exclusive zhiyou 'only', but the discourse incongruence hinders them from correctly interpreting sentences with exclusive zhiyou 'only' when it is in pre-subject position.It has been reported for decades that preschool children (age 4-7) tend to assign non-adult-like interpretations for sentences with pre-subject exclusive only. This study reports findings from two experiments investigating (1) the effects of (in)congruent implicit questions in discourse contexts and (2) word order transformation on children's interpretations of Mandarin pre-subject zhiyou 'only'. Experiment 1 showed that children performed non-adult-like in the incongruent discourse condition, similar to the patterns found in previous studies, but adult-like in the congruent discourse condition. Experiment 2 showed that using sentences similar to English 'Those who ate apples was only the boy' where the VP precedes the subject NP with zhiyou 'only' was not sufficient to overcome the processing difficulty caused by the incongruent discourse for preschool children. The results demonstrate that a congruent context taking the VP as the background (i.e., given and salient information) in Experiment 1, but not the syntactic manipulation in Experiment 2, is sufficient for children to interpret sentences with pre-subject zhiyou 'only' at an adult-like level of accuracy. The findings demonstrate that children have the syntactic knowledge for sentences with exclusive zhiyou 'only', but the discourse incongruence hinders them from correctly interpreting sentences with exclusive zhiyou 'only' when it is in pre-subject position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on cultural capital theory, this study investigates the activities of the National Taiwan Library (NTL) to understand how public libraries promote social inclusion by providing access to cultural resources that enhance individual and community cultural capital. The research examines how NTL contributes to the accumulation of cultural capital through its collections, programs, and services tailored to diverse groups. The findings highlight the transformative potential of public libraries in addressing societal inequalities by empowering individuals with the knowledge and cultural competence needed for active participation in society. The study underscores the importance of public libraries in bridging cultural divides and fostering a more inclusive community through strategic cultural capital development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following upon a prior survey of 631 North American law enforcement officers, and in light of heightened concerns about false confessions, we assessed the interrogation practices and beliefs of 551 police investigators in Taiwan. Overall, participants estimated that they were 66% accurate at truth and lie detection, that 48% of suspects waived their rights, that they elicited self-incriminating statements from 75% of all suspects, and that 27% of suspects confessed in the presence of their attorney. Of particular note is the self-report by participants that 72% of their interrogation sessions were fully recorded. With regard to the use of various interrogation techniques, participants estimated that they often identified contradictions in the suspect’s story, confronted the suspect with actual evidence, appealed to the suspect’s self-interests, and isolated the suspect from family and friends. We discussed the consistency of our findings with prior research, addressed potential shortcomings, and made recommendations to future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the behaviour patterns of four key roles within Army units – policy initiators, policymakers, implementers (or supervisors), and policy beneficiaries – during the development of new policies, defined by the Army as those significantly diverging from previous practices. The research finds that when policymakers and implementers align with initiators and adopt a policy beneficiary-centred approach throughout planning, execution, and evaluation, there is a positive correlation with the policy’s long-term sustainability. Conversely, when policymakers operate within an authoritarian or hierarchical culture, focusing on the demands of initiators rather than addressing the needs of the policy beneficiaries, the policy outcomes often fall short. Through in-depth interviews with senior officers and surveys of Army personnel regarding policies that promote voluntary activities for soldiers, the study identifies these roles and analyzes their dynamics. Statistical methods, including T-tests, R programming (Central Limit Theorem, Monte Carlo Method), and decision tree analysis, validate the hypotheses. The study’s findings contribute to existing literature by offering a “gear model” centered on policy beneficiaries, providing a practical framework for future policy development. This model underscores the importance of considering all roles in policy formulation to ensure effective and sustainable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian middle powers are adopting strategies to address emerging hybrid warfare threats by building a web of partnerships with capable and advanced states. This shows an inflection point in the foreign behaviours of Asian states, which have been largely regarded as hedgers between the US and China. To demonstrate the relationship between hybrid threats and complex alignment, this study focuses on three second-tier Indo-Pacific states: