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This study describes the learning and development experiences of teacher education students after taking an introductory course on adolescent psychology. The instructor adopted the developmental instruction model (DIM) (Knefelkamp, 1998) in this study and facilitated students learn through experiential learning. Fifteen students (aged between 20 and 28, with an average of 23.25) submitted a report and a research paper during the course and were invited for an in-depth interview after the course ended. Each student provided three sets of data (a brief paper, a research report, and an interview), and the instructor and research assistant recorded observation/reflection notes which were all analyzed with phenomenological qualitative method. Six themes emerge: (1) improved self-understanding including review of characteristics of their adolescence and how their adolescence makes who they are; (2) better understanding of modern youngsters including characteristics of adolescents in Taiwan and other countries and the challenges they encounter; (3) understanding of impacts of environmental factors (family, campus life, society and culture) on teenagers such as how changes in environment affect them; (4) acquisition of counseling techniques for adolescents; (5) experiencing the effectiveness of experiential learning; and (6) recognition of the practicality of DIM. The findings of this study served as the foundation for teacher education students to go deeper into the world of adolescent psychology, and for designing and selection of pedagogical methods for psychology courses. Findings supported that this course could enhance teacher education students' understanding of themselves and adolescents. It also could solidify their teaching and counseling skills for youngsters.

In this paper, to handle the problem of the quick evolution of cyber-security attacks, we developed the iMonsters board game and proposed the attack and defense knowledge self-evolving algorithm. Three versions of the iMonsters were launched in 2013, 2017, and 2019, respectively. Accordingly, the cyber-security ontology can be refined by the ontology fusion-or-splitting procedure for the newly collected cyber-security incidents, as well as the roles and rules of the iMonsters can be refined by the gaming portfolio mining procedure for the collected portfolio. Furthermore, we conducted game-based learning (GBL), a quasi-experiment of pre/post-testing, and concept map testing using the iMonsters board game in a children's summer camp. The experimental results indicate that the students can acquire up-to-date cyber-security knowledge with the iMonsters better than students who learn in a traditional classroom setting, and the students' satisfaction with acquiring cyber-security knowledge with the instructional design of the iMonsters is better compared with learning in a traditional classroom setting. Satisfaction with the new version has continuously increased. Besides, the results of the in-depth interviews show that the new version was easier to learn. Thus, we may conclude that using the self-evolving iMonsters can improve learning effectiveness and participation in GBL.

To explore knowledge co-construction patterns and learning motivation within virtual EFL co-creation environments, this study examined behavioral patterns and motivation in three different co-creation environments (paper-based, 2D digital, and 3D VR co-creation) through sequential behavioral analysis and ANCOVA. The study utilized a quasi-experimental research design with a total of 66 tenth-grade students from two English classes at a public senior high school in northern Taiwan. Based on the visualized behavior transition diagrams, the task-switching behaviors between dissonance identification and knowledge negotiation as well as the isolated behaviors of applying newly-constructed knowledge are the core of knowledge co-construction. Particularly, 3D VR co-creation was characterized by the highest number of higher level isolated acts and lower level circular continuity, both of which reflect VR co-creators' efforts to gain familiarity with advanced technology as well as the intention to exchange information and reach community consensus to overcome task complexity, form community consensus, and lower anxiety. Such behavioral patterns echoed the results of ANCOVA on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; that is, on either intrinsic or extrinsic motivation, the influence of 3D VR co-creation was the greatest, followed by that of 2D digital co-creation and paper-based cocreation. For future co-creation instruction and research, it is suggested that the instruction of VR co-creation be invested with abundant time to allow mature higher level knowledge co-construction dialogues to occur. Moreover, to gain an even deeper understanding of the social structure embedded in knowledge co-creation, it is suggested that social network analysis (SNA) be employed in future research.

