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Background: Among sarcomas, which are rare cancers, many types are exceedingly rare; however, a definition of ultra‐rare cancers has not been established. The problem of ultra‐rare sarcomas is particularly relevant because they represent unique diseases, and their rarity poses major challenges for diagnosis, understanding disease biology, generating clinical evidence to support new drug development, and achieving formal authorization for novel therapies. Methods: The Connective Tissue Oncology Society promoted a consensus effort in November 2019 to establish how to define ultra‐rare sarcomas through expert consensus and epidemiologic data and to work out a comprehensive list of these diseases. The list of ultra‐rare sarcomas was based on the 2020 World Health Organization classification, The incidence rates were estimated using the Information Network on Rare Cancers (RARECARENet) database and NETSARC (the French Sarcoma Network's clinical‐pathologic registry). Incidence rates were further validated in collaboration with the Asian cancer registries of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Results: It was agreed that the best criterion for a definition of ultra‐rare sarcomas would be incidence. Ultra‐rare sarcomas were defined as those with an incidence of approximately ≤1 per 1,000,000, to include those entities whose rarity renders them extremely difficult to conduct well powered, prospective clinical studies. On the basis of this threshold, a list of ultra‐rare sarcomas was defined, which comprised 56 soft tissue sarcoma types and 21 bone sarcoma types. conclusions: Altogether, the incidence of ultra‐rare sarcomas accounts for roughly 20% of all soft tissue and bone sarcomas. This confirms that the challenges inherent in ultra‐rare sarcomas affect large numbers of patients. The list of ultra‐rare sarcomas, defined as those sarcomas with an incidence ≤1 per 1,000,000, comprises 56 soft tissue sarcoma and 21 bone sarcoma types. The incidence of ultra‐rare sarcomas accounts for roughly 20% of all soft tissue and bone sarcomas, confirming that challenges inherent to ultra‐rare sarcomas affect large numbers of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Study: Asynchronous online discussions are vital venues for collaborative knowledge construction. However, the lack of appropriate instruction designs poses challenges in promoting deep and substantive engagement with the core subject matter. This paper explores how to enhance adult students' knowledge construction in the context of asynchronous online discussions at an open university in Taiwan. Objectives: This study explores instructional designs aimed at promoting online knowledge construction among adult students and overcoming barriers to this process. Methods: This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to collect concurrently both quantitative data from the students' online discussion postings for content analysis and qualitative data from the focus group and individual interviews, the online open‐ended questionnaire, and the instructor's observation logs for thematic analysis. Then the results were merged in the interpretation stage. Results and Conclusion: The research highlights the significance of instructional designs in influencing students' level of knowledge construction during online discussions. The findings suggest that instructional designs that provide teacher‐led interim summaries, pose Socratic questions, and incorporate problem‐solving projects can promote higher‐level knowledge construction. However, time constraints, cultural influences, and unfamiliarity with peers negatively affected higher‐order knowledge construction. To address these challenges, culturally responsive and technologically inclusive instructional designs that take into account the specific challenges faced by adult learners are proposed to enhance learning outcomes through active participation. Limitation: The study's limited sample size warrants further research with a larger and more diverse cohort to validate the effectiveness of the proposed instructional designs. Another limitation is the lack of a robust theoretical base for the instructional strategies presented by the current action‐research study. Further examination and broader exploration in online education are needed to prop up proposed pedagogical approaches. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic: Online discussions are essential for collaborative knowledge construction among adult students.Existing research primarily indicates that online knowledge construction often remains at a basic level, predominantly involving the sharing and comparing of information. What this paper adds: This study explores instructional designs aimed at elevating online knowledge construction among adult students at an open university in Taiwan.It identifies specific instructional strategies, such as teacher‐led interim summaries, the use of Socratic questioning, and the integration of problem‐solving projects, as effective in promoting higher‐level knowledge construction.The paper also sheds light on the challenges hindering higher‐order knowledge construction, including time constraints, cultural influences, and unfamiliarity among peers. Implications for practice and/or policy: The findings underscore the need for culturally responsive and technologically inclusive instructional designs. These should be tailored to the unique challenges faced by adult learners, particularly in asynchronous online environments.The paper suggests that such instructional designs can significantly improve learning outcomes by fostering more active and deeper participation in online discussions.It also highlights the importance of further research to validate these strategies, given the study's limited sample size and the need for a more robust theoretical foundation for the proposed instructional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Behavioural intention (BI) has been predicted using other variables by adopting the technology acceptance model (TAM). However, few studies have examined whether BI can predict learning performance. Objectives: The present study used an extended TAM to investigate whether students' BI is a predictor of their listening learning performance (LLP) through vocabulary learning performance (VLP) in the context of mobile vocabulary‐assisted listening learning by using two mobile learning tools. Methods: A total of 129 college students with a pre‐intermediate level of English were recruited as participants, and a 10‐week mobile vocabulary‐assisted, listening‐learning course was conducted in 2022. In each task of this course, the students had to learn target words from a listening passage on Quizlet and then engage in listening activities on Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab. Quantitative responses obtained through an online questionnaire were analysed through partial‐least‐squares structural equation modelling. Results: The analysis results indicated that BI significantly predicted LLP through VLP. Perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) were significant antecedents of BI. However, PEU did not significantly predict PU because of the difficulty of navigating between the two technological tools used in this study. The extended model demonstrated its effectiveness in explaining listening learning performance, as evidenced by an explained variance (R2) of 69%. Conclusion: The extended model validates the influence of BI on learning performance and it can also draw teachers' focus toward the significance of enhancing students' BI to improve their listening learning performance. Pedagogical implications based on the results are provided in this paper. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: TAM was used to study learners' acceptance of mobile‐assisted language learning.TAM incorporates latent variables to explore mobile‐assisted language learning.Investigating factors influencing BI is a primary research focus in extended TAM literature.Mobile tools could improve listening learning and vocabulary retention. What this paper adds to that: Learning performance was considered as a dependent variable in an extended TAM.BI might predict students' learning performance in vocabulary and listening in an extended TAM.Teachers used two mobile tools to design mobile vocabulary‐assisted listening tasks.Pre‐learning the target words facilitate students' listening learning performance. Implications for practice and/or policy: We show the importance of BI on predicting listening learning performance.The impact of BI on other factors became another focus of TAM research.Results highlight pre‐learning target words' importance for better listening performance.Existing mobile tools improve listening performance, avoiding new system development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan plans to rapidly increase its industrial production capacity of electronic components while concurrently setting policies for its ecological transition. Given that the island is responsible for the manufacturing of a significant part of worldwide electronics components (including the most advanced CMOS technology nodes), the sustainability of the Taiwanese electronics industry is of critical interest. In this paper, we survey the environmental footprint of 16 Taiwanese electronic components manufacturers (ECMs) using corporate sustainability responsibility reports. Based on data from 2015 to 2020, we find out that the sample of ECMs in this study increased its greenhouse gas emissions by 7.5% per year, its final energy and electricity consumption by 8.8% and 8.9%, and its water usage by 6.1%. We show that the volume of manufactured electronic components and the environmental footprint compiled in this study are strongly correlated, which suggests that relative efficiency gains are not sufficient to curb the overall environmental footprint of ECMs on the island. Given the critical nature of the electronics industry for Taiwan's geopolitics and economics, the observed increase of energy consumption, and the slow renewable energy roll‐out, Taiwan could face a carbon lock‐in situation which will most likely prevent the achievement of carbon reduction goals and sustainability policies on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Multiple cropping, the cultivation of several crops on the same land in a year, occupied an important part of Taiwan's agricultural research from 1950 to 1970. This research originated in the context of Taiwan's land reform and diversification programs and their connections to the government's political ambition to maximize food production. The study of how multiple cropping was politicized and depoliticized by different actors helps to expand the narratives of the Green Revolution in Asia, analyze their legacies, and highlight Taiwan's role in the international exchange of visions of agricultural development during the Cold War. Summary: Scholars have recently expanded the history of the Green Revolution to move beyond the narrative of North–South technological diffusion. This article enriches the scholarship with the case of multiple cropping in Taiwan and its connection to Cold War geopolitics.Rice productivity in postwar Taiwan was boosted through a land reform launched by the Sino‐American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCRR) in the 1950s. Backed by American aid and staffed by scientists from the Republic of China (ROC) government, the JCRR envisioned to turn tenant farmers into landowners so as to encourage labor input and adoption of seeds and fertilizers.By 1960, the JCRR presented its reform as a "bloodless social revolution" and extended its focus to multiple cropping through a diversification program. The JCRR further created the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) in 1971 to spread Taiwan's breeding and cropping techniques. The ROC's diplomatic isolation in the 1970s, however, prompted the center to reinterpret Taiwan's success in multiple cropping from a political achievement to a technological triumph, thus reinforcing the technology‐driven narrative used by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).Through Taiwan's influences on IRRI's rice breeding and multiple cropping research, this paper illustrates that the history of the Green Revolution requires more complex narratives. In addition, with Taiwan's political and economic transition since the 1980s, farmers began to reclaim their voice and influence agricultural policies. The case thus highlights the need of democratic participation in agricultural research, a concern that remains relevant today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how non‐Indigenous teachers understand challenges and barriers to academic progress and success for Indigenous students in