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Waldorf education is a relatively widespread form of experimental education. It has reached 67 countries worldwide and has been widely recognized and valued by Taiwanese education circles, ranging from early childhood education to compulsory education at all levels. This paper focused on Waldorf education in Taiwan, where the aim of such education is the holistic development of the student throughout their academic journey. Following a search with "Waldorf" or "Anthroposophy" as the keyword for the paper title, 94 empirical studies were analyzed, comprising 16 empirical journal articles and 78 Ph.D. dissertations. The literature analysis method was used, and the literature was analyzed from five perspectives: research time, research methods, educational stages of research objects, research themes, and research results. The results indicated the following. First, the development of Taiwan's Waldorf schools is consistent with the core values of the philosophy of Waldorf education in terms of curricular development, teaching, school organization, school development, and parental participation. Second, several difficulties, such as those in curriculum development, teaching, school organization, and parental participation, in the empirical study of Waldorf education in Taiwan were noted. Anthroposophy has undergone development in Taiwan for less than 30 years, which is too short for it to have any noticeable contribution. In addition, other aspects of education require greater social support. Third, according to the empirical research on Waldorf education in Taiwan, teaching, learning, and parental participation are the three key factors influencing Waldorf education. Fourth, the empirical research on future improvements suggests that Waldorf education should be adapted to local characteristics but that these adaptations should adhere to the essence of Waldorf education. Furthermore, the development of Waldorf-based schools should be more open and inclusive, with more connections with stakeholders outside the school. The study identified several gaps in the literature that future empirical research on Waldorf education in Taiwan should meet. 1. Research scope: future studies should focus on glocalization and praxis in Waldorf education. 2. Research sample: future studies should focus on extending Waldorf education to the university context and to middle school students and above. 3. Research methods: future studies should conduct mixed-methods research and compare between countries, between schools, or between mainstream and experimental education. 4. Research topics: future studies conduct empirical research on Waldorf education using academic research as a communication tool; focus on reality, addressing today's most relevant challenges, and transform Waldorf education empirical research; enrich and conduct empirical research on learning, learning outcomes, and monitor Waldorf graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Education Research (1680-6360) is the property of Angle Publishing Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Educational Review (1563-3527) is the property of National Kaohsiung Normal University, Department of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study combined virtual reality (VR) technology, the 6E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Engineer, Enrich, and Evaluate) model, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education to develop a hands‐on activity aimed at helping students to achieve "learning by doing." The participants were 162 tenth‐grade students, divided into the Experimental Group (hands‐on activity using VR technology) and the Control Group (hands‐on activity via lectures). Using sequential analysis, this study investigated how the hands‐on activity influenced the students' behavioral patterns in learning. The results showed that all of the students' learning performances and hands‐on abilities were enhanced. Moreover, the students who used VR technology achieved both significantly better learning performances and hands‐on abilities, indicating that VR might be able to help the students understand abstract scientific concepts and build mental models, which they used to internalize and organize knowledge structures. Furthermore, this study discovered that the students who learned using VR technology formed a cyclical learning pattern, starting with a group discussion (G), moving on to solving problems (S) and developing a product (D), and then going back to another group discussion. However, the students who learned via lectures produced a linear learning pattern in the order of G→S→D. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The VR provides students with the visualization of abstract concepts and novel points of view that is impossible to display in a real environment.STEM knowledge can be integrated into hands‐on activities to foster students' core competencies through engineering design and producing procedures. What this paper adds: Used VR technology, 6E model, and STEM education to design a hands‐on learning activity.In the activity, students learned how to solve problems, modify their product, and enhance their quadcopter's operational performance, which was a specific representation of "learning by doing." Implications for practise and/or policy: This study combined VR, the 6E model, and STEM education to develop a hands‐on activity to improve students' abstract scientific concepts, interdisciplinary knowledge, and hands‐on ability.The differences of the learning behaviour patterns during the hands‐on process between the VR technology and lectures were also found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how students designed English academic oral presentations via a blended language learning environment. Data were collected from focus group interviews, observations of students, and instructor perspectives to explore how students develop academic presentation skills. In addition, a total of 36 oral presentations were assessed by a rubric and frequency counts of presentation language and features. By adopting an ecological approach, we identified the interactions between different factors that influenced learning. Interview findings and observations suggested students welcomed the immediacy of the technology and demonstrated signs of autonomous learning by self‐selecting the chat application Line for group collaboration. Participants preferred both online and face‐to‐face collaboration, as students discovered the limits of online communication. Results indicated that group oral presentations improved, with stronger introductions, linking devices, and visual elements. However, students had problems constructing conclusions and trouble linking the main ideas to the content. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic? Group oral presentation projects train students in 21st century competencies such as multimedia skills, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration.Cloud computing collaborative environments have the potential to help students develop language and communication skills.Users are aware of some of the affordances of mobile devices for language learning. What this paper adds? A description of the design and development of a blended language learning environment (BLLE) for English undergraduate oral presentations.Identified improvements in oral presentation introductions, cohesion, and visual elements from using this BLLE.Provides deep, qualitative insights on student perspectives for collaborative, mobile‐based learning from an ecological approach. Implications for practice and/or policy Oral presentation skills can be developed in a BLLE providing the instructor involves students in the design process.Instructors need to discover the right blend for language learners between online and face‐to‐face collaboration to facilitate project development.Collaboration, instruction, effective learning technology, and convenience are the four main factors that interact and influence how students develop and perform group oral presentations in a BLLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of School Administrators is the property of School Administration Research Association, R.O.