South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. South Korea has opened a new era of the trilateral relationship with the US and Japan, and has released its revised cybersecurity strategy emphasising liberal international cooperation against North Korea’s and other hybrid threats, while deepening its cyber and technology cooperation with like-minded states. Singapore has sought to further develop its relationship with the US, whilst maintaining ties with Taiwan; such an arrangement provides an opportunity for the two countries to promote joint leadership to support minilateral efforts in countering Chinese hybrid warfare threats. Over the past two decades, minilateral cooperation has become increasingly popular among Asian states that are implementing institutional balancing against the newly emerging threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper starts with the introduction of the “neo-colonial division system” as a core problematic, which both historically and geographically inscribes subalternity in South Korea. Then it explains the subalternity in Taiwan, Chen Yingzhen’s literary practice as an intellectual movement, and the significance of referencing Taiwan to South Korea. With this it revisits the setbacks of the South Korean intellectual movements in the 1980s and explores a new starting point for the intellectual movements in South Korea. Within this framework of reference, the thesis on people’s literature proposed by Park Hyun-chae in the 1980s is re-evaluated. Although Park Hyun-chae was deeply restricted by the asymmetry of knowledge within the neo-colonial anti-communist system, as one of the few surviving left-wing intellectuals, he insisted on loving the people and consistently reflected on the ethical issue of intellectuals. However, he was unable to escape the constraints of the intellectual asymmetry in knowledge and the pitfall of the absence of reference points within the Cold War/division system. Thus, rereading Park Hyun-chae illuminates the starting point, method, and direction of restarting the intellectual movements in South Korea, that is, “people, region, and culture.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay engages with Jon Douglas Solomon’s The Taiwan Consensus and the Ethos of Area Studies in Pax Americana, moving in two parts. It first provides an overview of the Solomon’s critique of Pax Americana: the way American economic, military, and diplomatic power is projected throughout the world to consolidate the interests of the neo-liberal capitalist system. Pax Americana operates through “colonial governmentality under erasure” (5), in which post-colonial nations becoming willing participants in a subordinate relationship to the United States. Taiwan is one such client-state, and Solomon seeks to challenge the “Taiwan consensus” (120), which presents Taiwan in the terms of a successfully transitioned liberal democracy rather than as a “laboratory of engineered self-determination” and “colonial governmentality under erasure” (29). For Solomon, the only way to move beyond Pax Americana is to critique the “modern regime of translation” (6), which imagines the world as divided by civilizational and national units grounded in notions of anthropological essence. Solomon calls for a decolonization of Area Studies through a repudiation of the regime of translation, a move born out of a desire to build a social critique grounded in “revolutionary demands for justice in the present” (217). The second section of this essay presents a series of questions I have regarding Solomon’s project, concerns which predominately revolve around the relationship between Marxism and the Chinese humanist tradition. These are questions that a Sinologist brings to their work, a field which is concerned with not just questions of revolutionary rupture but cultural continuity as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAmid United States-led efforts to internationalize and multilateralize support for Taiwan and cross-Strait deterrence in response to mounting coercive pressure from China, the April 2021 and May 2021 U.S.-Japan and U.S.-South Korea summit statements’ unprecedented references to ‘peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait’ triggered global headlines. In the 3 years since, U.S. expectations for treaty allies to do and say more in support of Taiwan and cross-Strait deterrence have surged. But what of the perspectives and policies of key front-line treaty allies Japan and Korea, each host to tens of thousands of forward-­deployed U.S. forces? This study comparatively analyzes the historical and contemporary evolution of Japanese and Korean positions and policies vis-à-vis Taiwan and the role their leaders see for their country and respective alliance with the U.S. in the event of a ‘regional contingency’: a conflict not involving—at least initially—armed attacks on ally-administered territory. After highlighting the similarities between Seoul’s and Tokyo’s intentionally ambiguous positions on Taiwan’s status, it explores important differences in each allies’ willingness to deepen practical engagement with Taiwan, to expand their respective alliance’s focus beyond territorial defense, and to stretch the bounds of the ally’s own potential contributions in a regional contingency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As of 2022, more than 1,900 cities around the world had implemented bike-sharing systems (BSSs) with docking stations. Because there is a limit on how far most people are