Taiwan. Drawing on data from a study with 17 teachers of Han Taiwanese and Hakka background who had worked closely with Indigenous students from elementary to high school across Taiwan, we utilise Expectancy‐Value Theory to explore teacher participants’ views of the barriers and challenges to educational success for their Indigenous students. Previous research suggests a deficit view among majority background teachers, depicting them as biased against Indigenous peoples and lacking relevant knowledge that would allow them to teach Indigenous students and about Indigenous cultures and histories. In contrast with this previous research, the teachers we interviewed exhibited a good and nuanced understanding of the obstacles and challenges of Indigenous students, families and communities which prevent their success. The teachers in our study indicated that they lack agency and are limited by structural forces in effecting meaningful change. Far from holding deficit views, the teachers interviewed pointed to the importance of working together with Indigenous families and communities to support the learning of Indigenous students. In our conclusion we point to ways of capitalising on the non‐deficit positive views captured here to effect long‐term sustainable change to support teachers to, in turn, support the learning of Indigenous students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on interviews with nine PhD students and twelve PhD graduates from a research university in Taiwan, this paper explores students' motivational profiles for pursuing a PhD at a time when that degree is increasingly decoupled from academic employment. Using self‐determination theory as a conceptual lens, the paper identifies common enrolment motivations in the PhD crisis era. Amidst the doctoral enrolment crisis in Taiwan, where the traditional employment path for PhD graduates (i.e., academia) is more of a mirage than a reality, the motivations of students to pursue a PhD do not differ much from those found in the literature concerning the era of PhD expansion. Two typical motivational profiles are predominant, one dominated by the accumulation of career advantages and the other by the search for personal growth. The findings show that the first profile tends to be on the minds of most students. The second profile tends to be adopted by those who have few career concerns or those who have a greater need for self‐improvement. We also find that these motivations have unique nuances, meanings and consequences for universities and doctoral education in the PhD crisis era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how legislators respond to an electoral reform by adjusting their positions with respect to co‐partisans and rivals. Using cross‐sectional legislative roll calls over 20 years, we study how the dynamics of blue‐green confrontation are influenced by Taiwan's electoral reform from Single Non‐Transferable Votes (the SNTV) to Single‐Member Districts (SMD). Contrary to existing literature, our empirical evidence shows that the reform significantly fragmented legislator positions within their party and in relation to members from opposing parties, leading to an increase in contentious legislation and higher levels of both inter‐ and intra‐party distance. In the years following the reform, the political confrontation between the Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party gradually diminished, eventually returning to levels seen before the reform. Moreover, our analysis reveals that the 2008 reform had heterogeneous effects on different parties, with each party displaying varying levels of resilience in response. This finding contributes to electoral system literature, providing policy implications for democratic countries contemplating electoral reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have documented nurses’ attitudes and concerns regarding AIDS/HIV, but little is known about Taiwanese nurses. We documented attitudes, concerns, gloving practices and practical AIDS/HIV knowledge of 1090 nurses from one metropolitan hospital in Changhua City, Taiwan. The response rate was 80.9%. Both HIV and hepatitis contraction in the workplace was nurses’ main concern. Two hundred and ten nurses (19.3%) were seriously considering leaving nursing because of fear of contracting AIDS/HIV. Virtually all nurses considered it their right to be informed of the presence of HIV-positive patients in their direct work area and many believed that HIV testing of patients should be mandatory. Practical AIDS/HIV knowledge was deficient. These Taiwanese nurses have concerns and fears that might be related to deficiencies in practical AIDS/HIV knowledge. Continuous educational programmes are recommended to alleviate these nurses’ attitudes and concerns regarding AIDS/HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to assess and analyse hospital readmission and its risk factors for patients who were visited by a discharge planning coordinator during hospitalization in a teaching hospital located in southern Taiwan. Results found that 67 patients (5.7%) were readmitted within 14 days of discharge during the data collection period. Twenty-eight patients (41.8%) were readmitted because of complications. Patients’ previous diagnoses and complications were two major reasons for patients to be re-hospitalized within 14 days of discharge. In addition, significant predictors for unplanned hospital readmission within 14 days of discharge were patients who received care from home health care nurses or hospice home health care nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the everyday lived realities of Southeast Asian migrant workers who left the formal sector of the labour market and entered the informal agricultural sector before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Taiwan. Drawing on observations of migrants' daily lives and farm work and 19 in‐depth interviews, it delves into migrants' subjective experiences of vulnerability, paternalism, exploitation, and control at work due to a lack of legal protection and the illegality of their employment. Although the literature has identified a link between 'running away' from formal employment and seeking freedom, this research suggests a continuum between experiences of work in the formal and informal economic sectors. The paper sheds new light on mobility, work, illegality, and informality and how these have constantly shaped 'runaway' workers' subjective experiences of freedom and unfreedom during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1995, thousands of people in Taiwan have pledged each year to donate their cadavers to the medical college run by the Buddhist Tzu Chi (Ciji) Foundation. The "surge of cadavers" seems intriguing in a society where ancestor worship continues to be salient. Drawing on my fieldwork in 2012–2013 and 2015, the purpose of this paper is to describe a series of practices involving the transformation of a cadaver into a Buddhist moral subject: the donor, the family, and the medical school engage in various endeavors and rituals involving "emotional practices" to honor the deceased; situate the donation as a "good death"; and fulfill the family's obligations to ancestor worship. I argue what makes the ritual transformation efficacious is the dominant currency of emotional practices. Emotional practices "authenticate" the ritual transformation. The main ethic for commemorating the cadaver donation is not generosity or dāna but equanimity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Taiwan's higher education institutions prioritize interdisciplinary knowledge and cultural competence in cultural design, emphasizing the value of immersion in the local environment to develop cultural competence. However, challenges arise from the disappearance of traditional local lifestyles and limitations of traditional outdoor lectures such as group size and learning environment. Mobile augmented reality technology serves as a personal learning tool to overcome these challenges, enabling learners to uncover hidden knowledge in scenic locations and improving learning efficiency. Objective: The study utilized learning analytics to investigate the impact of using mobile augmented reality on enhancing learners' cultural competence. Methods: The study used both qualitative and quasi‐experimental quantitative research to evaluate the effects of mobile augmented reality on cultural competence. A total of 78 third‐year university students participated in the study, with 37 of them using mobile augmented reality to learn about culture. The researchers utilized both the Mann–Whitney U test and interviews to compare the effectiveness of mobile augmented reality with that of a 'real' tour guide in field courses. Results: The experimental results indicate that learners were able to continuously seek and find information about local culture through field exploration with mobile augmented reality, resulting in similar effects to those of attending a live lecture. Conclusions: It showed that incorporating mobile AR into field visits can create gamified and active learning scenarios that enhance immersion and drive active learning in local culture. The results in greater cultural knowledge and understanding, leading to the development of cultural competence in students. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: There is a heightened emphasis on cultivating and demonstrating cultural competence across various fields due to the significantly grow of cultural and creative industries.Relying solely on traditional classroom teaching for learning about local culture may result in a diminished impact, as a comprehensive understanding of culture necessitates a keen sense of life.To address the limitations of traditional classroom lectures, educators continuously strive to enhance teaching methodologies by developing innovative approaches, such as experiential learning and community‐based learning, which involve hands‐on activities and real‐world engagement to foster increased learning motivation and improved effectiveness.Augmented reality (AR), a technology that overlays virtual images onto real scenes in real time, has gained extensive usage in diverse fields such as medicine, national defence, education, and entertainment, offering interactive gaming experiences and providing an opportunity to experience the culture and past lives of locals in the field, enhancing learners' understanding of cultural history and creating immersive encounters during visits.Particularly in digital learning, the integration of AR enables learners to engage with additional content through mobile devices, fostering an immersive and gamified learning experience. What this paper adds: The use of the AR app for learning about the local culture yielded comparable outcomes to traditional guided tours.Participants actively engaged in self‐directed learning and demonstrated a sense of initiative while utilizing AR.The flexibility and autonomy provided by field learning, which extended beyond the course period, allowed participants to revisit the field and explore at their own pace using AR.Demonstrates that participants took control and responsibility for their own learning, leading to an enhancement in learner autonomy.Participants who utilized the Roaming Jingliao AR system to explore cultural scenarios exhibited enhanced knowledge and attitudes regarding cultural competence, specifically in areas such as cultural understanding, rice food cultural knowledge, Songjiang folk arts, and skills and practices, which can be attributed to the immersive and autonomous nature of AR‐based knowledge learning in outdoor guided courses, minimizing the influence of external environmental factors and facilitating a deeper understanding of the content compared to traditional guided tours. Implications for practice and/or policy: The findings of this study highlight the importance of considering the limitations associated with a relatively small sample size when conducting research within a university curriculum. To enhance the validity and reliability of future studies, practitioners and policymakers should prioritize the inclusion of larger and more diverse samples, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of AR technology on cultural learning and informing evidence‐based practices and policies.The study's focus on a specific group of participants and their contextual background highlights the need for future research to include participants from diverse educational settings and cultural backgrounds, ensuring that the findings are more applicable and relevant to a broader population. Practitioners and policymakers should consider the importance of inclusivity and diversity when designing and implementing cultural learning interventions using AR technology.The recognition of technological limitations highlights