This paper presents the exploratory results of a case study analysis of the implications of global Englishes for senior high school English education in Taiwan. In response to the expanding contexts and uses of English, the current English curriculum in Taiwan's 12-year Curriculum for Basic Education calls attention to the global nature of English, which involves extended ownership and the acknowledgment of variations in English (Taiwanese Ministry of Education, 2018). However, the extent to which senior high school English teachers' cognition and practices reflect the spirit of the new curriculum is unclear. A qualitative approach was used in this study to record classroom observations and interview data from three teacher participants selected for their availability. The data were then analyzed and interpreted against global Englishes and teacher cognition literature. This study concludes that despite a general awareness of global Englishes, inconsistencies and paradoxes persisted within and between the participants' cognition and pedagogical practices along a continuum of traditionally to globally oriented English language teaching. Based on these findings and discussions, alternatives are proposed to complement senior high school English teaching in Taiwan.

This qualitative study reports on the early implementation of bilingual education by teachers working in pre-tertiary contexts in Taiwan, with a specific focus on perceived challenges and the resulting bilingual education arrangements. Taiwan's public schools have begun to implement bilingual education in response to the Bilingual 2030 policy. Several scholars have identified potential challenges that may affect implementation. However, little is known about the challenges perceived by teachers and their effect on the implementation of bilingual education. This study addresses this gap using data collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 teachers from various academic disciplines in five primary schools and five junior high schools in northern Taiwan. Three challenges and six bilingual education arrangements were reported by the participating teachers. The paper discusses how these challenges may produce varying arrangements that are designed to achieve different outcomes, highlighting the need for policymakers to clearly define the intended outcomes of the bilingual education policy.

This paper argues that multicultural education is an essential way of creating a safe and respectful campus. Examined from the perspective of power relations, schools are viewed as a site that helps maintain existing power relations by reinforcing the assimilation ideology. A drawback of this is that only one set of perspectives is valued. As a result, students who are not part of the norm are more likely to be treated unfairly in school. This may impose a negative effect on their learning as school is not a safe environment for them. To create a safe and respectful campus, multicultural education has to be incorporated as it helps students foster multiple perspectives and learn to embrace diversity. This paper first defines multicultural education. Secondly, it illustrates why multicultural issues should be examined in the framework of power relations. Then, it focuses on exploring the assimilation ideology and the role schools play in the process of assimilation. In this section, it analyzes how students are endangered by assimilation, and the case of the Yeh Yong-Zi event in Taiwan is also examined. Finally, it discusses in what ways multicultural education could help establish a safe and respectful campus culture.

The main role of an elite school is to produce future leaders and this paper examines how four elite schools in different parts of the Global South are engaging in this process. Despite the critiques of global citizenship education (GCE) being a vestige of the colonial project, we analyse closely how it is being actively and productively appropriated by the four schools. Our comparative analysis highlights two different types of leaders being created. Two schools are seeking to produce regional sociopolitical transformational leaders, while the other two institutions are more focused on individualised, self-interested future subjects. We show how a range of GCE orientations is drawn on across the four schools that have different geo-political and spatial reaches and are ultimately productive in (re-)producing elite classes. Furthermore, these GCE orientations also have the potential to disrupt the unequal relations currently found between the North and the South.

This study investigated student engagement and focused attention in three co-creation environments (a paper-based environment, the 2D Jamboard platform, and the CoSpaces virtual reality (VR) platform). The study utilized a quasi-experimental research design with a total of 66 tenth-grade students including 34 males (52%) and 32 females (48%) from two English classes at a public senior high school in northern Taiwan. To assess the effects of the environments, the classes were divided into a control group, experimental group A, and experimental group B, with a valid sample of N = 22 in each group. The results showed that the three co-creation environments were not significant causal factors of either the learners' behavioral and cognitive engagement or their focused attention. However, co-creation in VR structure visualization indeed resulted in significant effects on emotional engagement due to its novel and immersive environment. For improved focused attention and engagement, especially in the behavioral and cognitive domains, the present study suggests that co-creation be implemented as a semester-long project to allow thorough discussion and idea synthesis and to avoid underestimation of the value and strength of co-creation tools.