willing to walk to and from BSS stations, maximal coverage models have been a popular approach to optimizing dock station locations. Existing maximal coverage models, however, mainly evaluate demand coverage based on proximity to individual stations without considering the fact that BSS users must have dock stations convenient to both their pickup and drop-off sites. Given this, traditional single-node maximal coverage models might not locate stations to maximize the number of complete-able trips and will also tend to overestimate the coverage of demand. This study proposes a flow termini coverage model (FTCM) to locate BSS stations by considering the flow-based BSS usage demands and network connectivity. The model is tested on the Youbike system in Taipei, one of the most heavily used dock-station BSSs worldwide. This study compares the FTCM with both the traditional single-station maximal coverage model and Taipei's official planning strategy. Results suggest that the FTCM consistently covers more origin–destination trips, especially in areas with unbalanced BSS usage. We also provide discussion on the cost–benefit trade-offs for transportation planners to choose the most appropriate modeling approaches. The FTCM could also be adapted to optimizing micromobility hubs for parking dockless shared bikes and e-scooters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the factors influencing the willingness of older cancer patients to receive palliative care, considering the 'person-centered' approach to advance care planning in Taiwan. Autonomy challenges are prevalent among these patients. The retrospective study, conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in southern Taiwan from June 2020 to December 2022, included 195 eligible older cancer patients. Logistic regression was utilized to analyze factors influencing their willingness for palliative care. The optimal logistic regression analysis identified five key factors associated with receiving palliative care: age (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.20–0.92), educational level (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.27–6.25), metastatic disease (OR, 4.62; 95% CI, 2.08–10.27), hospice and palliative care knowledge (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.11–1.57), and attitude (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.12–1.33). The findings suggest that younger, more educated patients with metastatic disease, higher knowledge of hospice and palliative care, and positive attitudes toward these services were more likely to receive palliative care. Patients' awareness of hospice and palliative care, attitudes shaped by such awareness, and disease status significantly influenced their willingness to undergo palliative care. This highlights the increasing vulnerability of older cancer patients to decision-making challenges as their illness progresses, emphasizing the importance of initiating conversations about advance care planning early on. Healthcare practitioners are urged to actively advocate for these discussions, particularly considering the decline in decision-making capacity as the disease advances. Future research should focus on empowering individuals in making end-of-life care choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducts a systemic comparison of minimum wage decision-making in Korea and Taiwan. It demonstrates that Korea's big-business-dominated economy builds confrontational labour–business relations to be exploited by political parties, resulting in partisan decisions on the minimum wage, to a greater extent than Taiwan's more mixed economy. A large social divide based on the economic structure translates into a substantial partisan difference in minimum wage policies, when endorsed by the unique features of the minimum wage issue and carried out through the agents of the tripartite commission. As seen from the outcomes, a marked difference exists between Korea and Taiwan: Korea shows a dramatic fluctuation in annual minimum-wage increases, whereas Taiwan's increases remain stable across different governments. Korean governments actively respond to their core constituencies, whether labour or business, while Taiwan governments seek to strike a balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan's music festival landscape has blossomed, attracting global music enthusiasts with its cultural richness and diverse offerings. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), a survey of festival-goers revealed the intricate relationships among factors like skill performance, self-congruence, ambiance, and consumer interaction, shaping authenticity, satisfaction, destination loyalty, and behavioral intentions. Interestingly, memory was identified as a moderating role, which interlinking satisfaction, behavioral intentions, and destination loyalty. These findings provide both theoretical insights and practical strategies for enhancing festival experiences and cultivating destination loyalty within Taiwan's thriving music scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glocalization is the local adaptation of global trends, and though it has been extensively studied in other fields, there has been a lower emphasis on it in pedagogy. Glocalization is especially relevant in education given that pedagogical approaches to language learning such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English as a Lingua franca (ELF) have gained global popularity. The current paper examines beliefs, attitudes, and training needs of in-service CLIL teachers from two contexts: Taiwan and Andalusia (Spain). To this avail, a common online questionnaire was designed. 