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AbstractThis study examined changes of test anxiety under the reform of the examination system in Taiwan. We sampled 46,361 Grade 9 students in Taiwan for 9 consecutive years starting from 2011 to collect data on their test anxiety, cram school attendance frequency, and academic achievement. Students’ test anxiety level was compared between three periods: Basic Competence Test (2011–2013), Comprehensive Assessment Program (CAP 1; 2014–2016), and CAP 2(2017–2019). The results indicated that first, during CAP 1, students’ test anxiety increased, but decreased in CAP 2. Second, the test anxiety level of students those with an upper-intermediate level of academic achievement, increased. Finally, the cram school attendance frequency didn’t differ among the three periods. We provide suggestions for countries with a similar social climate. For potentially controversial social issues, such as test anxiety, policy makers should develop corresponding measures in advance on the basis of empirical evidence.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in teacher turnover, which poses a notable challenge to improving the quality of education. Individual characteristics such as teacher motivation, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction have been linked to the tendency for turnover. However, the exact connections between these attributes remain somewhat unclear. To address this issue, this study applied the Social Cognitive Career Theory to explore the relationships among teacher motivation, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction in middle school settings. Using data from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey, this study conducted a mediation analysis through structural equation modelling to explore how teacher motivation and self-efficacy impact the job satisfaction of 3,835 middle school teachers in Taiwan. The findings reveal that social utility motivation has a direct, positive influence on two aspects of teacher job satisfaction--the work environment and professional satisfaction--and this influence occurs indirectly through teacher self-efficacy. Conversely, personal utility motivation directly predicts teachers' job satisfaction within their profession. By considering teacher self-efficacy as a mediating factor, this study offers new insights into the intricate relationships between teacher motivation, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction.

Despite the recognized importance of grammar knowledge to the reading comprehension of EFL learners, research findings on the relationships among grammar knowledge, vocabulary, and reading comprehension are inconclusive. Attention needs to be paid to issues such as the distinct roles of the two grammar knowledge components of form and meaning, and the direct and mediating roles of vocabulary in EFL reading comprehension. This study recruited 1,149 sixth graders as research participants to evaluate these issues. The measurement tools were standardized EFL competence tests for vocabulary size, grammar forms and meanings, and reading comprehension. Structural equation modeling (SEM) regression models indicated that vocabulary played a more-significant role in reading comprehension than grammar knowledge; moreover, the effects of grammar knowledge were reduced but still significant when grammar meanings were excluded. The SEM mediating model of this study also indicated that grammar knowledge not only exerted a direct effect on reading comprehension but also indirectly influenced reading comprehension via vocabulary.

Popular scientific reading books, as the bridge between scientific academic research and general public’s knowledge capital, could raise scientific literacy and facilitate comprehension for general public. Popular scientific reading books could attract children to read because of vivid exhibition of text and illustrating graphs. However, some scientific reading books are still too difficult for children to read since they are not designed for children particularly in Taiwan and reading capacity among children are heterogeneous. One promising education strategy is to recommend more scientific reading books corresponding to textbook lessons, which could raise children’s interest in exploring science and further reading. In US, Lexile framework for reading has been developed and applied for English books to assist in more efficient and objective text leveling. For recent years, Chinese Readability Index Explorer (CRIE) has been developed for Chinese text. The main research question here is, for Chinese scientific reading books, whether there are differences in text leveling between system’s (CRIE) and experts’ identification. In our research, we invite teacher librarians to recommend popular scientific reading books, identify the grade levels, and assign these books to corresponding textbook lessons. We not only discuss the principles and criteria of experts’ leveling, compare the different results between CRIE and experts’ opinions, but also investigate the reasons behind these differences. (Article content in Chinese with English extended abstract)

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

Parent-child reading critically affects children's learning and development, and dialog reading (DR) is a highly effective strategy for parent-child reading. This study employed the prompt, expand, evaluate, and repeat (PEER) DR strategy to develop a picture book incorporating augmented reality (AR) technology. AR information is extracted from the book using a mobile device to guide children through PEER-based reading. To determine the effectiveness of the AR picture book, a total of 56 preschool children participated in an experiment. The children were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The participants in the control group were accompanied by their parents, and they engaged in conventional parent-child reading; however, the participants in the experimental group engaged alone in AR-assisted reading. The results indicated that the experimental group achieved learning effectiveness significantly higher than that of the control group. A cycle of behavioral changes," scanning with a mobile device [right arrow] reading augmented information [right arrow] answering the questions on the mobile device [right arrow] scanning with a mobile device", was observed. This cycle indicates that child-mobile device-picture book interaction increased the children's learning effectiveness.