This paper analyses the current state of postcolonial and decolonial science teaching, based on a systematic review of the literature, with a special focus on the European context. It shows that currently, a very narrow view on postcolonial science teaching prevails, limiting its scope to former colonies. A total of 227 articles published 2013-2022 were identified using meta-interpretation combined with systematic searches. 43 of these articles were selected for the sample and analysed. Included were only articles reporting on teaching practice in regular science classes in secondary school. The analysis identified as the main theme the question of how to coordinate Indigenous knowledge systems and Western science in the classroom. Further, translanguaging and pedagogy of justice are used as approaches toward decolonising science education. One striking finding in the analysis is the absence of de-/postcolonial approaches from European countries. This indicates that teaching practice in Europe might currently not undergo decolonisation. This contradicts Aimé Césaire's observation that both the colonised "and" the colonisers were decivilised during colonialism and need decolonisation [Césaire, A. (1955). "Discours sur le colonialisme" [Discourse on colonialism] (6th ed.). Présence Africaine]. In this article, the different approaches toward decolonisation and an outline of decolonial science teaching for the European context are presented.

Bilingual education is burgeoning in Asia, and most bilingual practices are impacted by national language policies. However, top-down policy implementation and bottom-up practices may spark mismatches, constraints, or possibilities. Taiwan was selected as a research context to investigate the perceptions of administrators and teachers (including subject teachers and both native and non-native teachers of English) at a junior high school. Building on Ricento and Hornberger's language policy and planning framework proposed in 1996, this paper examines to what extent the school implemented these policies and discusses the interplay between the administrators' and teachers' policy implementation and the underlying forces that fuel policy implementation. The data revealed a three-dimensional model of schoolwide policy implementation (i.e. the individual, team, and organisation levels) that impacted and synergised one another. The synergy and pedagogical innovation of the professional learning community are crucial to a school's reform. The authors conclude with implications for policy and practice.

This paper addresses how there are still issues with students' performance due to the gender gap in the STEM area. The researchers first analyzed 2012 and 2018 PISA data in Taiwan. They found that the gender difference is polarized. There are more boys than girls at the high score level, this phenomenon is global. Then the researchers used this analysis as a protocol and conducted focus group interviews with 28 gifted education teachers to explore the gender issue of teaching gifted students. From their perspective, the influences of gender stereotypes and gender issues reflected the psychosocial challenges for both genders. The focus groups also developed a potential action plan to improve science learning for both genders. Later, a follow-up survey found the participating teachers reported they used positive approaches in their daily teaching practices after they joined the focus group interviews.

Programming ability is the core ability of this era and can be obtained and improved through practice. In this paper, an Automated Programming Assessment system based on Mastery learning and Peer competition (APAMP) was proposed and developed. APAMP allows students to practice repeatedly by providing immediate feedback after their programs are submitted. It also presents an analytical dashboard as a competition mechanism for students to visualize their learning performance and compare their performance with peers. By incorporating APAMP into programming courses, students can master programming skills through repeated practice, and their enthusiasm for learning programming can also be encouraged by peer competition. To evaluate the effects of APAMP on the learning performance of students with programming language learning and novice students, a quasi-experiment was conducted in a high school. The experimental results showed that the learning achievement of the two groups of students improved significantly. Moreover, the learning attitude of students in the experienced group improved significantly, with the experienced students benefiting more from the system than the novice students. In fact, the novice students showed a significant decline in learning attitude and learning motivation, which was contrary to our intuition.

This research applied a web-based dynamic assessment system, GPAM-WATA system, to help low English achievers to perform self-directed learning of junior high school English grammar. A quasi-experimental design was adopted. A total of 124 seventh graders from four classes participated in this research. Participants were randomly divided into the GPAM-WATA group and the paper-and-pencil test (PPT) group. A total of 33 students were identified as low English achievers, among which 17 belonged to the GPAM-WATA group and the remaining 16 belonged to the PPT group. All participants in the GPAM-WATA and PPT groups performed self-directed learning through the GPAM-WATA and the PPT, respectively. Only 33 low English achievers from both groups took the pre- and post-test of learning achievement assessment and the English learning motivation scale. The research findings reveal that low English achievers in the GPAM-WATA group exhibit significantly better improvement in terms of learning effectiveness than those in the PPT group. Moreover, it is found that the IPs in the GPAM-WATA are effective in compensating for low English achiever's lack of grammatical knowledge.