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Online learning has been rapidly developing in the last decade. However, there is very little literature available about the actual adoption of online synchronous assessment approaches and any guidelines for effective assessment design and implementation. This paper aims at designing and evaluating the possibility of applying online synchronous assessments in a formal credit course. Relying on the four dimensions of knowledge taxonomy, this paper describes four different online synchronous assessments for conducting a formal mid-term exam, including synchronous quiz, synchronous practicum, synchronous essay and synchronous oral assessments. The designs were implemented and evaluated in a synchronous cyber classroom for an online credit course. This study identified the challenges and potential issues while conducting the online synchronous assessments, including (1) the extent of monitoring and cheating; (2) the lack of suitable software tools specifically for supporting online synchronous assessments; and (3) the need for a variety of online synchronous assessment methods for different subject matter. This paper concludes with some possible solutions, such as a short time limit for answering questions and a well analysed need of a software tool, to address all the issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of School Administrators is the property of School Administration Research Association, R.O.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The traditional "teacher-centered" instruction model is still currently pervasive in nursing education. However, this model does not stimulate the critical thinking or foster the self-learning competence of students. In recent years, the rapid development of information technology and the changes in educational philosophy have encouraged the development of the "lipped classroom" concept. This concept completely subverts the traditional instruction model by allowing students to access and use related learning activities prior to class on their smartphones or tablet computers. Implementation of this concept has been demonstrated to facilitate greater classroom interaction between teachers and students, to stimulate student thinking, to guide problem solving, and to encourage cooperative learning and knowledge utilization in order to achieve the ideal of student-centered education. This student-centered model of instruction coincides with the philosophy of nursing education and may foster the professional competence of nursing students. The lipped classroom is already an international trend, and certain domestic education sectors have adopted and applied this concept as well. However, this concept has only just begun to make its mark on nursing education. This article describes the concept of the lipped classroom, the implementation myth, the current experience with implementing this concept in international healthcare education, and the challenging issues. We hope to provide a reference for future nursing education administrators who are responsible to implement lipped classroom teaching strategies in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the number of training programs that have been developed to promote multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills, relatively few training programs exist to develop cross-national cultural competencies. This article describes an innovative combination of utilizing a semester-long preparatory seminar course where students are first introduced to the history and cultural context of Taiwan, and then engage in an intensive 12-day immersion program in Taiwan. Specifically, this article describes (a) our Cross-Cultural Immersion Program (CCIP), (b) a preparatory course designed to provide basic cultural information about Taiwan, and (c) a 12-day immersion experience model. Subsequently, learning outcomes are discussed within the major theoretical dimensions of the Cross-National Cultural Competence (CNCC) model, followed by a discussion of the pedagogical implications for training and research. Future educators must move our classrooms into the rich learning environments that cultural immersions provide. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In modern business environments, work and tasks have become more complex and require more interdisciplinary skills to complete, including collaborative and computing skills for website design. However, the computing education in Taiwan can hardly be recognised as effective in developing and transforming students into competitive employees. In this regard, the author adopted collaborative learning (CL) with initiation and self-regulated learning (SRL) with feedback to develop students' collaborative skills and regular learning habits and further contribute to practical computing skills for website design. This study comprised an experiment that included 279 second-year university students from five class sections, including four experimental groups (CISF group,n = 57; CIS group,n = 53; CI group,n = 68; C group,n = 68), and a control group (T group,n = 33). The results reveal that students who received the combined treatment of online CL with initiation and SRL with feedback attained the best grades for their computing skills for website design among the five groups. The author further discusses the implications for teachers, schools and educators who plan to design practical scenarios and online learning activities for their students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study is to apply the technology acceptance model to examine the employees' attitudes and acceptance of electronic learning (e-learning) systems in organisations. This study examines four factors (organisational support, computer self-efficacy, prior experience and task equivocality) that are believed to influence employees' perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes and intention to use e-learning systems. Participants were selected from Taiwanese companies that have already implemented e-learning systems. Three hundred and thirty-two valid questionnaires were collected, and structure equation modelling was conducted to test the research hypotheses. The findings provided practical implications for organisational trainers, educators and e-learning system developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined the factors that influence the continuous usage by patients of medical electronic learning (e-learning) technologies through the use of the expectation-confirmation theory (ECT). Also cited are the benefits of e-learning including its effectiveness in data recording, effective management of teaching resources, and automatically record systematic teaching activities, as well as the components of ECT like expectation, performance, and satisfaction.

The article explores the integration of web-enhanced collaborative learning (CL) and self-regulated learning (SRL) in an online learning community in Taiwan. It examines the use of web-enhanced CL and SRL in higher education by evaluating students' computing skills in a mixed learning environment. The author also adopted web-enhanced CL and SRL in developing the computing skills of students of web page programming and web site building. The author concludes that SRL and web-enhanced CL integration offers better learning effects in a web-based learning environment.

This research investigated how differently elementary school students participate in synchronous online collaborative learning by analysing their discussions with their partners. Two hundred and seventy-eight Taiwanese students, ranging in age from 11 to 12 years old, were involved in this study. The students were randomly arranged within-class into three-member groups. Each group used a collaborative learning system to discuss and accomplish a group assignment (creating a shared concept map). The textual discussions by each individual student were collected, categorised and accumulated. Cluster analysis was adopted to statistically classify students based on their discussion characteristics. We found that a student, while participating in online collaboration and communication, exhibited a distinct style: less contributing, coordination emphasising, communicative or task-oriented. In addition, students exhibiting the task-oriented pattern and students predominantly showing communicative behaviours were found to have better learning performance and retain more knowledge than students observed to be coordination emphasising or less contributing within group collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Gregory A. Jonas on the study of the value of a textbook website compared to other electronic resources in helping students learn course material, one by David T. Green on the study of the relationship between several website usability and e-commerce, and one by Hsiu-Hua Chang on the impact of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.