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This study explored the learning and development experience of students in the Secondary Education Program (SEP). Twelve SEP students, with an average age of 23.35 years, volunteered to participate the semi-structured interview to share their experience. Data collected are presented in five key dimensions: learning experience, instructors' professional performance, learning environment, impact on self-development, and adjustments needed in the learning process. Participants were satisfied with the learning and development experience of SEP. They thought the program contents are rich, flexible, and diversified. The program fitted into the social conditions and cultural background that can be applied to both personal life and teaching career. Instructors of SEP cared about their students, they demonstrated enthusiasm and sophisticated techniques in teaching. Faculty of SEP have created a positive learning environment which was humane and inspiring; thus, students were encouraged to work together and support each other to take on various challenges and practice their teaching ideas. Participants suggested that (1) the hardware equipment and facilities of SEP could be further improved, and (2) instructors should allocate more time to discuss the competition status quo of teacher selection system and campus related issues to help SEP students better prepared for their teaching career.

This study described the relations of experiential learning and psychosocial development of Taiwanese university students through the qualitative method of phenomenology. Thirty-six students, age ranged from 19 to 25 years, from three research-oriented universities in northern Taiwan were interviewed. Seven themes were delineated: (1) discovering interests and potential; (2) forming conceptual framework, stimulating thinking, and taking action; (3) accepting differences and developing empathy; (4) gaining new experiences and managing emotions; (5) practicing cooperation and communication skills and enhancing interpersonal competence; (6) rectifying mistakes and enhancing interpersonal skills; and (7) enhancing self-understanding and establishing self-identity. The findings indicated that university students have been inevitably exercising the frame of experiential learning in their psychosocial development in many aspects of life, especially on building self-identity.

The study looked back on the one-year experience of the first group of peer mentors of a university at northern Taiwan. Twelve peer mentors (six males and six females; with an average age of 21.45) took part in the study. A qualitative phenomenological approach and in-depth interviews were adopted. The results showed that participants deemed the peer mentoring experience as a unique interpersonal relationship experience and the experience helped them develop in the areas of self-awareness, responsibility, sense of mission, interpersonal interaction, resource utilization, leadership, management, coaching, problem-solving, and self-identity. It is suggested that universities leveraged the peer mentoring system to assist students, especially freshmen, to adapt to university life. Peer mentors should undertake pre-training as well as on-the-job training with the help of professionals with different expertise.

This article was to elaborate the development of the university counseling profession in Taiwan through an intensive literature review. The university student body has been expanding radically in the last three decades, and the student population, as well as their problems, have become more diverse and complex. Thus, the importance of university counseling profession and the quality of UCC services have been identified in assisting students to cope with stress, to deal with psychosocial problems, and to facilitate development during their university journey. Eight main themes derived from the literature review: (1) historical evolution and current condition of university counseling profession, (2) UCC roles, functions and services content, (3) UCC administration and management, (4) students' utilization of UCCs and attitudes toward UCPs, (5) characteristics, problem types, and needs of students on university campuses, (6) UCC services meeting the needs of students on university campuses, (7) UCC challenges and obstacles, and (8) UCC prospects. UCC services became diverse, multi-channeled, and multi-dimensional to respond to student needs. UCPs should be flexible in professional roles as well as job contents, strategies, and implementation methods. The major challenge for UCC is to develop a native model of services with the perspectives of campus as a community. UCPs are playing the major role to enhance mental health services of university campus members.

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.

Through in-depth interviews employing a phenomenological method, this study attempts to advance the understanding of the life experience of overseas Chinese students (OCS) who have expressed a sense of satisfaction [...]