In this article, Charlie Taylor offers a commentary on Yang et al.'s 2021 "Reading in a Foreign Language" article, "Text Difficulty in Extensive Reading: Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation." In their study, Yang et al. analyzed the effects of text difficulty on the reading comprehension and motivation of high school students participating in an EFL extensive reading program in Taiwan. The researchers provided one experimental group with graded readers that were one level below their current vocabulary level, and another with books that were one level above. The authors' stated aim was to determine the optimum reading level for students by testing two hypotheses: The automaticity principle (Day & Bamford, 1998), and the Input Hypothesis (Krashen, 1982). They claimed that these two hypotheses are "contrastive" (Yang et al., 2021, p. 79) because the automaticity principle recommends students read below their current vocabulary level, whereas the Input Hypothesis implies students should read above their current level. In this commentary, Taylor briefly examines the authors' claim that because the group reading lower-level texts made greater comprehension gains in this study, the results "may not support the postulate of the Input Hypothesis that input at one level beyond learners' capacity may promote acquisition" (Yang et al., 2021, p. 91). [For Yang et al.'s study "Text Difficulty in Extensive Reading: Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation," see EJ1296460.]

Widespread use of the Internet in 21st century society is not risk-free. This paper studies the comorbidity of some problematic uses of Internet with depression in order to assess their correlation. With that aim, a meta-analysis of 19 samples obtained from 13 different studies (n=33,458) was carried out. The subjects of these studies are adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years ([mu]=15.68) from different cultures and continents (Europe, Euro-Asia, America and Asia). The effect size obtained from the use of a random-effects model (r=0.3, p<0.000) is significant, moderate and positive, thus confirming the relation between pathologic uses of the Internet and depression. Moreover, meta-regression test results showed that 9% of the variance (R2=0.09) is associated with the male gender, while age and culture are not significant variables. The variability rate of the studies is high (I2=87.085%), as a consequence of heterogeneity rather than publication bias, as Egger's regression test shows (1-tailed p-value=0.25; 2-tailed p-value=0.50, and [sigma]=1.57). Therefore, the need for specific interventions in secondary education dealing with this issue is evident to ensure that it does not extend into adult life.

Purpose: This paper aims to propose a critical multimodal framework to understanding pedagogical materials that focuses on not only the verbal or the visual components but also the interaction between the two semiotic resources that constructs power relations as a result of intermodal interaction, and it further provides an example of an in-depth analysis of one text using this approach. Design/methodology/approach: The paper proposes a critical multimodal framework that draws from Serafini (2010) and Royce (1998). Details about how the two works complement to form a critical multimodal framework are discussed, after which the paper analyzes one example from an English-language textbook using the proposed framework to demonstrate its strengths. Findings: The findings highlight the power relations constructed in texts as a result of the interaction between the verbal and visual components, specifically how the visual mode functions to rationalize the power relations constructed in the verbal mode. These findings also establish the significance for considering the larger context of materials production and reception identified in the ideological perspective to appreciate how texts reflect discourses in diverse locales. Originality/value: This paper argues that even though critical multimodality has often been discussed conceptually in L1 literacy scholarship, how to put these conceptualizations into practice has not been addressed systematically. The paper also contends that critical perspectives to understanding multimodal texts are also important in L2 English-language teaching. The critical multimodal framework proposed thus serves as a conceptual and methodological framework for multimodal reading and interpretive practices in both L1 and L2 contexts.

Due to its historical and geopolitical contestations, Taiwan is a country whose people possess divergent imaginations of the national community. Such a condition has been described as institutional liminality, which captures Taiwan's status as not a complete nation state nor a non-nation state; not China nor non-China. Under such a condition, people recognize themselves either as Taiwanese, Chinese, or both. Through utilizing the concept of imagination, especially Anderson's notion of "imagined communities" and Harvey's interpretation of "geographical imagination," this paper investigates the representation of imagined communities embedded in various revisions and makings of the national curriculum in Taiwan. A specific focus is put onto the revision of the national historical curriculum at the senior high school level and the resistance to it during 2014-2016. It is argued that through organizing protests and boycotts against the revision, students are no longer simply pure receivers of official knowledge, they actively express their imagination of the national community and participate in the negotiation of official knowledge, which gives the national curriculum a more democratic base.