the importance of considering the specific AR system used in cultural learning interventions. Practitioners and policymakers should be cautious when adopting AR technologies and recognize that different AR systems or platforms may yield different outcomes. Future research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of various AR systems and platforms to inform decision‐making regarding the selection and implementation of AR technologies for cultural learning initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social network awareness (SNA) enables students to know the online learning context of peers in computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and it has been used to improve peer interaction and participation in collaborative learning tasks. Mobile learning enables students to access learning content and discuss content with peers regardless of location or time. Because almost every college student has their own mobile device and social networks are ubiquitous in their daily lives, a mobile learning application with social networking is promising for promoting effective learning if students are willing to continually use the application. However, few studies have investigated this. Objectives: In this study, SNA was integrated into a mobile‐based assessment (MBA–SNA). The study investigated whether students were willing to persist in the use of MBA–SNA and the factors influencing this intention. Methods: A 1‐month experiment was conducted to investigate the research question on the basis of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Results: The results demonstrated that (1) students were willing to continue using the MBA–SNA, (2) the incentives influencing behavioural intention (BI) in initial use and continual use differed, and (3) social influence (SI) and perceived playfulness (PP) were the two key determinants of continual use. Implications: The SNA increases the positive impact of SI and PP on MBA continual use so that continual use can be assured. Future research should integrate SNA into other mobile learning apps (e.g., mobile collaborative writing or discussion apps) to enhance continued system use and learning effectiveness. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: A number of studies have investigated the use of mobile devices to collaborate digitally within small teams and larger classes whilst providing knowledge‐sharing features.Social network awareness (SNA) mechanism can enhance the participation of collaborative learning task and knowledge sharing.However, few research explores the potentials and benefits of the combination of SNA with mobile apps. What this paper adds: This study firstly integrates the SNA into a mobile collaborative APP, namely mobile‐based assessment with SNA (MBA‐SNA).Students are willing to continuously use the MBA‐SNA.The incentive factors influencing behavioural intention at the initial use and continuous use slightly differ.Social influence (SI) and perceived playfulness (PP) are the most crucial determinants to continuous use. Implications for practice and/or policy: It should be investigated whether students are willing to continuously use a new e‐learning system and the factors influencing this intention.SNA increased the effects of SI and PP on MBA continual use, thereby ensuring MBA continual use.Future studies can combine SNA with other mobile learning apps (e.g., mobile collaborative writing or discussion apps) to enhance continued system use and learning effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research has examined the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in English language teaching. However, to the best of our knowledge, none of the earlier studies that investigated integrating AR and VR "wearables" into teaching and learning English based on the attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) motivation model compared the differences in learning motivation and performance between traditional teaching methods and those using AR‐ and VR‐based using wearables. Objectives: To create a thematic learning environment based on learners' lived experiences and provide them with an immersive English course that extends textbook knowledge using a technology‐assisted real‐life learning context. Method: This study used a quasi‐experimental research design. A total of 119 participants were spilt into three learning groups based on teaching tools: traditional methods and AR‐ and VR‐based wearable devices. The performance of each group was evaluated through three stages using appropriate educational tools for traditional, AR‐, and VR‐based classrooms, followed by semistructured interviews. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate the inference learning performance (remembering and analysing) of the four ARCS dimensions with the three teaching methods. Results: The results showed that confidence and relevance were positively correlated with learning performance in the VR‐based wearable group. In the context of the ARCS model, learners' confidence predicted learning performance and the remembering subdimension when VR‐based learning materials were used. Implications: These results suggest that, compared to traditional teaching methods, VR‐based wearables make it easier to create a highly immersive learning environment and are more likely to help learners find the correct words, improve their accuracy, and increase their confidence and sense of accomplishment in the entire learning process. Lay Description: Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) allow learners to apply memorized subject knowledge to real‐life scenarios.The attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) motivation model enhances learning. What this paper adds: The study proposed the integration of AR and VR with "wearables" for teaching English.The study investigated the differences between how the teaching materials designed to incorporate different technological devices with the four ARCS dimensions predict their learning performance (remembering and analysing). Implications for practice and/or policy: The ARCS motivation model‐based design allows learners using VR‐based wearables to learn English through multiple interactions in real‐time.Integrating daily life experiences with course materials can attract learners' attention in the early stages of teaching.VR‐based learning creates a virtual learning environment relevant to the learners, allows them to learn English thematically in an immersive environment, and allows them to interact with the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid the proportion of work on 'Muslim geographies', the majority has focused on Muslims as a minority discussed within societies of the West. Additionally, this work rarely discusses the positionality of the researcher despite significant overlap with work in feminist, social, and cultural geographies. This paper takes 'Muslim geographies' as a starting point to further problematise accounts of knowledge, subjectivity, and power with regard to the treatment of Islam in geography. I argue that geographical analysis from different standpoints is needed to yield other ways of knowing about Muslims and how they orient themselves across space and time. This theoretical intervention is informed by my fieldwork experience as a Muslim male conducting ethnographic research on migration and labour precarity with other Muslim migrants across Taiwan. As I transited through various Muslim spaces, being Muslim provided privileged access and shaped the direction in which the research progressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer‐Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) is a class‐wide structured supplementary paired reading programme to support learners with their reading (Fuchs et al., 1997). What remains at the core of implementing PALS in any given location is the co‐creation with teachers to ensure PALS fits with that educational context. This paper discusses the involvement of teachers as co‐creators in the process of adapting PALS in England, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Taiwan and Iceland. The aim is to demonstrate the importance of careful adaptation when implementing a programme adopted from another country. Each adaption used a different methodological approach to co‐creation. For example, in England, field notes, informal conversations and interviews were utilised for co‐creation. In Iceland, preschool and elementary teachers were instrumental in translating and adapting the PALS materials to the Icelandic context. From each adaption, the teachers supported the development of a literacy programme that was suitable for classroom use. In England, teachers' involvement resulted in the removal of the motivational point system. For the UAE context, PALS began in English to support second language learning, but the instructional routines were a good 'fit' for the school culture and were developed in Arabic. For the Taiwan context, PALS provided an empirical basis for a model of differentiated instruction to enhance the reading literacy of Chinese‐speaking elementary students. In Iceland, teachers trained other teachers in PALS as a research‐based and efficient approach to meeting diverse learning needs of students, especially those with Icelandic as an additional language. Careful adaptation, piloting and the involvement of key stakeholders is important for the successful implementation of a reading programme. Highlights: What is already known about this topicPeer‐Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for reading is an effective evidence‐based supplementary whole‐class paired reading programme to support children's reading skills.PALS follows principles of explicit and systematic instruction that are consistent with the science of reading.PALS is a culturally responsive practice that teaches children to take turns reading and listening, whilst providing each other with supportive and corrective feedback. What this paper addsAcknowledges that programmes need to be carefully adapted for each new context to ensure they are suitable.Describes cross‐cultural approaches to co‐creation with educators in the design and implementation of a reading programme.Describes approaches to expanding access to a successful reading programme by implementing PALS in a variety of languages and cultures, which may promote literacy skills for emerging bilinguals. Implications for theory, policy or practiceProgrammes will not always directly translate from one context to another; changes might be needed and thus consultation with educators in educational settings are important.Understanding the theoretical underpinnings of reading programmes can add to success but to be used in practice need to ensure it fits within the educational context without diluting the core elements.Effects of peer‐mediated learning conducted in a structured and systematic way show promise to be robust across languages and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many nations emerged during the collapse of the empire, the case of China is curious in its failure to divide into separate nation‐states. Resisting disunion, the Republic of China (ROC) adopted a rhetoric of national pluralism and laid claim to the fallen Qing Empire's vast territory. This divergence from other post‐imperial nationalisms engenders questions about the legacy of imperialism in the ROC's approaches to nation‐building. Such questions remain salient after the ROC retreat to Taiwan (1949), as since the end of martial law (1987), the ROC has championed itself as a model of multiculturalism. This paper examines the extent to which today's 'Multicultural Taiwan' paradigm differs from 20th‐century official conceptualisations of pluralism, through discourse analysis of publications from the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission (MTAC). Investigation finds that despite centring Taiwan in national ideology, certain Chinese imperialist attitudes towards cultural hierarchy remained influential in MTAC representations of pluralism within Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research involving international research communities has been advocated in the field of behavior analysis (Dymond et al., 2000; Martin et al., 2016). The purpose of the present study was to report the status of behavioral research in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, in terms of number of publications, types of research, and frequency of collaboration with international researchers. Fifteen behavioral journals were selected from the list by Cooper et al. (2020). These were searched by hand to find publications conducted in or authored by researchers from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan dating from each journal's inception to December 2021. The earliest publication we found appeared