244 teachers participated in the study, 158 from Taiwan and 86 from Spain. Data have been analyzed quantitatively using the constant comparative model. Results indicate that CLIL teachers have considerable methodological and linguistic needs. Notably, while all teachers indicated a metalinguistic identity aligned with ELF, Andalusian teachers expressed a higher need for linguistic training than Taiwanese teachers and put language accuracy prior to content knowledge when assessing bilingual learning effectiveness. Conversely, Taiwanese bilingual teachers valued content training for themselves and assessment in content knowledge for learners. The present study concludes with identifying different training needs in each context thus supporting the notion of glocalizing CLIL teacher training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Live streaming shopping (LSS) has become a means of increasing sales and has become a crucial research topic. Drawing on uncertainty reduction theory, parasocial relationship theory, and social influence theory, this study develops a research model to investigate the factors affecting LSS viewers' continued watching and purchase intentions. The results indicate that the real-time multiparty interactivity of LSS offers information from two sources that can satisfy the long-term viewers' needs for information. The first is the viewer's perceived affinity with the streamer based on the information shared by the streamer. These perceptions lead to the development of a parasocial relationship, promoting identification with the streamer. The second is the shared communication network (SCN) comprising the audience watching the LSS content. This SCN generates social influence; coviewers' endorsements and trustworthiness are internalised and influence the perceived credibility of the streamer and can promote identification with the streamer. Parasocial relationships, credibility, and identification with the streamer increase viewers' intention to continue to watch LSS content and to purchase the products sold by the streamer. This study contributes to the LSS literature by investigating the influence of viewer–viewer interactions and highlighting the importance of the SCN in maintaining streamer–viewer relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of providing integrated care for older people. Taiwan is the fastest aging country in the world. In 2016, Taiwan implemented the Long-Term Care Plan 2.0 (TLTCP 2.0), aimed at providing integrated long-term care (LTC) services in communities. However, LTC service agencies have not been able to evaluate the level of integrated care they provide due to the lack of an effective assessment tool. To address this need, this study sets out to develop an integration assessment tool, namely the Self-Assessment for Service Integration in Long-Term Care (SASI-LTC), which will allow LTC agencies to self-evaluate their current level of integration from multiple perspectives. The SASI-LTC was developed based on Evashwick's framework, underwent two rounds of Delphi panels with twenty-six experts, and a pilot test with 243 valid questionnaires from administrators of Tier A agencies who are responsible for integrating LTC. The Delphi experts assessed the content with high levels of agreement using medians, the scale content validity index (SCVI) and item content validity index (ICVI). The SASI-LTC included four domains (inter-entity organization and management, integrated care coordination, integrated resources, and integrated information systems) with thirty items. The SASI-LTC showed good reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.94) and good validity, and a confirmatory factor analysis showed a good model fit index [χ2/df = 1.38; RMSEA = 0.040; CFI = 0.963; SRMR = 0.049] in pilot testing. While the SASI-LTC is a useful and feasible tool for Taiwan's LTC service agencies to evaluate their level of integration in providing LTC services, it could also be used in other countries with minor adjustments to localization of items related to financial integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unpaid carers are a significant support for dependent people with chronic illnesses in most countries. Working carers have specific needs because they face a conflict between employment and care. This study reports on the views of seven working carers in Taiwan to discover the factors they might have considered when arranging publicly funded Long-Term Care (LTC) services for the person they care for to reconcile their work and care. According to the testimony of working carers, the issue of safety for care recipients motivates the application for LTC services. However, LTC services in Taiwan, while affordable, are limited. Working carers have a positive attitude towards home care due to its low price and flexible service time. The constructed barriers to accessing daycare make it difficult for families to use daycare, even though it may be the most suitable service for care recipients. The findings have implications for improvements in LTC services. They show that an extension of opening hours of daycare is needed to meet the employment needs of working carers and that care skill training should be offered for providers of LTC services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postcolonial