This study analyzed representations of practical work in 10th grade chemistry textbooks and associated experimental workbooks from different Chinese communities. In the field of textbook research, science education textbooks research is unbalanced between regions. In the case of chemistry textbooks analysis within the Chinese context, textbook studies are even more limited. To close the gap, this paper contributes to the current body of knowledge of how practical work in secondary chemistry education is suggested to be applied in Chinese educational contexts. A total of 508 representations related to practical work were identified in seven sets of textbooks from Mainland China, Taiwan, and the Chinese sector in Malaysia. The goal was to gain basic insights into the features associated with suggested approaches to practical work in the textbooks. Our focus was on the suggested type of learning, intended learning outcomes, inquiry level, and aspects of students' engagement with practical work. The results indicated a prevalence of prescribed experiments. This preference was then followed by illustrations of facts and laboratory operation processes. Only a limited amount of scientific inquires with at least some amount of openness were located among the list of preferred items. The intended learning outcomes mainly aim at learning facts. Most textbooks suggest using a structured learning approach. Some suggestions of inquiry-based learning using either guided or open inquiry approaches do occur, but they are relatively limited in the textbooks and do not appear frequently. The results of this study may provide a view for science textbook editors and curriculum designers to identify areas for further improvement.

In recent years, the innovative applications of integrated augmented reality (AR) into educational settings had increased rapidly in Taiwan. AR provides the scene of the real world while interacting with the virtual and physical objects and increases students' learning motivation. This paper presents an empirical study that investigated the middle-school students learning health education courses related to human body structure knowledge integrating AR technology with different learning style preferences. A two-way t-test was applied to examine the experimental (AR-based) or control (traditional lecture) group in health education courses for four consecutive weeks, comparing with pre-test and post-test scores. The findings revealed that students in the AR experimental group apparently had a higher learning achievement than the students in the control group. Moreover, students with different learning styles had the significant differences in learning achievement. The research outcomes provided the practical implications for educators in incorporating AR applications for enhancing learning motivation and to study the differences in students' learning style.

The last two decades have witnessed a wave of utilising the capability approach for shifting the commitment of child disability policy from addressing impairments towards promoting child agency. Guided by the approach, the agency experienced by the 1,291 middle-school adolescents with disabilities within the 2011 Taiwanese Special Needs and Education Longitudinal database is explored. The analysis has led to the general finding that the big picture is an optimistic one, but it has also been elicited that about 40% of the sample was still suffering from different types of agency deprivation. Also, we have identified distinct configurations of personal, parental and school factors that are associated with their diverse agency deprivation. Notably, the agency status of adolescents with disabilities has been successfully proved to be closely linked to their functionings and capabilities. Based on these research findings, we end this paper with recommendations to service providers for enhancing the agency of these adolescents.

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an inquiry-based virtual reality (VR) science lab used in junior high school science classes. The "Scientific Investigation VR Lab" ("SIVRLAB") is designed for 9th-grade students to learn about electrochemical cells. It is situated in a guided problem-solving context, where learners need to review the concept of oxidation-reduction reactions and assemble a voltaic cell to save a robot. The "SIVRLAB" features several cognitive supports and guides for students to plan and record experiments and resolve the problem. It has both a head-mounted display (HMD) version and a desktop VR version. The study recruited 66 9th graders from three classes to evaluate the two versions of the "SIVRLAB." The students were assigned to one of three conditions, namely, (1) using immersive HMD "SIVRLAB" individually, (2) using desktop "SIVRLAB" individually, and (3) observing one student use immersive HMD "SIVRLAB." The students were briefly introduced to the concept of electrochemical cells in the first class and were instructed to use the "SIVRLAB" sessions in the next class. The results from knowledge pre- and post-tests, a user experience survey, and students' reflections were collected and analyzed qualitatively. The findings revealed that students who used the desktop VR obtained the highest test scores among the three groups. However, in the follow-up physical laboratory test, the performance of the students in the original HMD VR experimental group was better than those in the desktop VR experimental group. The paper also discusses student feedback and teacher observations regarding the design and interaction with immersive VR. Lastly, the implications of the study and recommendations for future studies are presented.

