Online Learning as a Panacea? An Empirical Study to Discuss Problem-Based Cooperative Learning in Taiwan

Due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), many schools and universities have closed worldwide, however, the UNESCO recommended the use of distance learning to reach learners remotely and limit the disruption of education. this is an empirical study to discuss if the role of online learning really helps learners to learn programming design better on problem-based cooperative learning. This study adopted a quasi-experimental and nonequivalent control-group design, and it carried out a 7-week experimental instruction by applying online and face-to-face cooperative learning methods. The programming design learning achievement pretest and posttest were used to collect the data from the participants. And it shown that the different cooperative learning methods had significant differences in their achievement, learning online was helpful, but face-to-face learning was superior significantly than online learning in this study.

Exploring the Effects of Interactive Response System (IRS) in an EFL Grammar Class

Digital interactive language learning has become increasingly prevalent and significant in educational settings. It is challenging to apply collaborative learning methods because students tend to engage passively with traditional methods of lectures. Several studies have suggested that digital interactive technologies such as Zuvio Interactive Response System (IRS) have been applied to increase learning motivation. However, related studies on using IRS in English a foreign language (EFL) classrooms are limited in Taiwan, especially from learners' perspectives. The aim of this study was to integrate an interactive response system into an English grammar course and to explore whether the assistance of this digital tool could promote students' learning motivation and whether it could facilitate a student learning environment. Based on the research background and rationale, the following research questions were investigated: (1) How does the use of the IRS influence students' perceptions toward their learning attitudes? (2) How does the use of the IRS influence students' perceptions toward learning contents? (3) How does the use of the IRS influence students' perceptions toward classroom interaction? An experimental design was employed. This research was conducted in this one-semester project to uncover 49 EFL learners’ views of IRS in a grammar class. Zuvio IRS and the British Council Grammar Snacks videos were utilized in this experimental instruction. A questionnaire was administered and consisted of demographic information, Likert scale questions, and open-ended short-answer questions. The results showed positive attitudes for learning with Zuvio IRS and videos, and the interactions between students and the teacher that mediated by Zuvio IRS. Future studies might explore learning outcomes of students from different majors, implement results of IRS studies into curriculum and instruction, and create more appropriate questions into IRS.

A Study on Information Multimedia Integrated Introductory Course of Internet of Vehicles to Students’ Self-Efficacy and Learning Effect

Along with the rapid development of information technology, the information technology education trend is emerged. The enhancement of quality becomes the cross-century direction of education reform. To grasp the trend of time and integrate information multimedia into traditional teaching courses for enhancing teaching quality are the primary issues for professional teachers. With an experimental design model, Total 100 students of Hubei University of Automotive Technology, as the research objects. The class is an 8-week experimental instruction every Thursday (32 hours in total, 16 hours in class, another 16 hours are for out-of-class activities). The research results reveal that information multimedia instruction shows higher self-efficacy than general instruction and achieves the significance, information multimedia instruction reveals higher learning effect than general instruction and reaches the significance, and self-efficacy appears notably positive effects on learning effect. According to the results to propose suggestions, it is expected, through the integration of information multimedia, to induce and maintain students’ interests in the curricula and even the willingness to make efforts towards the learning goal for better learning effect.

Achieving epistemic alignment in a psycholinguistic experiment

A critical condition for obtaining valid data in a psycholinguistic experiment is that the participants understand how to perform the experimental tasks. Participants usually are not familiar with the organization and requirements of the experiment and are therefore given instruction and often practice opportunities prior to the actual test trials. Pre-experimental instruction is a regular component of the experimental set-up, yet no research exists on how the activity is organized with a view to its purpose in the research context and as the experimenter’s and participant’s joint interactional project. This case study is the first to begin to fill the gap. The instruction in focus aimed at preparing the participant to take part in a reaction time experiment designed to measure the implicit grammatical knowledge of L2 speakers of English. Building on ethnomethodological and conversation-analytic research on instruction delivery and understanding displays in different settings, the analysis reveals how in the course of the instruction the asymmetric epistemic statuses (Heritage 2012) of researcher and participant were incrementally aligned as they collaboratively accomplished explanation sequences and worked through practice items. It also shows how both participants selectively referenced the onscreen written instructions and how these became resources for the experimenter’s explanations and the participant’s evolving understanding of the experimental requirements. The main goal of this paper is to bring an unexamined but indispensable component of the experimental research process to applied linguists’ attention and encourage further studies in this area. A further intention is to explore pre-experimental instruction practices in a larger archive of task instructions and eventually empirically test whether the interaction during instruction delivery is at all related to variation in the reaction times as measures to operationalize cognitive processes.

