E-Learning during COVID-19: Understanding the Nexus between Instructional Innovation, E-Psychological Capital, and Online Behavioural Engagement

This current study is to empirically validate the importance of student's behavioural engagement on online teaching during a coronavirus-2019 disease pandemic. The global spread of coronavirus-2019 disease has affected every aspect of business, including education, resulting in the shift of classroom to online teaching. Keeping in view the growing concern about students’ attentiveness, connectivity, participation, and interaction in online classes, the authors underlined the critical need for paying empirical attention to this issue. While addressing a major empirical gap, the present study tested and found the significant role of e-learning efficacy, e-learning resilience, and teachers’ instructional innovation in boosting students` online behavioural engagement. Additionally, the study found a thought-provoking direct and interacting role of teachers’ instructional innovation. Therefore, the implications of the findings indicate that leaders in educational institutions need to invest in psychological resources that emphasize innovation and creativity in instructional methods for teachers to enhance student engagement in an online environment.

Mothers’ and Teachers’ Autonomy Support in Relation to Children’s Academic Procrastination: Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning as a Mediator

This study investigated the association between children’s perceptions of autonomy support from mothers and teachers in relation to academic procrastination. It also examined the role of self-efficacy for self-regulated learning in mediating these effects. The sample comprised 372 fifth and sixth grade elementary school students from Seoul, Korea. Each completed a questionnaire regarding mothers’ and teachers’ autonomy support, children’s self-regulated learning efficacy, and academic procrastination. The results indicated that whereas mothers’ autonomy support had a direct effect on children’s academic procrastination, teachers’ support did not. In other words, children who perceived higher levels of autonomy support from mothers tended to exhibit less academic procrastination. Regarding indirect paths, children who perceived higher levels of mothers’ and teachers’ autonomy support displayed greater efficacy for selfregulated learning, which corresponded to lower levels of academic procrastination. The discussion highlights the vital roles of autonomy support from mothers and teachers in enhancing children’s feelings of effective self-regulated learning and encouraging them to complete academic tasks. Furthermore, the present study considered not only outward behavioral factors but also the underlying cognitive and affective aspects of delaying behavior that underpin the effects of self-regulated learning efficacy and autonomy support of mothers and teachers on academic procrastination.

Study on the Usability of Online Test Websites

Online test websites can provide a more convenient and efficient dynamic learning approach and personalized learning services, which is one of the important approaches to digital learning. However, the usability of online test websites affects users’ learning efficacy. This study explored the impact of the usability of online test websites on users, and the results can help website operators seeking to improve the websites’ usability. Based on the relevant literature, this study synthesized three major metrics of the usability of online test websites and summarized typical work priorities of such websites to design usability test items. The study considered one online test website: A Remedial Education Institution for Learners to Take Civil Service Examination. The results show that, with respect to usability, the website still has quite a few deficiencies that affect users’ effectiveness and efficiency when using the website and cause users to be less satisfied with the website. Based on these results, this study offered four specific recommendations for improving effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in terms of the usability of the online test website: enhancing interaction and instructions, following the inertia of interface use, simplifying information organization, and diversifying information content.

A Qualitative Analysis of Using Games Learning Programs to Improve Elementary Teachers’ Application of STEM Capabilities

This study used CodeMonkey, an online learning platform through which elementary teachers can learn programming while playing games and experience how to integrate STEM into their courses. The study analyzed and examined their experiences using a qualitative research method. According to the research results, learning programming while playing games can encourage beginners to go all in. There are also complete guidelines on the teaching platform, so beginning learners can quickly become familiar with the interactive model, which stimulates their curiosity and changes the traditional learning method of teaching by teachers and received by students. On the whole, learning programming itself is a rigid subject. At the fundamental stage, learners can be greatly interested in learning it. However, if learners cannot understand the learning goals, the advantages gained from their self-confidence and joy of learning will no longer exist. Among beginners to the novel model of learning programming while playing games, there is no obvious difference in learning effectiveness between male and female students. Learners who actively seek to solve problems during the learning process can achieve better learning efficacy.

Fostering Learning with Incremental Scaffolds During Chemical Experimentation: A Study on Junior High School Students Working in Peer-Groups

Scaffolds are considered to be a promising method of supporting learning. In this study, we investigated the learning efficacy of scaffolds in an inquiry-based learning scenario. Three tasks posed a question/problem to facilitate inquiry-based learning, and scaffolds offered the answer/solution in multiple steps (so-called incremental scaffolds). The use of the scaffolds was voluntary and students’ learning efficacy was compared with a traditional teaching approach. A total of N = 105 seventh graders participated in the quasi-experimental study. Incremental scaffolds were available to the students in the treatment group. Students in the control group received the same question/problem but could only ask the teacher about the answer/solution. Concept maps were used at pre- and posttest to assess conceptual knowledge acquisition. In-line with our hypothesis, results show that students in the treatment group outperformed controls concerning conceptual knowledge acquisition. Regarding the number of misconceptions students used, there were no differences between the groups. Our study indicates that incremental scaffolds are an appropriate method to provide students with the exact help they really need. Based on our findings, we offer practical implications and recommendations for future research.

A Qualitative Analysis of Using Games Learning Programs to Improve Elementary Teachers’ Application of STEM Capabilities

This study used CodeMonkey, an online learning platform through which elementary teachers can learn programming while playing games and experience how to integrate STEM into their courses. The study analyzed and examined their experiences using a qualitative research method. According to the research results, learning programming while playing games can encourage beginners to go all in. There are also complete guidelines on the teaching platform, so beginning learners can quickly become familiar with the interactive model, which stimulates their curiosity and changes the traditional learning method of teaching by teachers and received by students. On the whole, learning programming itself is a rigid subject. At the fundamental stage, learners can be greatly interested in learning it. However, if learners cannot understand the learning goals, the advantages gained from their self-confidence and joy of learning will no longer exist. Among beginners to the novel model of learning programming while playing games, there is no obvious difference in learning effectiveness between male and female students. Learners who actively seek to solve problems during the learning process can achieve better learning efficacy.

Study on the Usability of Online Test Websites

Online test websites can provide a more convenient and efficient dynamic learning approach and personalized learning services, which is one of the important approaches to digital learning. However, the usability of online test websites affects users’ learning efficacy. This study explored the impact of the usability of online test websites on users, and the results can help website operators seeking to improve the websites’ usability. Based on the relevant literature, this study synthesized three major metrics of the usability of online test websites and summarized typical work priorities of such websites to design usability test items. The study considered one online test website: A Remedial Education Institution for Learners to Take Civil Service Examination. The results show that, with respect to usability, the website still has quite a few deficiencies that affect users’ effectiveness and efficiency when using the website and cause users to be less satisfied with the website. Based on these results, this study offered four specific recommendations for improving effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in terms of the usability of the online test website: enhancing interaction and instructions, following the inertia of interface use, simplifying information organization, and diversifying information content.