Teaching English in a classroom setting where EFL learners were usually sitting at desks and doing English learning tasks using paper and pencil is inefficient. It has considerable potential problems that could lead to students learning in a passive state. More specifically, the teaching materials are inconsistent with students' authentic experiences, which decreases the learning efficiency, learning motivation, and levels of interactivity. An annotatable multimedia E-reader (AME) was developed to address these problems. The provided various annotation tools to help students create dramas with authentic contexts. The study participants were 48 junior high school students and divided into the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). Results revealed that learning English through drama with AME assistance in authentic contexts significantly improved the participants' learning achievements. In other words, the learning achievements of the EG were superior to those of the CG. Moreover, the results indicated that different learning behaviors were significantly related to different learning achievements. Thus, the greater the diversity of learning behaviors practiced by the students in the drama activity in authentic contexts, the higher the students' learning scores on different dimensions. Finally, the results indicated that using the AME in authentic contexts was beneficial for English learning through drama.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how principals in Taiwan lead student and teacher learning at a time of leadership and learning paradigm shifts and the imminent implementation of the curriculum guideline for 12-year basic education. Design/methodology/approach: This study interviewed 32 elementary and junior high school principals purposively sampled based on reputation and recommendation from senior principals and government officials. Findings: As a society which values credentialism, principals in Taiwan face challenges in executing the vision of educating student as a whole person. The authors discuss how principals are solidifying whole person education as the espoused value, how they are enforcing school-based curriculum and effective instruction, and encouraging teacher professional learning. Principals are sharing power by recruiting stakeholders' participation in guiding school development and enacting distributed leadership, while also building relationship as social capital and soliciting support from the community to establish the conditions to improve teaching and learning. Research limitations/implications: This paper highlights how principal practices are evolving in a time of changing conception of learning from academic achievement to multiple competencies and the shifting paradigm of power from participatory decision making to distributed leadership. This paper ends with a discussion on how leadership for learning (LfL) as a community engagement has emerged. Practical implications: With the shifting of the concept and paradigm of learning, principals in a high power distance society like Taiwan are now facing opportunities as well as challenges to lead teachers to engaging students in inquiry and collaboration. Originality/value: This paper highlights the indigenous practices of principal LfL in a high-performing East Asian education system in a time of changing notions of learning and leadership.

Indonesia always continually failed international assessments even though many efforts have been made. The results of PISA 2012 put Indonesian students in the worst position. In contrast, East Asian countries' performance well in mathematics, reading, and science. Indeed, Singapore has the best performance in the Southeast Asia region even in the world as well as Shanghai-China. The position of Indonesia is lower than Viet Nam, Thailand, and Malaysia in South-East Asia. Therefore, by carrying out a literature review, this paper analyzes what is happening in Indonesia beyond assessment, especially in science. Assessment reform from the above East Asian countries was also depicted to complete the discussion. Thus, this paper not only analyzed the lack of science content in Indonesia compared to other countries, but also described some lessons that can be drawn in relation to the content tested in the PISA science test from East-Asian countries.

With the development of the "maker movement," more and more teachers are applying a broad range of technological tools in their pedagogy, instead of only information technology. This study details the development and validation of the Teachers Maker-based TPACK Survey Instrument (TMTSI), a revised model designed to measure technology teachers' maker-based technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in utilizing maker-based tools to support their teaching. We recruited 165 preservice secondary technology teachers in Taiwan for this study and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to validate the instrument. Our findings suggest that TMTSI provided a valid and highly reliable research-based instrument that also serves as a professional development model to help scaffold the development of K-12 technology teachers. This paper details the theoretical foundations of TMTSI, reports on its reliability and validity, and discusses the application and implications of TMTSI for teacher education and professional development.

We take a necessary de-imperialist approach to studying how 'Eastern' and 'Western' values are negotiated in an elite school in Taiwan. By drawing on the 'Asia as method' framework, we examine how cultural tensions are identified and moved towards a negotiated resolution between parents and school staff. As parents and school work to develop an educational offer that meets both sets of needs, and seek to create a framework in which to facilitate trusting relationships, they must do so by bridging their different cultural traditions and focusing on a shared mission. Despite some successes in the processes of translation engaged in, cultural tensions remain, especially around planned futures for the male and female students. This paper contributes to the nascent field of elite education in the Global South, and considers how elite subjects are being produced in a third space -- that is neither traditionally Western nor Eastern.