The Effect of Using PORPE Strategy on Improving Iraqi EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension Skills

The present study aims at finding out the effect of using PORPE Strategy on improving EFL college students’ reading comprehension skills. To attain the aim of the study, an experiment has been conducted on a sample of (60) EFL students at the Department of English, College of Education, University of Wasit during the academic year 2016-2017. The sample has been distributed into two groups with (30) students in each, a control group taught according to the conventional techniques and an experimental one taught by using the proposed strategy. The two groups have been equalized according to age, levels of parents' education and pre –test scores. At the end of the experimental instruction period, an achievement test has been administered to both groups. The findings of this test reveal that the results of the experimental group are significantly superior to the results of the control group. Pedagogical recommendations and suggestions for further research are presented in the light of the results at the end of the study.

Meaningful Gamification for Journalism Students to Enhance Their Critical Thinking Skills

Training in critical thinking is essential for the professional development of journalism students. To achieve this goal, this study developed a gamified platform and a blended learning curriculum. During an 18-week experimental instruction period, a series of instructional activities, which included online discussions as well as classroom lectures and discussions, were conducted to enhance 32 journalism students' critical-thinking dispositions and skills. Repeated measure analysis of variance on test scores and analyses of open questions found that the participants significantly improved their critical thinking skills and dispositions through the gamified platform with the experimental instruction in a blended learning environment. The findings suggest that providing clear goals, challenges and quests, feedback, competition and cooperation, actual grading and visible status, access/ unlocking content, onboarding time restrictions, freedom of choice, and new identities and roles, as well as avoidance of over-justification, contributes to achieving a “meaningful gamification” experience, which may further lead to self-determined learning in critical thinking.

Using Junyi Academy to Explore the Difference in Learning Attitude of Remedial Instruction

As the concept of digital learning becomes increasingly clear, so does the labor division of instruction. The teachers who specialize in teaching no longer have to spare efforts to focus on something beyond instruction, which has led to the invention of instruction platforms. This study aims to probe into the difference in learning attitude among the students of the remedial instruction based on Junyi Academy. In this study, Junyi Academy was integrated with the remedial instruction of mathematics. Featuring “replicable”, “customized” and “adaptive”, this platform was employed to provide students with another learning method in the remedial instruction. The quasi-experiment method was adopted; the technology acceptance model (TAM) was taken as the theoretical foundation of the research structure; the behavioral scale which combined Junyi Academy with the remedial instruction of mathematics was used as the research tool; 26 freshmen of a junior college in Miaoli County were taken as the samples. Through the experimental instruction, this study discussed the students’ acceptance of the remedial instruction based on Junyi Academy. One of the research purposes is that students will be able to study online by linking their computers with Junyi Academy and will not be confined to the learning time and place designated by schools. Another research purpose is to demonstrate that Junyi Academy is feasible for the remedial instruction.

Parameters for Detecting Features of Stereotipicity / Creativity in Communicative Behaviour of People Participating in Association Experiments

The article continues the series of publications based on the research of speech stereotipicity and creativity. As a source of empiric data the author uses material of association experiment which proves to be highly informative about human’s linguo-cognitive activity and its products. However, analysis of the respondents’ answers reveals facts of their deviation from the experimental instruction. Such facts in certain cases serve as indication of the respondents’ communicative initiative. Considering that the communicative aspect, along with the cognitive one, constitutes human’s speech activity, the author includes these facts into the data analysis aiming at detecting features of stereotipicity and creativity in the communicative actions of the respondents. To achieve this aim the author suggests a number of parameters. The article brings these parameters to light as well as the scientific grounds for their elaboration and the results of their application in the data analysis.