in 1980 in The Psychological Record. Over the following four decades (1980–1989; 1990–1999; 2000–2009; 2010–2021), the number of publications per decade increased dramatically and continues in recent years to rise. Publications include research reports, review papers, and conceptual articles, with the majority being basic research reports published in Behavioral Processes. Approximately half the publications involve collaboration with international researchers, mostly in North America. Implications for behavioral research, practice, and policy in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the association between ambient particulate matter no larger than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) during the prenatal and postnatal periods and infant neurodevelopmental parameters. Method: We conducted a population‐based birth cohort study using the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. Participants were assessed for developmental conditions through home interviews at 6 months and 18 months of age. Exposure to PM2.5 of mothers and infants during perinatal periods was estimated using hybrid kriging/land‐use regression. The exposure was linked to each participant by home address. Logistic regression was then conducted to determine the risk of neurodevelopmental delay in relation to PM2.5. Results: A total of 17 683 term singletons without congenital malformations were included in the final analysis. PM2.5 during the second trimester was associated with increased risks of delays in gross motor neurodevelopmental milestones (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.09 per 10 μg/m3 increase in exposure to PM2.5). Delayed fine motor development was also found to be related to exposure to PM2.5 in the second and third trimesters (aOR 1.06), as was personal–social skill (aOR 1.11 for the second trimester and 1.06 for the third). These neurodevelopmental parameters were unrelated to postnatal PM2.5 exposure. Interpretation: Exposure to ambient PM2.5 during pregnancy was significantly related to delay in gross motor, fine motor, and personal–social development in this population‐based study. What this paper adds: Prenatal exposure to higher PM2.5 was associated with increased risk of delayed early neurodevelopment.The critical period for delayed gross motor development was the second trimester.The critical period for fine motor and personal–social development was the second and third trimesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementing English medium instruction (EMI) has become a proliferating measure in higher education to embrace globalization. Nevertheless, university students reported various challenges in taking EMI courses. Objectives: This study investigated the effect of the computer‐mediated terminology pretraining on university students' EMI success, regarding their efficacy in taking EMI courses, self‐directed learning (SDL), and EMI performance. Methods: Participants were 86 university students enrolled in two EMI educational psychology courses. Students in the experimental group were assigned computer‐mediated terminology pretraining tasks for 13 consecutive weeks, while those in the control group did not receive the pretraining assignment. Both groups were taught using the problem‐based learning (PBL) pedagogy with a computer‐mediated structured whiteboard. Results and Conclusion: The study findings showed that the computer‐mediated terminology pretraining enhanced learners' response efficacy. Both groups increased their SDL under the PBL pedagogy. Besides, multigroup comparison results demonstrated that efficacy in EMI positively predicted SDL, which was related to better EMI performance in the experimental group but not in the control group. Notably, students conducting computer‐mediated terminology pretraining remitted the influence of English ability on their EMI performance. Major Takeaways from the Study: Implications for instruction were made to use the combined strategy of the computer‐mediated terminology pretraining and PBL in EMI courses to facilitate university students' efficacy in taking EMI courses, self‐directed learning behaviours, and EMI performance. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Implementing English medium instruction (EMI) courses has become a prevalent measure for higher education to embrace globalization.Some students hold positive attitude toward taking EMI courses, while others hold negative attitude toward taking EMI courses.Correlational research showed that individual differences, such as English proficiency, self‐efficacy in EMI, and academic language skills, are associated with EMI success. What this paper adds: This study adds to the literature in EMI success to investigate how computer‐mediated terminology pretraining under problem‐based learning (PBL) pedagogy will affect learners' efficacy in EMI, self‐directed learning (SDL), and EMI performance.The computer‐mediated terminology pretraining enhances learners' efficacy that their efforts or responses in taking the EMI course are effective.Students' efficacy in taking EMI courses promotes their self‐directed learning; moreover, self‐directed learning behaviours in EMI is associated with better EMI performance for students with computer‐mediated terminology pretraining but not for those in the control group due to the influence of English ability.The computer‐mediated terminology pretraining can compensate the effect of individual differences in English ability on EMI performance. Implications for practice and/or policy: Instructors can assign the computer‐mediated terminology pretraining before the face‐to‐face EMI session to prepare learners with the basic understanding of the professional concepts for the complex PBL activities.Effective pedagogical support, such as combined strategy use of computer‐mediated terminology pretraining and PBL, can enhance learners' efficacy in EMI and help them plan and prioritize their learning progress to achieve better EMI performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchrotron protein crystallography (PX) is one of the most powerful and dominant tools for determining the three‐dimensional structures of biological macromolecules. At the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, TLS 13B1 is the first dedicated energy‐tunable and highly automated PX beamline for efficiently solving de novo protein structures in Taiwan and has been open for users since September 2005. With remote access, user support services, and annual PX training courses over 17 years, the number of user groups at TLS 13B1 has grown from 11 to 139. In total, 1,429 projects were supported, and 2090 experiments were hosted during 67,846 hr of beamtime. This paper describes the photon source, beamline components, experimental station equipment, beamline software, beamline application process, and results from our users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by Japanese faith groups, organic food production has witnessed surprising growth in East Asian countries, such as Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, over the past two decades. The rapid expansion of East Asian trans‐national organic food production networks is closely linked with religious practices and beliefs, such as ahimsa (non‐killing). The complexities of transnational organic production networks in East Asia cannot be adequately captured by the existing literature on "conventionalisation of organic agriculture," which repeatedly debates the extent to which capitalism intrudes on the social and biophysical dimensions of farming. I argue that this simplified and binary debate tends to treat the organic market as an unquestioned, stabilised, and universalised artefact. Less attention has been paid to questions such as, how do alternative food markets come into being, stabilise or get crushed? Inspired by the social studies of economisation and marketisation (SSEM) approach, this paper urges scholars to move beyond the conventionalisation debate and draws attention to the organic food market‐making practices. Taking inspiration from SSEM thinking, I propose that more emphasis needs to be placed on the performation struggles, which refers to the confrontations between different economic programmes and actors. By drawing attention to the organic market performation struggles in Japan and Taiwan, this paper argues that organic food market‐making is a global heterogeneous assemblage, in which all human and non‐human actants across multi‐scalar geographies, such as trans‐local religious/scientific knowledge, believers, and so on, can contribute to the making and remaking of markets. With reference to qualitative interviews with organic distributors and practitioners, this paper deepens the knowledge of the geographies of marketisation in a global‐relational context. The rapid expansion of East Asian transnational organic food production networks is closely linked with religious practices and beliefs, such as ahimsa (non‐killing). The complexities of transnational organic production networks in East Asia cannot be adequately captured by the existing literature on "conventionalisation of organic agriculture," which repeatedly debates the extent to which capitalism intrudes on the social and biophysical dimensions of farming. Inspired by the social studies of economisation and marketisation (SSEM) approach, this paper urges scholars to move beyond the conventionalisation debate and draws attention to the organic food market‐making practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a symposium from the International Journal of Psychology that explores the theme of caring for individuals in psychology beyond the scope of individuality. The symposium includes five papers that discuss various aspects of caring, such as home-based palliative care, the sacrifice of the family of body donors, hometown experiences in rural areas, rural education, and transgenerational trauma in Taiwan. The papers highlight the cultural and social perspectives on caring and emphasize the importance of ethicality, relational understanding, and holistic development. The symposium aims to provide a diverse and inclusive perspective on caring practices in psychology. [Extracted from the article]

Reading motivation can greatly impact reading comprehension, but it tends to diminish in and beyond elementary school. This study employs knowledge building pedagogy to advance reading motivation and comprehension in an elementary Chinese language arts class. Participants were twenty‐four third graders who spent one class period (ie, 40 minutes) for 18 weeks in Knowledge Forum to study 10 lessons in a reading textbook. Data mainly came from: a reading motivation questionnaire, online interaction logs, online discourse and PILRS reading comprehension assessments. It was found that knowledge building enhanced children's reading motivation (particularly in terms of reading competence) and reading comprehension (especially at the higher levels). Most students demonstrated spontaneous engagement in advanced online activities demanding high‐level agency. A correlation was also identified between children's motivation to read and more advanced online discourse behaviours requiring higher agency, leading to a deeper understanding of reading. Implications for fostering a motivated reading community that values collective knowledge advancement are discussed. Practitioner notes: What is already known about this topic Innovating classroom‐based instruction for enhancing learners' reading motivation and comprehension has been an important challenge in reading education.Reading motivation is positively associated with reading comprehension but tends to diminish in and beyond elementary school.Technology‐supported reading and learning are further enhanced by interactive online discussions among learners.Engaging learners in collective knowledge building activities can facilitate their reading comprehension. What this paper adds Learner engagement in knowledge building activities, particularly advanced online activities, is associated with higher reading motivation (especially intrinsic reading competence).The process analysis shows that learners' online discourses focus more on higher‐level reading comprehension with extended use of knowledge building pedagogy.Learners exhibit better reading comprehension across all levels of reading comprehension with the implementation of knowledge building pedagogy. Implications for practice and/or policy Knowledge building pedagogy, featuring assuming agency, working with ideas, and fostering community practices, can be a viable approach to reading motivation and comprehension.The design of digital platforms should aim not just to foster knowledge‐acquiring and ‐sharing from reading but also to extend reading into knowledge building activities that highlight idea improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a deep neural network (DNN)‐based model to recognize fishing vessels. In Taiwan, the vast majority of small fishing vessels are not equipped with an automatic identification system (AIS). As a consequence, the staff in a fishing port administration become heavily loaded when monitoring and managing the fishing vessels accessing a port. The workload is expected to be eased using this work. For the first time in the literature, a captured fishing vessel image was converted to a 128‐dimensional embedding for recognition purposes. The presented model gave a false positive rate (FPR) as low as 1.13% and an accuracy up to 99.47% at threshold = 0.772379. Finally, all the performance metrics, namely, the true positive rate (TPR), the FPR, precision and accuracy, are actually functions of the threshold which can be specified by users to meet specific requirements. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with infectious disease threats, the global pork industry and the state have prioritised biosecurity in order to maintain porcine proliferation. Techniques such as good sanitation and surveillance are deemed necessary to ensure animal health. Rooted in germ theory, biosecurity regards disease as an incursion of pathogens from the outside. By drawing distinctions between healthy and diseased bodies, biosecurity regimes appear to represent an anthropocentric desire to control life through spatial enclosure. However, recent work on health geographies has revealed that health is a multifaceted configuration of changing relationships that often escape the purview of biosecurity. Critical studies have pointed out that the management of animal health relies less on any uniform understanding of disease and more on situated veterinary knowledge. This paper seeks to extend this body of work by emphasising inter‐species bodily encounters and earthly elements of the weather‐world. To elucidate this, I draw on recent research into atmosphere and affect, thereby developing the idea of pathological atmospheres. With reference to ethnographical work conducted in veterinary laboratories and commercial pig farms in Taiwan, I point out that a vet's situated expertise is conditioned by their ability to sense and respond to the atmospheric milieu in which they are immersed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators have indicated the need to foster students' ability to solve problems by acquiring up‐to‐date knowledge as well as promoting their competences for making decisions from diverse perspectives based on the acquired knowledge. Traditional courses mainly use lecture‐based instruction without providing sufficient opportunities for students to practice and interact with the teacher; therefore, it is difficult to deliver such up‐to‐date knowledge via traditional instruction, not to mention fostering students' critical thinking. In this study, the Mobile technology–supported Decision, Reflection and Exercise (MDRE) model is proposed to address this problem. Moreover, a learning system is developed based on the proposed approach. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a quasi‐experiment was conducted in a university with a two‐group pretest posttest design to assess participants' learning achievement, critical thinking and learning satisfaction. The participants were two classes of undergraduate students. One class with 37 students was the experimental group learning with the MDRE learning approach, whereas the other class with 37 students was the control group learning with the conventional technology‐based learning approach. Analysis of covariance was performed to evaluate the effect of the intervention on the target outcomes. It was found that the experimental group showed better learning achievement, critical thinking and learning satisfaction than the control group. This implies that the MDRE approach has good potential in helping learners think from diverse perspectives and promoting their learning performance and engagement, which is important in higher education aimed at fostering students' competence of acquiring up‐to‐date knowledge for solving problems. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Fostering students' problem‐solving competence is an important educational objective.The advancement of mobile and wireless communication technologies provides opportunities for students to acquire up‐to‐date information for solving problems.In the conventional technology‐enhanced professional learning mode, instructors generally use computers to present learning content and exemplary cases. In such a learning mode, learners have few opportunities to think in depth.What this paper adds A Mobile technology–supported Decision, Reflection and Exercise (MDRE) approach is proposed to guide students to make decisions and think from diverse perspectives via acquiring up‐to‐date information using a mobile application.An experiment was conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.The experimental results showed that the MDRE approach is able to boost students' creative thinking tendency and learning satisfaction as well as promoting their learning achievement.Implications for practice and/or policy The MDRE approach has great potential for professional training aiming to foster students' learning achievement, critical thinking and learning satisfaction.It is suggested that researchers and school teachers can apply the MDRE approach to other professional courses, such as nursing training programs and business planning courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a counterfactual analysis to estimate the causal effects of college expansion on the changes in income and occupational prestige of young people in Taiwan. The public attributes the rapid expansion of higher education in Taiwan in the mid 1990s as a significant cause of stagnant wage growth and high unemployment rates of college graduates in recent years. The primary concern in evaluating the policy consequences of educational expansion should be on those who would respond to expanded opportunities for education. In this paper, we use the data collected by the Panel Study of Family Dynamics in Taiwan to identify a pre‐expansion cohort and a post‐expansion cohort. We then use the matching method and the difference‐in‐difference (DID) model to estimate the impact of expansion on the changes in income and occupational prestige of three counterfactual groups: 'always‐takers', 'compliers', and 'never‐takers'. The results show that the impact of college expansion decreased the advantage of always‐takers and benefited compliers in both income and occupational attainment of their first job. The adverse effects of college expansion suffered by always‐takers disappeared after working for either 10 or 15 years, which fits the prediction of the signalling theory. 摘要: 本研究以反事實分析架構之角度，探討台灣高教擴張對年輕世代之薪資與職業流動的影響。本研究使用臺灣「華人家庭動態資料庫」於2003年及2009年的新增樣本及其後續追蹤調查，先配對並建構出無論高教擴張是否一定會上大學之「必為者」、順應高教擴張而有機會上大學之「順勢而為者」，以及無論高教擴張與否都不會上大學之「必不為者」等三類群體，藉此避免因擴張前後高教人口組成結構不同而無法直接比較的問題。研究結果發現，就順勢而為者言，高教擴張對其初職薪資和職業聲望有著正面影響，且持續到就業十年和十五年後；對必為者而言，高教擴張對其初職薪資和職業聲望有著負面影響，但雖著工作經驗的累積，該負面影響消失。整體而言，本文的研究成果支持訊號論的主張。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Digital game‐based learning (DGBL) has been shown to be an effective strategy for promoting learning motivation. However, a lack of attention has been paid to investigating the effects of individual differences on elementary students' reading motivation and in‐gaming achievements in DGBL. Objectives: This study developed an educational mobile game to facilitate learners' reading activities, and investigated how prior knowledge and gaming experience affected learners' reading motivation, gaming motivation, perceptions and in‐game achievements. Methods: A total of 53 third to fifth grade elementary school students participated in this study, and were divided into the high prior knowledge (HPK)/low prior knowledge (LPK) and the high gaming experience (HGE)/low gaming experience (LGE) groups. Results and Conclusions: The HPK learners had higher reading motivation, perceptions, gaming and social achievements than the LPK learners, whereas they had similar gaming motivation and reading achievements. In addition, the HGE learners had lower reading motivation, reading and gaming achievements than the LGE learners, whereas they had similar gaming motivation, perceptions and social achievements. Moreover, correlational results showed that similarities and differences were observed between the HPK/LPK and HGE/LGE learners. Implications: The findings of this study suggest that learners' prior knowledge and gaming experience play influential roles in reading motivation, gaming motivation, perceptions and in‐game achievements. A framework is proposed for researchers or game designers to develop personalized DGBL systems to accommodate the HPK/LPK and HGE/LGE learners' individual needs or preferences in DGBL. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Reading motivation is a critical factor influencing reading performance.Students have difficulties developing reading skills due to a lack of reading motivation, and therefore need additional support.DGBL has been shown to be an effective strategy for promoting learning motivation.Relevant empirical research investigating the impact of individual differences on reading in DGBL is scarce. What this paper adds: A mobile game‐based reading app was developed to facilitate elementary students' reading activities.This study provides understandings of the impact of prior knowledge and gaming experience on reading motivation, gaming motivation, perceptions and in‐game achievements in DGBL.The HPK learners had higher reading motivation, perceptions, gaming and social achievements than the LPK learners, whereas they had similar gaming motivation and reading achievements.The HGE learners had lower reading motivation, reading and gaming achievements than the LGE learners, whereas they had similar gaming motivation, perceptions and social achievements. Implications for practice and/or policy: Educators should consider adopting DGBL to facilitate students' reading activities.Prior knowledge and gaming experience play influential roles in reading motivation, gaming motivation, perceptions and in‐game achievements.Learners' prior knowledge and gaming experience should be taken into account when designing learning activities in DGBL.A personalized DGBL system should be developed to accommodate the needs and preferences of the HPK/LPK and HGE/LGE learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Taiwan mountain belt, one of the youngest orogenies in the world, is caused by the collision of the Luzon arc with the Eurasian margin, which leads to post‐collisional extension and magmatism in the Northern Taiwan Volcanic Zone (NTVZ). The magma chamber process in this region has not previously been elucidated in detail. In this paper, the textural and compositional features of plagioclase phenocrysts in basalt from the Tatun Volcanic Group (TTVG) were studied to restrict the dynamics of magma system. Results show that the magma melts in TTVG are mainly sourced from the underlying MORB‐like mantle wedge but influenced by incorporation of subduction components, causing the elevated Sr/Y and Ba/Y ratios in magma melts. The subduction components are mainly transported in the form of sediment melt. The plagioclase phenocrysts in the TTVG volcanic rocks are generally coarsely core‐sieved with a clear rim. The An contents in the rims of plagioclase are much lower than those of cores, and elevated FeO concentrations are detected in the plagioclase rims. We propose there exists a double‐layer magma chamber in this region. The core of the plagioclase was crystalized in the deeper quiescent magma chamber (∼21 km), which was subsequently partially dissolved during the ascent of magma melt under H2O‐undersaturated condition, forming the typical coarsely sieved texture and synneusis. When this crystal‐rich melt migrates into the shallower chamber, water saturation is reached and more sodic plagioclase formed as the rim of phenocryst. Due to the considerably higher fO2 in the shallow chamber than in the deeper one, and the distribution of Fe between plagioclase and melt positively correlates with fO2, the FeO content in the plagioclase rim elevates in conjunction with increasing fO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The stigma and prejudice of the public regarding psychiatric disorders are a long‐standing social problem. However, health professionals are more likely to have negative attitudes and label people with mental health conditions. This study aimed to investigate how self‐rated familiarity and literacy about schizophrenia are related to social distancing towards schizophrenia patients among health professionals in Taiwan. Method: This study used a