perspectives on disability studies argue that globalisation has significantly impacted disability politics in many countries. This study uses secondary analysis to explore how globalisation has affected Taiwan's disability politics. It selects three different themes to illustrate the development of disability politics in Taiwan: special education, disability terminology, and disability classification. These cases show that missionaries, colonisers, and international organisations were the main actors in changing Taiwan's traditional understandings of disability. However, this development, which differs markedly from that in Western industrialised countries, mainly followed a top-down approach, lacking the political mobilisation of disabled people on the ground. Consequently, the implementation of disability human rights failed to empower Taiwanese disabled people effectively and led to some unexpected outcomes for them. Furthermore, medical and traditional charity-focused thinking about disability has not been altered and remains prevalent in Taiwan. Points of interest: Taiwanese culture views disabled people as a pitiful population. Disabled people were mainly isolated and cared for only by their families. This research examines in detail how globalisation played a significant role in changing the negative attitudes toward Taiwanese disabled people. For example, transnational organisations asked the Taiwanese government to protect the human rights of disabled people. Nevertheless, the Taiwanese government's support for disabled people did not work well, and many disabled people felt that they faced more difficulties than before. This study found that disabled people's lives were not improved because many local governments did not have sufficient resources, and the Taiwanese government seldom listened to the needs and opinions of disabled people. This study is important because it found that disabled people may still face other difficulties when the government tries to implement human rights for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eye-gaze technology provides access to a computer through the control of eye movements, thus allowing students with severe motor and communication difficulties to communicate and participate in curriculum activities and leisure; however, few studies have investigated whether any challenges exist to its implementation. This study examines the feasibility for teachers, parents, and therapists of applying an eye-gaze technology intervention for students with severe motor and communication difficulties in everyday settings. A mixed-method design was applied, focusing on the acceptability, demands, implementation, and practicality of the technology applications. Data was collected from 16 participants who assisted five students using eye-gaze technology in a previous 6-month intervention. The intervention comprised (a) use of eye-gaze devices with individualized content; and (b) services including training in use, team meetings, and bi-monthly support on implementation problems. The results showed that the participants perceived the technology as appropriate to enhance interaction and understanding of the students' learning and communication messages. Portable and easy-to-adjust systems were crucial to apply eye-gaze technology in different contexts. Improving eye-gaze services was required to afford in-service education, follow-up services, and loaning programs for sustainable implementation. The facilitators and barriers could guide researchers and practitioners to enhance the implementation of eye-gaze technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently a lack of guidelines with regard to tubercular uveitis (TBU) management in Taiwan. We therefore propose an evidence-based consensus on the management for TBU. The Taiwan Ocular Inflammation Society conducted a meeting that included nine ophthalmologist and one infection disease expert that focused on three broad areas of (1) nomenclature for TBU, (2) assessment and diagnosis for TBU, and (3) treatment of TBU. Brief literature review on TBU diagnosis and management was conducted that informed this panel meeting in order to make decisions on each consensus statements. In terms of our results, a consensus statements and recommendations for the diagnosis and management of TBU were developed. This consensus statement provides an algorithmic approach toward diagnosing and managing TBU. These statements are meant to enhance but not replace individual clinician–patient interactions and to facilitate real-world clinical practice improvement in terms of TBU patients care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mainstream narrative of intercultural communication (IC) as a field remains Euro/U.S.-centric despite efforts to (re)imagine it from the margins. To shift this, in this exploratory essay we challenge the disciplinary contours of IC by using a pluriversal framework. We ask, how to pluriversalize Euro/U.S.