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This study examined the measurement structure, cross-year stability of achievement goals, and mediating effects of achievement goals between self-efficacy and math grades in a national sample of Taiwan middle school students. The measurement model with factorial structure showed good fit to the data. In the panel data (N = 343), four achievement goals showed strong measurement invariance, suggesting factor loadings and intercepts of the items remained invariant across a year. Though mean scores of the four latent achievement goals held quite stable, the rank order of students across two time-points changed more profoundly in the two avoidance goals than in the approached goals. In the cross-sectional data (N = 748), we found approach-based goals were positive mediators between self-efficacy and math grades while avoidance-based goals were negative mediators. This result could be relevant for middle-school students in learning mathematics. Some instructional implications are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BACKGROUND: The Body Constitution Questionnaire (BCQ) was developed in Taiwan to classify people into body constitution (BC) types based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theories. Since the culture of Hong Kong is different from Taiwan, the BCQ must be validated before a wider application can be preceded. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To adapt and validate the Hong Kong version of BCQ in Hong Kong Chinese population. METHODS: The content validity of BCQ was investigated by the cognitive debriefing with 10 patients and 10 Chinese Medicine Practitioners (CMP). A cross-sectional study of 1084 Chinese patients recruited from TCM and Western Medicine (WM) outpatient clinics to confirm the construct validity, reliability, sensitivity and responsiveness of BCQ. 225 of the patients were assessed after 2 weeks for the test-retest reliability. 404 subjects were followed up to evaluate the responsiveness after 3-6 months. RESULTS: Cognitive debriefing confirmed the content validity of the BCQ (HK version) with content validity index of all items ranged from 70 to 100%. 1084 out of 2128 patients (51%) completed the cross-sectional study. The construct validity was confirmed with scaling success rates that ranged from 87.5 to 89.5%, moderate correlations between with SF-12v2 scores, and 3-factors structure with confirmatory factor analysis. The reliability was confirmed by the Cronbach's alphas >0.8 and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients >0.8). CONCLUSION: BCQ was adapted and validated on Hong Kong Chinese population. Patients with imbalanced BC types had lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL) than those with balanced BC types, which supported the validity and importance of the body constitution under the concept of TCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the holistic configuration of self-control and self-esteem with Latent Profile Analysis and examined the effect of self profiles on five adolescent quality of life indicators, including deviant behavior, friendship, academic achievement, time management and life satisfaction. The sample included 488 Taiwan junior-high students selected from a panel data. Four-group solution is considered optimal across years. At time 1, the 'Quality Selves' group (high SC-SE) had consistent best performance in all the adolescent quality of life indicators while the 'Disadvantageous Selves" group (low SC-SE) displayed consistent the worst. Given the same level of SC in 'Baseline' group and 'Self-Esteem' group, higher SE in the 'Self-esteem' was related to higher evaluation of life satisfaction while no difference was found in other 4 quality of life indicators. At time 2, 'Self-Esteem' became the 'SC-Improved' who had the same best quality of life as the 'Quality Selves,' while the 'Baseline' was renamed as the 'Lower Baseline' who performed similarly as the worst adjusted 'Disadvantageous Selves' in indicators, except fewer deviant behaviors. Group membership was generally stable and self-profile transitions were more likely upward than downward. Along the adolescent period, findings suggest the level of SC need to be strengthened in order to sustain a good quality of life. Meanwhile, higher SE seems to be a propelling factor for students to gain better SC at a later time. Educational programs solely aim at cherishing self could move beyond for a double-core direction that also enhances adolescent social adaption with self-discipline training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated (a) whether the perceived cognitive load was different when geometry problems with various levels of configuration comprehension were solved and (b) whether eye movements in comprehending geometry problems showed sources of cognitive loads. In the first investigation, three characteristics of geometry configurations involving the number of informational elements, the number of element interactivities and the level of mental operations were assumed to account for the increasing difficulty. A sample of 311 9th grade students solved five geometry problems that required knowledge of similar triangles in a computer-supported environment. In the second experiment, 63 participants solved the same problems and eye movements were recorded. The results indicated that (1) the five problems differed in pass rate and in self-reported cognitive load; (2) because the successful solvers were very swift in pattern recognition and visual integration, their fixation did not clearly show valuable information; (3) more attention and more time (shown by the heat maps, dwell time and fixation counts) were given to read the more difficult configurations than to the intermediate or easier configurations; and (4) in addition to number of elements and element interactivities, the level of mental operations accounts for the