cross‐sectional questionnaire survey and invited respondents to complete the survey either electronically or in a pencil/paper format. Respondents included health professionals in different disciplines and students under medical placements. The survey instrument consists of three parts: sociodemographic information, the 18‐item Social Distance Scale for schizophrenia, and the 19‐item Schizophrenia Experience and Knowledge Questionnaires. Data were analyzed using linear regression models to explore sociodemographic factors, self‐rated familiarity, and literacy total scores about social distance, attitude, and opinions towards schizophrenia. Result: In total, 420 health professionals completed the questionnaire, of which 24.5% were physicians, 36.0% nurses, 6.7% pharmacists, and 28.6% interns. The majority of respondents (n = 360, 85.7%) had contact experience with schizophrenia patients, and approximately 60% rated their experience as a positive impression. Although 62.9% of respondents had received psychiatric education or training, 86% believed that such education/training was insufficient. Moreover, over half of the respondents did not have confidence in their knowledge of schizophrenia. Older age, being married, and having more working experience were associated with high social distance, a negative attitude, and high prejudice. More familiarity with schizophrenia was associated with low social distance, a positive attitude, and less prejudice. A high literacy score was associated with a positive attitude and less prejudice, but no significant correlation was observed with social distance (β ± SE = −0.26 ± 0.14, p =.057). Among respondents who rated their past contact experiences as negative, neither familiarity nor literacy was associated with social distance. Conclusion: High levels of self‐rated familiarity and high literacy about schizophrenia were associated with low social distance, a positive attitude, and less prejudice towards schizophrenia among health professionals. Therefore, sufficient education and training are imperative to increase familiarity and knowledge of schizophrenia. Appropriate education could be implemented from different perspectives, including communication skills, resources of social support, and topics to reduce stigma and prejudice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, by looking at the role of Taiwanese citizens in civic organisations for marriage migrants, explores how women's agency and negotiation occur not only against masculine dominance within patriarchal family arrangements, but also in alliance with it, when oppression is located somewhere beyond the family. In contrast to literature that depicts marriage migration as a women's and migrants' issue, this paper explores the role of Taiwanese citizens (often husbands in cross‐border marriages) in shaping the evolution of the phenomenon in both the private and public spheres. The aim of this paper is to fill a gap in empirical literature on marriage migration in Taiwan and East Asia, as well as contribute to feminist debates on women's agency in the context of masculine dominance. Building on ethnographic data collected through fieldwork in Taiwan, including in‐depth interviews and participant observation within civil society organisations for marriage migrants, this paper reveals how Taiwanese male citizens and Chinese female migrants responded to the challenges brought by their decision to engage in cross‐border unions by creating a new narrative that could explain their condition of shared oppression and by developing joint actions to address the structural discrimination they faced as cross‐border couples in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with data that is initially collected for research purposes, the mandatory authorization of a government database for secondary use deserves greater scrutiny because it consists of information that is collected initially for administrative purposes. Using the case of Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) Database as an example, this paper analyzes the ethical issues that emerge when the research participants are "participated" in studies without their consent, according to the current policy. The proponents of secondary use for research purposes maintain that the authorized use of the NHI Database is necessary for public interests, while the opponents argue that the potential lack of democratic accountability and the infringement on people's rights to privacy and information autonomy is unwarranted. Drawing on the solidarity-based approach, this paper proposes a temporal solution as a possible reform direction for better ethical justification of the secondary use of the NHI Database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily peak load forecasting is crucial for the operation of bulk power systems, including economic dispatch and unit commitment. It is also essential for peak load shaving and load management in distribution systems. In power markets, peak load forecasting helps participants develop bidding strategies. This paper proposes a new method, using a hybrid convolutional neural network (CNN) that is cascaded with a fully-connected network, for making week-ahead daily peak load forecasts. The proposed method uses three loops to obtain the optimal CNN: The outer loop performs crossover/mutation operations and tournament selection to produce chromosomes to optimize the network topology and hyperparameters (such as kernel size) of the hybrid CNN by genetic algorithms; the middle loop deals with the order of chromosomes; the inner loop optimizes the synaptic weights and parameters (e.g. values of a kernel) using Adam optimizer. Daily peak load data and corresponding meteorological data for Taiwan are explored. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the traditional CNN, multi-layer neural network, recurrent neural network, support vector regression and vector autoregressive moving average model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many gamification applications (apps) have been designed to motivate students to learn particular content. Based on the brain activation approach, the present study adapted an app, named Shaking‐On, which requires students to shake their mobile devices to send their answers to multiple‐choice questions to the teacher. Students then learn from their performance. Objectives: To understand how this approach can stimulate participants' emotions when achieving their learning goals, the present study compared Shaking‐On to Kahoot! by checking participants' gameplay anxiety, learning interest, perceived learning value, and learning achievement while learning the Taiwanese language. Methods: The students were divided into two groups to play with one of the two apps, Shaking‐On or Kahoot!, as part of a quasi‐experimental study in which they used the assigned app six times in 6 weeks. Moreover, a questionnaire was distributed to participants and 151 useful responses from the Shaking‐On group, and 148 from the Kahoot! group were returned. Results and Conclusions: After statistical analysis, the results of this study revealed that besides no difference in gameplay anxiety when comparing the two groups of students, there were significant differences in game interest, flow experience, perceived learning value, and learning achievement, further indicating that Shaking‐On with hands‐on shaking outperformed Kahoot!. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The adoption of technology in learning pedagogies should enable students to interact with their technological devices in a fun way and there needs to be interested during the learning process.Different designs of e‐learning platforms have different functions for students to interact that promote in them different psychological outcomes, by shaping their learning behaviours and enhancing their motivation and engagement. What this paper adds: The present study adapted an app, named Shaking‐On, which requires students to shake their mobile devices to send their answers to multiple‐choice questions to the teacher, students will then learn from their performance.To understand how this approach can stimulate participants' emotions in achieving learning goals, the present study compared Shaking‐On to Kahoot! by checking participants' gameplay anxiety, learning interest, perceived learning value, and learning achievement when learning the Taiwanese language. Implications for practice and/or policy: The research on the application of CATML to education is increasing, but there has been less research in the field of Taiwanese languages.The studies related to digital game‐based learning, there are few studies that compare games with different operation movements. Therefore, this study can be used as a reference for the application of cognitive and affective theories of multimedia learning to study the field of learning other native and disappearing languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased waste production is a by‐product of economic growth, and that is why countries worldwide are working on turning waste into useful resources and enhancing recycling effectiveness. Aside from using symbols and words for identifying which recycle bins for which types of recyclable materials, color is also a useful code and visual element in recycle bin design. This study conducted questionnaire survey (n = 418) among participants from Taiwan and from East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) to explore the current condition of resource recycling and determine the best color‐material pairings. This study's result suggests that the most frequently recycled material by participants from Taiwan and from EAP were paper and plastic. The study participants sorted and recycled materials as frequently as five to six days a week. From analyzing the pairings of four colors (red, green, blue, and yellow) with four recyclable materials (paper, glass, plastic, and metal), differences were found between participants from Taiwan and those from EAP. Because resource classification and color coding are different from country to country, this study found that color provides limited information of recycle bins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysing the agricultural sectors of Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, this paper examines the capability‐building process that encourages productivity and innovation. It describes and explains the origins and subsequent evolution of three forms of agricultural production system, each generating different farming capabilities and distinct forms of competitive advantages. The paper argues that Taiwan's rice‐oriented agricultural production system stimulates both productivity and innovation, helping Taiwanese farmers raise their income level and living standards. The active deployment of state institutions and a malleable labour force, evidenced in the Malaysian palm oil industry, is effective in raising farming productivity but not the ability to innovate. Singapore's aquaculture‐oriented agricultural production system is somewhat useful in stimulating productivity and innovation. Yet the city‐state's inherent lack of space and open international trade regime have circumscribed the potential of its aquaculture industry. It now relies on the regional ethnic Chinese business networks to expand the aquaculture industry's knowledge base and its industrial commons. The principles discussed in this paper provide policy lessons, or at least some initial guidance, for other developing economies aspiring to modernise their agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Collaborative computer simulations are available on some online platforms which support students at distributed locations to synchronously collaborate on the simulations to learn sciences. However, how students collaborate with each other in collaborative simulations is not clear. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether functional interdependency would influence learning. Methods: Two collaborative learning models with different functional interdependencies were examined (the synchronous model and the distributed accountability model). Multiple data sources obtained from 64 students were collected and analyzed. We discuss the collaborative learning with two levels of factors: the individual‐level factors (i.e., individual perceptions of teamwork quality, visual attention and learning performance before and after a simulation activity) and the pair‐level factors (i.e., discourse data and joint attention). Given that the pair‐level factors in the collaborative learning environment may affect the individual‐level factors, we further discuss the interactions of the two levels of factors in different collaborative learning models with hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis. Results and Conclusions: The analytical results of the individual‐level factors found participants in the distributed accountability model demonstrated more frequent and longer attention to the learning activity. Furthermore, the results indicated that the two simulation learning activities would enhance the participants' learning performance except in Q2. For the pair‐level factors, the results demonstrated that the participants in the distributed accountability model showed more active discourse segments but similar joint attention patterns in the learning activity. The results of the HLM analysis indicated that the students in the distributed accountability model had to collaborate with their partners through more constructive dialogue, and focused on the same areas of interest to enhance their learning performance, as the complexity of the distributed accountability design was implemented in a simulation learning activity. Major takeaways: We found that the increase of functional interdependency cannot guarantee students' learning effect in collaborative learning and may hinder the communication that is needed during collaboration. Researcher may need to consider other collaboration tools to enhance the reciprocal reflection. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Collaborative simulations are helpful in making the learning process cohesive.The learning effects of functional interdependence in collaborative learning are under debate. What this paper adds: We examined collaborative learning models with different functional interdependencies.We discuss the collaborative learning with the individual‐, the pair‐level factors and their interactions Implications for practice and/or policy: The importance of decreasing cognitive load induced by simulation with high functional interdependency.It is necessary to increase participants' transactive and constructive engagement in collaborative models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Performance goal orientations are influential motivational factors for predicting learning performance. However, a lack of attention has been paid to investigating the effects of performance goal orientations on learning performance and in‐game performance in the context of digital game‐based learning. Objectives: This study implemented a game‐based English vocabulary learning system and investigated how performance goal orientations affected learners' learning performance and in‐game performance. Methods: A total of 59 non‐English major university students participated in this study, divided into performance‐approach learners (PAPL) and performance‐avoidance learners (PAVL) based on their performance goal orientations. The English vocabulary listening test and log data were collected for conducting quantitative analyses. Results and conclusions: The results showed that the PAPL outperformed the PAVL in learning performance, whereas the two groups demonstrated similar gain scores and overall in‐game performance. Moreover, the results showed that the PAVL's learning performance was strongly associated with all aspects of in‐game performance in the learning activities. Conversely, the PAPL's learning performance was only associated with two aspects of in‐game performance in the competition activities. Implications: The findings of this study suggest that performance goal orientations play significant roles in both learning performance and in‐game performance, which could benefit the PAVL's in‐game performance, which is a substantial factor in promoting their learning performance via DGBL. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Digital game‐based learning (DGBL) has been widely adopted in various subject areas.DGBL is an effective learning approach for language learning.Performance goal orientations are influential motivational factors in predicting learning performance.Relevant empirical research on performance goal orientations in DGBL is scarce and inconclusive. What this paper adds: A game‐based English vocabulary learning system was developed based on the considerations of different characteristics of performance goal orientations.This study provides understandings of the impact of performance goal orientations on both learning performance and in‐game performance in DGBL.Performance‐approach learners outperformed performance‐avoidance learners, whereas the two groups demonstrated similar gain scores and overall in‐game performance.Performance‐avoidance learners' in‐game performance is a substantial factor in promoting their learning performance via DGBL. Implications for practice and/or policy: Educators should consider adopting game‐based assessment to reduce the gap between learners with different performance goal orientations.DGBL can be a potential approach to supporting different performance goal orientations, but it is particularly beneficial to learners with performance‐avoidance goals.Learners with different performance goal orientations need different types of learning activities to achieve better performance.A personalized DGBL system should be developed to accommodate the needs and preferences of learners with performance‐approach and performance‐avoidance goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient participation in healthcare activities is key to producing successful patient‐centered care. However, little is known about both nurses' and patients' perspectives regarding patient participation in East Asia. This paper compared and contrasted perspectives of patient participation in healthcare activities between nurses and patients, using a qualitative study with a purposive sample of 39 nurses and 15 patients. A semi‐structured interview was applied to focus groups for nurses, and to face‐to‐face interviews for patients. Content analysis was utilized to analyze the data, and common themes and subthemes were identified showing three similarities (authoritative culture, participation behaviors, and obstacles to participation), and two differences (sources of acquiring patient‐related health information, and responsible party). Nurses and patients did not entirely view participation in healthcare activities congruently. Relevant clinical practices are also suggested, including respecting patients' autonomy, nurses' using layman's language for explanations, patients' understanding the meaning behind their participation behaviors, recognizing obstacles faced in enhancing patient participation with adjusted nursing workload, actively providing needed health information, and leading patients to realize that they will be responsible for their health behaviors after discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reality (VR) can promote design performance, and may generate a high cognitive load and affect creative design thinking as well. In order to examine the effect of VR application on cognitive load and engineering design creativity, this study recruited 81 eighth‐grade students as participants and employed a non‐equivalent‐groups quasi‐experimental design to examine how VR application influences creativity components and creative performance. A creativity component scale (creative motivation, creative thinking, and professional cognition), a measurement of creative performance, and a cognitive load scale were used to collect data. The study also investigated the ability of VR application to predict creativity components and creative performance, using cognitive load as the mediator. The conclusions are as follows: (1) VR application had marked effects on professional cognition and creative motivation but no effect on creative thinking skills. (2) VR application had marked effects on the novelty and usefulness aspects of creative performance, particularly with respect to usefulness. (3) VR application had marked effects on extraneous and germane cognitive load, but no influence on intrinsic cognitive load, and (4) Both VR application and cognitive load were able to predict creativity components and creative performance. Their abilities to predict creative performance approached an acceptable level. Nevertheless, VR application had no effect on general creative thinking skills; therefore, other teaching strategies are needed to strengthen creative thinking. Lay Description: What is already known about this topicVirtual reality (VR) can transmit complex knowledge.Virtual reality (VR) can promote design performance.What this paper addsInfluence of VR application on creativity components and creative performance.Ability of VR application and cognitive load to predict creativity components.Ability of VR application and cognitive load to predict creative performance.Implications for practice and/or policyUsing VR teaching to improve learning effects and creativity in high‐risk, expensive, and inaccessible learning fields.Using VR teaching to practice repeatedly, and facilitate basic understanding of the application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of nursing training include not only mastering skills but also fostering the competence to make decisions for problem solving. In prenatal education, cultivating nurses' knowledge and competence of vaccine administration is a crucial issue for protecting pregnant women and newborns from infection. Therefore, obstetric vaccination knowledge has become a basic and essential training program for nursing students. However, most of these training programs are given via the lecture‐based teaching approach with skills practice, providing students with few opportunities to think deeply about the relevant issues owing to the lack of interaction and context. This could have a negative impact on their learning effectiveness and clinical judgment. To address this problem, a mobile chatbot‐based learning approach is proposed in this study to enable students to learn and think deeply in the contexts of handling obstetric vaccine cases via interacting with the chatbot. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an experiment was implemented. Two classes of 36 students from a university in northern Taiwan were recruited as participants. One class was the experimental group learning with the proposed approach, while the other class was the control group learning with the conventional approach (ie, giving lectures to explain the instructional content and training cases). The results indicate that applying a mobile chatbot for learning can enhance nursing students' learning achievement and self‐efficacy. In addition, based on the analysis of the interview results, students generally believed that learning through the mobile chatbot was able to promote their self‐efficacy as well as their learning engagement and performance. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Issues relevant to AI technology in education have been extensively discussed and explored around the world.Among the various AI systems, the potential of chatbots has been highlighted by researchers owing to the user‐friendly interface developed using the natural language processing (NLP) technology.Few studies using AI chatbots in professional training have been conducted.What this paper adds In this study, a mobile chatbot was used in a nursing training program to enhance students' learning achievement and self‐efficacy for handling vaccine cases.The mobile chatbot significantly improved the students' learning achievement and self‐efficacy in comparison with the conventional learning approach in the vaccine training program.From the interview results, it was found that the students generally believed that the mobile chatbot was able to promote their self‐efficacy as well as learning engagement and performances in the vaccine training program.Implications for practice and/or policy Mobile chatbots have great potential for professional training owing to their convenient and user‐friendly features.It would be worth applying mobile chatbots as well as other NLP‐based applications to other professional training programs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the transformational play approach was further used to deploy drama‐based situational learning in the classroom through the Digital Learning Theatre (DLT) by engaging drama performers and the audience collaboratively. This study analysed the learners' learning effectiveness based on translation and sentence‐construction abilities, and their perception by focussing on concentration, and comprehension of dialogues before and after the drama‐based activity. The experimental results were based on both the DLT including tablet PCs to enable audience participation in drama performances, and the DLT for drama performances in which the audience can participate through traditional open discussion sessions with the narrator of the drama. Sixty‐five students were selected randomly as participants from the English as a Foreign Language academic program at the junior high school level. The application of the DLT including the tablet PCs approach showed considerable improvement in students' learning effectiveness as well as a significant positive effect on classroom learning, outperform the effectiveness of the DLT with traditional open discussion sessions for the audience. Accordingly, to improve students' learning effectiveness, their engagement in the learning process can be advanced through situational learning activities using educational technologies that combine with collaborative learning mechanisms for classroom learning. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicThe transformational play proposed by Sasha Barab is designed based on situated cognition theory to position persons, content, and context together through digital games.Dorothy Heathcote proposed a drama‐based learning approach for learning in the classroom, and learners can play various roles in the drama to learn in a situational learning setting. The teacher, too, plays a role to guide the students and engage them in the situational learning setting.Integration of immersive educational technologies supports learning by reducing obstacles to adoption in the learning process and improve learning effectiveness.Within a rich contextual learning environment, learners can be placed in different situational learning tasks that allow them to apply existing knowledge and experiences.What does this paper addThis study introduces a manner of applying the transformational play approach in drama‐based situational learning activities suitable for collaborative learning in a classroom setting.It introduces a practical and simple method to transform a regular classroom into a digital version of the learning theatre, including a virtual stage to drama performances.The drama‐based situational learning approach facilitates the audience as well as the performers to transform themselves into protagonists in the learning context by collaboratively following the learning content and learning with their peers.The technology‐enhanced drama‐based situational learning approach is introduced based on the transformation play approach that allows the students to learn situationally through different script instances, and improves their learning effectiveness by helping them understand the learning content through performing, participating, watching, and interacting in the learning context.Implications for practice and/or policyLearners can apply their prior knowledge and experiences creatively through drama‐based learning activities, and interactive engagement allows the audience to participate in the learning process equally as drama performers.Educators and learning system developers can implement this approach to facilitate situational practice and discuss learning content.The learning process supports the reinterpretation of the learners' experiences and reflects on how to procure/adopt new knowledge and apply it to real‐life situations.Drama performance is a collaborative/group learning task and it is performed for the audience. Students with higher achievements will help students with lower achievements so that everyone can contribute in the learning process to achieve their learning objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extends the cushion hypothesis to examine cultural differences in the role of willingness to take financial risk in an individual's objective financial outcomes (e.g., the experience of material hardship) and in an individual's assessment of their financial well‐being. Using data collected in South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, we find support for a cushion (i.e., weaker relationship) in the association between material hardship and present and future financial well‐being. A cushion was also observed in a weaker association between willingness to take financial risk and expectations for future financial security but not in the experience of material hardship or current money management stress. Our results suggest that cultural context influences an individual's objective situation as well as their subjective assessment of that situation. This paper adds to existing literature by documenting a cushion effect beyond risk taking to include a person's objective financial situation and financial well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning in 1980, and due to a number of significant court decisions, legislative initiatives and international economic agreements, there has been an increase in the importance and use of intellectual property mechanisms, such as patents, in protecting biological materials, including seeds and engineered crop traits. The trend originated in the U.S. but has since diffused to OECD and non‐OECD nations. A parallel but related set of policies designed to promote the patenting of university and federally funded research discoveries has also become evident in the U.S. and globally. In this paper, we discuss the trend toward more restrictive IP protections in agriculture through national‐level policies and international economic agreements especially for new plant varieties. We then present the case of plant science research in Taiwan, including interviews with 15 plant scientists, to illustrate how transnational trends can impact and interact with national level policies and practices. And, how research scientists can play critical roles in furthering or retarding the progression of the proprietary research model in plant science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses major cultural differences and corresponding teaching strategies when training student therapists in Taiwan about the concepts of self‐of‐the‐therapist and self‐awareness in marriage and family therapy. The authors present their years of teaching experience and observations about these cultural differences as well as a class example to address these differences. Specifically, a detailed summary of a master's level course titled 'Self‐Development for Helping Professionals' will be illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group regulation has been recognised as an important factor affecting students' performances in project‐based learning. However, students often experience unsuccessful project outcomes due to several factors, such as unfocused negotiation and lack of project monitoring. In this study, a group regulation promotion approach was developed. The proposed approach consisted of a group‐regulated learning module that allows students to set learning goals, divide work and adjust their learning progress. There is also a platform for students to share their learning goals, observe others' work and discuss with their peers. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a 6‐month experiment was conducted in a higher education context. A total of 50 undergraduate students aged 19–20 years old participated in this research. One class assigned as the experimental group learned with the proposed approach, whereas the other class assigned as the control group learned with the collaborative project‐based learning approach. The results revealed that the proposed approach benefited the students' group learning performance, individual learning performance and their perception of group regulation. In addition, students who learned through the promotion mechanism showed more active learning behaviours. In sum, the integration of the group regulation promotion approach can be an effective means of enhancing students' learning performance. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Collaborative project‐based learning has been regarded as a comprehensive approach for teaching and learning.Technologies benefit students by facilitating online and offline collaborative project‐based learning.Group regulation has been recognized as an important and challenging factor affecting students' performances in project‐based learning.What this paper adds A group regulation promotion approach was developed to encourage students to engage in continuous group regulation with their peers.A group‐regulated learning module was provided to help students set learning goals, divide work, and adjust their learning progress.A sharing platform was developed to assist student in sharing their learning goals, observing others' work, and discussing with their peers.The proposed approach promoted the students' group learning performance, their individual learning performance, and active regulated learning behaviors.Implications for practice and/or policy The group regulation promotion approach is a potential strategy for implementing collaborative learning activities, especially for improving students' active regulated learning behaviors.It is worth deeply investigating students' regulated learning behaviors in collaborative learning activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relatively unexamined topic of interactions between corporeal and affective dimensions in male sexual labour, focusing on the role of intimacy in the bodywork of erotic gay massage in Taiwan. Feminist perspectives on bodywork and affective embodiment are used to analyse how intimacy is lived out during commodified same‐sex engagements. Drawing upon in‐depth interviews with 34 self‐identified gay masseurs, I examine two prominent servicing features of male‐for‐male massage: crafted intimacy and unscripted care. Whereas the former refers to the 'boyfriend experience' built up through tactile encounters, the latter regards erotic services as caring practices for the socially vulnerable, adding a moral dimension to the cultural significance of gay sexual commerce in Taiwan. This paper concludes that corporeal and affective dimensions are inseparable in understanding gay massage. Further research can benefit from more attention to somatic affection in the interplay between bodywork and intimacy in male sexual labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning a foreign language requires interaction with language input while involved in a task. Given that problem‐based learning (PBL) offers hands‐on application in realistic contexts, and that virtual reality (VR) enables learners to interact with multiple modalities of information, this study examines how the integration of VR technology into PBL contexts affects students' motivation for, problem‐solving during, and vocabulary acquisition in learning English as a foreign language (EFL). A total of 84 engineering majors who enrolled in a course of English for specific purposes were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Students in the experimental group participated in a VR‐assisted PBL context, in which they were to view a PBL scenario using VR technology and then to create VR videos about solving the given problems. Those in the control group participated in a PBL context without the use of VR technology for viewing and solving the identical scenario. After the intervention, all the students wrote a problem‐solving analysis, took a vocabulary knowledge test, completed a learning motivation questionnaire, and participated in individual interviews. The results showed that the students in the experimental group significantly outperformed those in the control group in terms of vocabulary acquisition, and were more motivated to learn English related to their future careers, whereas there was no significant difference in the problem‐solving performance of the two groups. Implications of these findings highlight the value of engaging EFL learners in immersive environments for contextualized learning through the integrated use of VR and PBL. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Virtual reality (VR) technology has been shown to enhance students' knowledge and skills in STEM fields.Problem‐based learning (PBL) has been widely used in medical education but not so much in foreign language education.English as a foreign language (EFL) students usually have very limited access to the target language beyond the classroom, thus lack a motivating reason for them to learn English after graduation. What this paper adds?: The VR‐assisted PBL approach proposed in this study was found to significantly enhance the EFL students' specialized vocabulary knowledge.The VR‐assisted PBL approach was found to motivate and sustain the EFL students' interest in career English.Exposing the EFL students to PBL contexts was capable of developing their problem‐solving performance, regardless of VR integration. Implications for practice and/or policy: The proposed approach has the potential to facilitate student learning in EFL education, particularly English for occupational purposes.EFL educators may apply the VR‐assisted PBL approach to narrow the gap between language classrooms and workplace contexts by immersing students in authentic contexts that were relevant to their occupational knowledge and workplace English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]