It has been argued that a transnational elite class is emerging, and that elite schools are 'choreographing' this process. This article nuances this developing theoretical framework with empirical data from an economically elite boarding school in Switzerland. It demonstrates that young men and women at this site linked to a global economy whilst refracting geopolitical tensions in their interactions with one another. This draws our attention to the multi-sited understandings that elite young people develop, despite the widespread assumption that in modern globalisation, wealth can break down cultural and juridical borders. This paper thus importantly contributes to an emerging discussion about the possibilities and constraints of transnational class formation at elite schools. In particular, it suggests that different kinds of elite schools may fill different kinds of roles when it comes to such processes.

The current study presents results from students' engagement of composing print essays and composing across modes on the same topic. It builds on the premise that print-based reading and writing should complement and coexist with multimodal pedagogy. A group of Taiwanese adolescent students were invited to complete one print essay and one multimodal product on the same topic of "My favorite place in the world". For their multimodal product, students were required to use at least two modes (e.g. words and image, sounds and words) in any medium (e.g. video, collage, scrapbook or website) of their choice. It was found that the most frequently used medium for students' multimodal projects was video which incorporated words, sounds and visuals. Most students felt that for the topic of "My favorite place in the world", their multimodal products helped them to convey their ideas better because they provided the audience with more sensory information. To conclude the paper, a few future research directions are outlined to help move the research of multimodal composing forward.

Young people with English as an Additional Language/Dialect backgrounds are often identified in public health messages and popular media as "bodies at risk" because they do not conform to the health regimens of contemporary Western societies. With increasing numbers of Chinese students in Australian schools, it is necessary to advance teachers' understandings of the ways in which these young people negotiate notions of "health" and "(un)healthy bodies". This paper explores the ways in which young Chinese Australians' understand health and (un)healthy bodies. The data upon which this paper focuses were drawn from a larger scale study underpinned by critical, interpretive, ethnographic methods. The participants in this study were 12 young Chinese Australians, aged 10--15 years, from two schools. Photographs of a variety of bodies were sourced from popular magazines and used as a means of interview elicitation. The young people were invited to comment on the photographs and discuss what "health" and the notion of a "(un)healthy body" meant to them. Foucault's concepts of discursive practice and normalisation are used alongside Chinese concepts of holistic paradigms and Wen--Wu to unpack the young people's subjectivities on health and (un)healthy bodies. The findings invite us to move beyond Western subjectivities of health and (un)healthy bodies and highlight the multidimensional and diverse perspectives espoused by some of the young Chinese Australians in this study. The research findings can inform future policy and practice relevant to the exploration of health and (un)healthy bodies in health and physical education and health and physical education teacher education.

The purpose of the present study was to design reflective writing mechanisms in a web-based portfolio assessment system and evaluate its effects on self-regulated learning. Participants were two classes of juniors majoring in data processing and taking a course called "Website design" at a vocational high school in Taiwan. One class was randomly selected and assigned as an experimental group (41 students) reflecting on learning processes through a web-based portfolio assessment system, whereas the other class was assigned as a control group (41 students) reflecting on learning processes through a paper-based portfolio. The result revealed that students who were highly satisfied with online reflective writing mechanisms significantly outperformed students who were less satisfied with online reflective writing mechanisms in self-regulated students reflecting on learning processes through a web-based portfolio assessment system significantly outperformed students reflecting on learning processes through a paper-based portfolio in self-regulated learning.

This study investigated the effectiveness of using Google Docs in collaborative concept mapping (CCM) by comparing it with a paper-and-pencil approach. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in a physics course. The control group drew concept maps using the paper-and-pencil method and face-to-face discussion, whereas the experimental group employed Google Docs to create concept maps and used Google Chat for discussion. Learning achievements, physics concept representation, attitudes toward science, and attitudes toward CCM were examined to identify the differences between the two groups and the effectiveness of Google Docs. The results suggested that the use of Google Docs did not significantly affect physics achievement. However, Google Docs fostered physics concept representation and enhanced attitudes toward science. Moreover, the Google Docs group tended to learn more collaboratively. The students in this group also agreed with the superiority of observation and modification functions provided by the real-time co-editing mechanism and revision history.