major cognitive load sources of configuration comprehension. The results derived some implications for design principles of geometry diagrams in secondary school mathematics textbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to use a latent profile analysis to distinguish between populations in terms of life domain importance and satisfaction profiles. Then, a multinomial logistic regression was used to determine how background variables (e.g., gender, living areas, and school levels) and self-perceived health predict each latent quality of life (QoL) profile. We also investigated how the latent groups of adolescents predicted negative and positive well-being indicators (e.g., problem behaviors and overall life satisfaction). The sample consisted of 720 Taiwanese secondary school students. Three latent groups were established as follows: 'unimportant-unsatisfied,' 'important-unsatisfied,' and 'important-satisfied.' The results indicate the following: (a) boys were more likely to fall into the 'unimportant-unsatisfied' group than were girls; (b) better health increased the likelihood of being in the 'important-satisfied' group; (c) high school students were more likely to be in the 'unimportant-unsatisfed' group than were middle school students; and (d) no relationship was found between latent groups and living areas. The function of importance rating was not present when evaluating the importance-satisfaction profiles and their relationship with problem behaviors and overall life satisfaction. The problems of the 'unimportant-unsatisfied' profile among youth are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the design of several social agents that are intended to collect the self-reflections of learners while learners are immersed in simulation activities for knowledge building. The design of the agents follows 5W principles and seeks to encourage learners to expend mental effort upon multi-faceted learning and self-reflection. Using semantic networks, we developed dialogue lines for reflection-prompting agents. We analyzed the participants' answers using natural language processing technology to classify the sentences into positive and negative rankings. A preliminary field study with 117 high school students was conducted over three weeks to test the effects of agent-prompted self-reflection. The results demonstrated that 96% and 62% of participants separately completed the first and the second simulation activities (including the agent-prompted self-reflections respectively). Those who did not finish the activities were generally limited by time restrictions rather than a lack of motivation, as the participants typically considered the interactions with the agents to be interesting. The self-reflections elicited through the agent interviews were consistent with the reflections obtained from paper-pencil questionnaires and appeared to be stable over time. Future study, including investigations using a randomized experimental design with a control group, is needed to fully assess the effects of agent-prompted self-reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image searches are now crucial for obtaining information, constructing knowledge, and building successful educational outcomes. We investigated how reading ability and Internet experience influence keyword-based image search behaviors and performance. We categorized 58 junior-high-school students into four groups of high/low reading ability and frequent/infrequent Internet usage. Participants used Google Image to complete four tasks: finding four images that match four given sentences. The results indicate that reading ability exerted a stronger influence than Internet experience on most search behaviors and performance. Positive relations were found between search performance and two behavior indicators of search outcome evaluation. Students with better reading ability tended to use/revise appropriate keywords, as well as evaluate/select images that matched multiple aspects of the task descriptions. Students with low reading ability/frequent Internet experience tended to enter a single keyword and carelessly select images, while those with low reading ability/infrequent Internet experience tended to use improper keywords and were unskillful in handling search engines. Combined, our results show that successful keyword-based image searches are strongly dependent on reading ability and search result evaluation skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scale measuring quality of life (QOL) is important in adolescent research. Using the graded response model (GRM), this study evaluates the psychometric properties of the satisfaction ratings of the Quality of Life Profile Adolescent Version (QOLPAV). Data for 1,392 adolescents were used to check IRT assumptions such as unidimensionality and local item dependence (LID). The goodness of fit of the GRM to the data and the item characteristic curves were evaluated. The reliability and validity analyses included item/test information, Cronbach's α, and convergent and discriminant validity. Differential item functioning (DIF) procedures were also performed to detect item bias. The results provide evidence that the items sufficiently measured one single dimension. Few pairs of questions were flagged as LID due to content or wording similarity. Five items did not fit the GRM, and 4 were low in item discrimination. The findings also suggest that the assessment had appropriate reliability and validity. The DIF impact on the assessment score was considered minor. Because QOLPAV includes a respondent's perceived importance of various life aspects, a short form that only considers important life aspects in the overall QOL estimation for each respondent becomes feasible within the framework of IRT. Future studies focusing on the development of a QOL overall index using the items from QOLPAV are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Marsh's internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model depicts the relationship between achievement and self-concept in specific academic domains. Few efforts have been made to examine concurrent relationships among cognitive ability, achievement, and academic self-concept (ASC) within an I/E model framework. Aim. To simultaneously examine the influences of domain-specific cognitive ability and grades on domain self-concept in an extended I/E model, including the indirect effect of domain-specific cognitive ability on domain self-concept via grades. Sample. Tenth grade respondents (628 male, 452 female) to a national adolescent survey conducted in Taiwan. Method. Respondents completed surveys designed to measure maths and verbal aptitudes. Data on Maths and Chinese class grades and self-concepts were also collected. Results. Statistically significant and positive path coefficients were found between cognitive ability and self-concept in the same domain (direct effect) and between these two constructs via grades (indirect effect). The cross-domain effects of either ability or grades on ASC were negatively significant. Conclusions. Taiwanese 10th graders tend to evaluate their ASCs based on a mix of ability and achievement, with achievement as a mediator exceeding ability as a predictor. In addition, the cross-domain effects suggest that Taiwanese students are likely to view Maths and verbal abilities and achievements as distinctly different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early adolescent in-game playfulness (state), playfulness trait rated during the study procedure, and psychological needs fulfilled through online gaming were explored. Taiwan adolescents (N = 132) were recruited to connect to an online game for a certain period of time. Immediately after this gaming procedure, they completed questionnaires of players' momentary playfulness and psychological needs. Online game playfulness trait was mapped onto 2 broad dimensions: self-game focused and cognition-affect driving. In-game playfulness was a more suitable indicator (than playfulness trait) to describe adolescents' immediate experience of playfulness. Adolescents' psychological needs included in-game autonomy, ingame competence, and in-game relatedness, and adolescents' psychological needs predicted in-game playfulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The authors address the role of computer support for building conceptual self-awareness—that is, enabling students to think outside of concept boundaries in hope of enhancing creative potential. Based on meta-cognition theory, we developed an integrated concept mapping system (ICMSys) to improve users’ conceptual self-awareness in addition to applying concept mapping techniques in traditional learning scenarios. Since the ICMSys accommodates different perspectives, selected ideas made by peers are retained with the help of integrated concept map (ICMap) representations used as stimuli for reflective thinking. Results from a case study with 32 information management undergraduates indicate: (a) increased levels of conceptual self-awareness, (b) evidence of conceptual improvement in the students’ redrawn concept maps, (c) that ICMap viewing frequency exerted a positive impact on level of conceptual self-awareness, and (d) a significant correlation between level of conceptual self-awareness in redrawn personal concept maps and actual conceptual changes as determined by three experts. We describe student perceptions of the ICMSys in terms of comprehension practicality and conceptual self-awareness, and give suggestions for future research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The authors describe their design for an Internet-based learning environment called BeyondShare in which students are encouraged to gain a deep understanding of the learning material, reflect on the quality of individual constructions through sharing and peer evaluation, and synthesize cross-unit knowledge by integrating self- and peer-produced constructions. A sharing typology may consist of basic sharing, sharing with notification, sharing with feedback, or sharing with interaction. BeyondShare distinguishes itself by combining sharing activities with task structuring and cooperation/competition to achieve active learning. A formal evaluation of BeyondShare was performed with a class of 34 college students who created concept maps for a computer programming language and who were encouraged to become active learners by exchanging roles throughout the experiment. Evaluation results indicate that the students viewed BeyondShare as an easy-to-use environment that motivated them toward comprehensive knowledge integration by sharing construction products with their peers. Potential activities and suggested modifications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the Web allows for flexible learning, research has found that online students tend to lack focus, willingness to participate, confidence, and discipline. This study thus attempts to promote Web-based self-regulated learning from the social cognitive perspective, which emphasizes the interactions among personal, behavioral, and environmental influences. This study has identified the most significant factors for personal, behavioral, and environmental influences in the social cognitive model of self-regulated learning, and also applied this model to the development of the NetPorts web-based learning system. NetPorts, in turn, allows us to empirically analyze the interactions between the aforementioned factors. Our Web-based findings support the social cognitive view of self-regulated learning: students who hold higher levels of motivation apply more effective strategies, and respond more appropriately to environmental demands, in the Web-based learning environment. These findings also further validate the application of the social cognitive model to Web-based learning through the NetPorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on social constructivist theory, a web-based interactive learning environment was developed (called the CORAL-View System) to enhance Taiwanese university students collaborative skills via design projects. This paper consists of a description of the program itself and our formative and summative evaluations of the system. Using the interactive powers of computer networks, we created modules that allowed students to a) discuss their ideas and observe/evaluate their classmates' products-in-progress, b) investigate rationales behind design products, c) examine connections between theory and observable events, and d) modify their designs according to their observations. Specifically, the program contains a team-formation module (for the task of matching student skills for establishing project teams), a structured discussion module, a Vee diagram design module, and a log file management module. Results from the formative and summative evaluations of student achievement and attitudes toward both the system and col- laborative design process were encouraging. Students produced creative and feasible design products and expressed satisfaction with the CORAL-View functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although questionnaire data are normally obtained from students by paper and pencil, doing so occasionally leads to missing values when used carelessly. As a viable alternative, a web-based questionnaire environment can be designed to prevent missing values. Previous researchers have evaluated the learning effectiveness of web-based learning by considering only the ability or achievement of students. However, this approach does not identify which students learn better than others, which students provide correct advice, and which learning tendencies do students lack of. This work constructs a web-based thinking style questionnaire, verifies the reliability of thinking styles in two studies, and adopts the thinking styles data filled by students as variables to evaluate the learning effectiveness of web-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper described the use of a networked peer assessment system to facilitate the development of inquiry-oriented activities for secondary science education. Twenty-four preservice teachers in Taiwan participated in this study and experienced a three-round peer assessment for developing science activities. The findings suggested that teachers tended to develop more creative, theoretically relevant, and practical science activities as a result of the networked peer assessment. However, the peers'' evaluations were not highly consistent with experts'' (e.g., university professors) grades. This study also revealed that students who offered detailed and constructive comments on reviewing and criticizing other peers'' work might help them improve their own work, especially in the beginning stage of revising their original work. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a web-learning strategy peer review used by computer science students in an Operating Systems class in Taiwan. Features of the developed web-based peer review system; Measurement of student performance under peer review; Characterization of an effective individual as strategic adapter to peer comments.

In research on math self-concept (MSC) formation, very few studies have juxtaposed the effects of math grades, math ability, school-average math grades, and school-average math ability. However, these factors are important in enabling Taiwanese senior school students to achieve proper MSC and choose a suitable academic track. Thus, the present study aimed to model the relationship of these factors with MSC. The study also examined the gender effect and school location (rurality) effect. The sample contained 1,196 10th-grade students from 31 senior high schools in Taiwan. A doubly latent multilevel linear model was adopted to account for both sampling and measurement errors. The results suggested that math grades relative to the school-average math grade are key in MSC formation. There were school location and gender effects but no significant interaction between gender and school-level math grade or ability. These effects are discussed, as are the implications in practical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to direct students' attention in the class is a basic but crucial skill for both expert and novice teachers because too many students have various difficulties to invest lengthy attention on teacher's lecture and teaching materials. This preliminary study explored the use of mobile eye trackers in a natural classroom for recording L2 students' sustainable attention toward the projection screen which was presenting peer- or self-works or attention toward teachers who were evaluating their works. Some cases in a 12th grade class were selected to show the effects of individual factor (ability) and teacher factor (gesture) on classroom attention. In the first session, the projection screen showed texts of self-introduction, while in the second session it showed slides with graphics and texts. Mobile eye tracker, Pupil Labs, were used to collect data. The projection screen and the position of teacher were set as AOIs. Scores of English test (TOEIC) and Digital information literacy test were also collected. We found, firstly, some teacher gestures easily lost students' focus on the contents (projector screen) and secondly there was at least one case who had poor English ability but actively paid attention in a lengthy duration. Though teachers urge to know students' attention process in the classroom, related eye movement research is still limited. Therefore, we provide several suggestions on how to conduct quality observation using mobile eye tracker, such as, how to set up AOIs to make heat maps useful and synchronize data with multiple devices for future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]