This study proposes a framework that incorporates mobile peer assessment and augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance interaction and learning effectiveness. According to the framework, a mobile AR peer assessment system has been developed to facilitate students to improve work interpretation, frequently interact with peers, represent their thinking and reflect upon their own works anytime anywhere. Moreover, the mobile AR technology provides personalized and location-based adaptive contents that enable individual students to interact with the mixed reality environment and observe how works are possibly applied to the real world in the future. In a fundamental design course, students used the system to acquire sufficient information in indoor and outdoor situations and mark peers’ work accurately based on appropriate assessment criteria. The experimental results showed that the system really assisted students in acquiring useful information, proposing their viewpoints, and further fostering critical thinking skills and reflection. During the process of interviews, most students made positive responses and provided meaningful suggestions. The system allows students to concentrate on observing and understanding the relative explanation and representation of works within a combined real–virtual environment and apply appropriate assessment criteria that produce sufficient assessment results to mark peers’ works. Rich feedback can encourage students to reflect upon their own works and improve the quality of their works.

Collaborative learning methods which emphasize peer interaction have been widely applied to increase the intensity and effectiveness of EFL reading programs. However, simply grouping students heterogeneously and assigning them group goals does not guarantee that effective collaborative learning will ensue. The present research includes two studies. In Study One, the weaknesses of collaborative learning in a traditional EFL setting were observed. Then, in Study Two, a mobile-device-supported peer-assisted learning (MPAL) system was developed for the purpose of addressing the identified weaknesses. Two classes of twenty-six third grade students participated in the present research to examine the unique contribution of MPAL to collaborative EFL reading activities. The collaborative behavior of elementary EFL learners was videotaped and analyzed. Detailed analysis of the videotaped behavior indicated that MPAL helped improve collaboration in elementary school level EFL learners and promotes their reading motivation.

本研究編製一份教師工作價值觀量表，期望未來幫助師資培育單位檢視師資生的教師工作價值觀，以提供學業成就之外的指標。研究一以30 位資深教師，透過四場焦點團體之內容分析及文獻整理，初步整理出18個向度作為量表編製之依據；研究二分為預試階段及正式施測兩個階段。在預試階段方面，經由200 位大學生之預試結果，最後保留76 題，共10 個向度之正式題本，其向度分別為「專業自我實現」、「專業自我成長」、「思考與挑戰性」、「引導 陪伴學生」、「社會貢獻」、「公平正義」、「人際互動與管理」、「藝術體能活動」、「工作條件與福利」及「社會地位」。在正式施測方面，召募800 位大學生作為參與者，進行信度及效度之檢驗。從折半信度及內部一致性之結果，顯示教師工作價值觀量表具有良好的信度。從驗證性因素分析之結果，本研究提供教師工作價值觀之構念效度證據，並針對教師工作價值觀編製之結果，提出未來實務應用上之建議。 This study developed a work values scale for teachers (WVST) to enable teacher education institutions to inspect the work values of student teachers. In Study 1, we employed focus groups and examined the literature. Through conducting a content analysis of four focus groups comprising 30 experienced teachers and comparing the analysis results with the literature, we assembled 18 dimensions to form the basis of the WVST. In Study 2, we conducted scale evaluation, which was divided into a pilot-test stage and a formal-test stage. In the pilot-test stage, we recruited 200 university students as participants. After conducting an item analysis and an exploratory factor analysis, we retained 76 items and ten dimensions, namely professional self-realization, professional self-growth, reflection and challenges, guiding students, social contribution, equality and justice, interpersonal interaction and management, artistic and physical activities, working conditions and benefits, and social status. In the formal-test stage, we recruited 800 university students to complete the WVST in order to determine scale reliability and validity. The results for split-half reliability and internal consistency reliability revealed that the WVST achieved favorable reliability. The results from confirmatory factor analysis also indicated the construct validity of the WVST. On the basis of these results, we provided suggestions for future practical applications of the WVST in measuring the work values of teachers.

This study was aimed at exploring how to use augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance the effect of performance assessment (PA). A mobile AR performance assessment system (MARPAS) was developed by integrating AR technology to reduce the limitations in observation and assessment during PA. This system includes three modules: Authentication, AR Context Aware, and AR Interaction. It identifies the character of system users, recognises subjects and activities that users should join in, and follows and assists users in showing their works and doing assessments anywhere anytime. Both qualitative and quantitative research were applied in this study, and it presents an action research conducted in PA institutions that, through a questionnaire, gave information in connection to the valuation of mobile AR technology and the achieved effects. The proposed mechanism of PA emphasises the approaches adopted to present student works and provides opportunities for enhancing student communication and interaction. In addition, the system enables students to explain their works and incorporate the feedback they receive into future work. More importantly, mobile AR can be applied to offer personalised features and appropriate information in particular areas. From the observation of survey results, students can interact with real or virtual information based on their needs. During this process, students can observe their own works from varying perspectives, acquire vital knowledge, develop the skills of critical thinking, and transform the process into a substantial self-established learning process.