Oral reading fluency is an indicator of overall reading competence. Many studies have claimed that repeated reading can promote oral reading fluency. Currently, novel Web- or computer-based reading technologies offer interactive digital materials that promote English oral reading fluency using the repeated reading strategy; however, paper-based English materials in physical classrooms are still used to train students in oral reading fluency because most students are used to learning environments with paper, pen, and face-to-face interaction. With the growth of digital pen technologies, developing an interactive learning environment that combines printed textbooks and a digital pen to support English-language classroom learning has become feasible. Thus, this work presents a digital pen and paper interaction platform (DPPIP) composed of a student-learning tier, course management tier, and teacher tutoring tier, in which digital pen technologies are integrated with printed textbooks and Moodle course management system, to support the repeated reading strategy for promoting English-language oral reading fluency, learning motivation, and learning satisfaction. Meanwhile, this work also examined whether the proposed DPPIP provides different benefits in terms of the promotion of the oral reading fluency to students with field-dependent and field-independent cognitive styles. Based on the non-equivalent control group design in the quasi-experimental research, this work recruited two junior high school classes from Taoyuan County, Taiwan, to participate in an instructional experiment. One class was randomly assigned to the experimental group, which used the DPPIP to perform the repeated reading strategy in order to enhance English-language oral reading fluency. By contrast, the other class was assigned to the control group, which adopted the traditional paired reading method to support the repeated reading strategy to improve English-language oral reading fluency. Analytical results show that applying the proposed DPPIP to support a regular English-language course in classrooms had significantly positive effects in promoting the English-language oral reading fluency, learning motivation, and learning satisfaction of junior high school students. Moreover, this DPPIP simultaneously helped the experimental group students with the field-independent and field-dependent cognitive styles accelerate their oral reading fluency. Importantly, the oral reading fluency of the experimental group students is positively correlated with the frequency which the digital pen was used.

This paper addresses the following two research questions: What role does senior high school choice play, in terms of the choices between public and private and between academic and vocational education in Japan and Taiwan? How do senior high school students matriculate to tertiary education in Japan and Taiwan? Japan and Taiwan have both experienced a rapid expansion of upper secondary education in the process of late industrialization. In these two societies, senior high school tracking decides students' educational careers. In addition, people living in these two societies have been inclined toward the belief that national and public schools are more prestigious than private schools. Therefore, the role of private senior high schools is different in these societies than in Europe or America. In both Japan and Taiwan students with higher grades tend to attend public academic senior high schools, whereas students with lower grades tend to enroll in private senior high schools. During the educational expansion in both societies, private senior high schools have provided opportunities for students of lower grades as well as lower social status. This research confirms the existence of a new trend in private school education: the rise of private academic education in the younger cohort. We need to continue to monitor this trend not only in these two societies but also in other East Asian countries. Keywords: senior high school; tracking; private schools

Background: STEM education has become a focus of research and teaching interest in recent years. However, not all scholars agree on the definition and purpose of STEM education. This paper summarizes related past research and suggests that, according to the requirements of Taiwan's educational environment, STEM education should focus on the cultivation of middle school students' attitudes toward technology and their ability to engage with technological inquiry. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of STEM education on attitudes toward technology and technological inquiry abilities of middle school students, this study used the 6E Learning byDeSIGN™ model proposed by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association in the US to design a 6E-oriented STEM practical activity. Sample: The sample of the study consisted of 139 seventh-grade students from six different classes who participated in a practical activity related to egg protection devices. Design and methods: To achieve this research purpose, a quasi-experimental design was used, with pre-treatment and post-treatment evaluations of each group. Both the experimental and control groups participated in the activity; however, the experimental group students were guided through the activity using a 6E teaching strategy, whereas the control group students were guided using a problem-solving teaching strategy. Results: The results showed that a 6E teaching strategy had a positive effect on middle school students' attitudes toward technology and technological inquiry abilities, but these effects were not statistically different from the effect on the control group with problem-solving teaching strategy. Conclusions: This study indicates there is no significant advantage in using a 6E process over a problem solving approach. Technology teachers aiming to improve students' attitudes toward technology and their technological inquiry abilities consider refining the 6E-oriented STEM practical activity process, and students may demonstrate better performance in these two areas.