-centric IC scholarship when it already penetrates non-European/U.S. spaces? And what lessons can this offer? To that end, we turn to a comparative review of the state of IC in the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Taiwan. We propose that to pluriversalize a focus on indigeneity and human-nature relationships is needed; and the concept of relational ontologies bind the two cases together and can be extended to other non-Euro/U.S. spaces so that pluriversal alternatives can appear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International aid is one of the main issues within the Liberal International Order (LIO) in Africa, where traditional donors have held significant influence since the Second World War (WWII). The power dynamics within the aid regime, which have been characterised by asymmetry in both guiding standards and administering organisations, have started to undergo disruption in recent decades. The relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the potential to reshape the institutional arrangements of the international aid regime in the current global system. Beijing's increased financial presence in SSA, particularly its involvement in debt and financial dependency, challenges the hegemony of traditional donors who have historically employed Africa's debt and aid dependency as tools of asymmetric power. Both African governments and the PRC advocate for deep reforms of the current regime by defending favoured institutional arrangements, rejecting those deemed unfavourable and establishing new ones to substantially shift power dynamics within the international aid regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-parent households have been the interest of policy since the 1990s in the Taiwanese context. As the impacts of the existing support to single-parent households remains unclear, this research is aimed at empirically comparing the distributional effects of policies on two-parent families and single-parent families with children, with the factors of gender, employment status and co-residence of the head of household being taken into account. Using data from Survey of Family Income and Expenditure for the years 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2019, the findings show that the economic gap between two-parent and single-parent families is growing. There have been clear signs of poverty mitigation for two-parent and single-parent families, showing that a general redistributive policy in Taiwan has been pursued to address poverty reduction for all families, but favour single-parent families. Based on the findings, policy suggestions are made regarding how to address single-parent families' financial wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has noticed the heterogeneity within overseas Chinese communities. Yet, not much research has examined the internal dynamics and identity conflicts within Chinese voluntary associations (CVAs) from a transnational perspective. This article focuses on CVAs formed by two Chinese groups – Taiwanese and Hong Kongers in Australia, and argues that homeland identity politics influences association participation and the day-to-day lives of migrants residing overseas. Based on participant observations and in-depth interviews, I illuminate the intersection of pragmatic needs and national identity – a situation where Taiwanese and Hong Konger voluntary associations infuse with mainland Chinese ones sometimes, while other times they maintain identity boundaries and reject a broader Chinese identity shared with migrants from mainland China. This article highlights the space–time-culture nexus of participation in overseas CVAs and identity change or continuity, which manifests in different roles these CVAs played in sustaining ethnic connection, solidarity, and distinction among Chinese migrants in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newspapers and archives from Taiwan indicate a long history of Taiwan's commercial fishing in the Pacific that has largely been overlooked. Using these resources, this article analyses the relationship between the Taiwan government and Taiwan fishermen in the Pacific from the 1940s to the 1980s, demonstrating how non-state actors such as fishermen dictated Taiwan's official engagements in the region. I first outline the history of legal and illegal fishing by commercial Taiwan vessels in the Pacific from the 1940s to the 1980s. I then draw on two case studies: illegal fishing incidents in Tuvalu and Australia involving commercial Taiwan fishermen, and legal fishing operations in American Samoa. These case studies demonstrate how commercial fishermen impacted Taiwan-government engagements in the Pacific and were viewed by the government as a liability. The article concludes by connecting Taiwan's commercial fishing history in the Pacific with the larger history of Taiwan in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how the concept of Assessment for Learning (AfL) is practised in the CLIL contexts. It focuses on the assessment purpose of understanding and supporting students' content and language learning. Ten CLIL teachers in the bilingual program of three different regions in Taiwan were involved in the study. Results from the class observations and semi-structured interviews indicated that four formative assessment approaches – questioning techniques, worksheets, peer and self-assessment, and formative use of summative tests – were frequently carried out in CLIL classes. A synergy of assessment tools was also found in the observed CLIL class, which provides students, teachers, and parents with a continuing stream of evidence of student progress and skill. Findings showed that the teachers were aware of AfL and promoted it through various formative assessment practices in their CLIL classes. This study provides insights into the development of alternative instruments that can be used to assess EFL more comprehensively in the CLIL classroom context of elementary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]