The Intersection of Confucianism and Western Teaching in Taiwanese Adult Education

Adult education is a significant feature of the Taiwanese education landscape and is recognized as significantly contributing to national economic development. Given the importance of adult education in Taiwan, an investigation of teaching approaches and an understanding of interplay of teaching approaches with Taiwanese culture is worthwhile because such investigations provide a platform for reflection and subsequent evolution of teaching approaches. In the present article, the authors delve into the heritage of Taiwan to explore teaching practices from the standpoint of the teachings of Confucius and Western teaching approaches. Data were collected via survey of 39 randomly selected adult educators from premium universities in Tapai along with interviews. The results point to the persistent dominance of Confucian instructional methods despite some use of Western teaching approaches.

From Critical Practice to Response

On October 16, 2017, over 12,000 faculty, librarians, and counsellors in 24 independent postsecondary colleges in Ontario, Canada went on strike for the fourth time since they organized in 1971 as members of the Civil Service Association of Ontario and won their first collective agreement the next year. Begun as an apolitical, self-consciously quasi-colonial, and decidedly elitist “professional” body in 1911, the CSAO has transformed itself in name and in nature into an increasingly class-conscious and intermittently militant Ontario Public Service Employees Union with current membership of approximately 180,000 including: clerical staff; community and social service workers; corrections officers; healthcare, transportation, and natural resource workers; as well as college academic and support staff employees. Relations with their employers have become increasingly adversarial and rarely greater than in the college sector. This paper explores this strike.

Technology as Integral to a New Paradigm of Adult Education

Technology and adult education are often discussed as two separate subjects yet just as it is impossible to live one day without the impact of technology, it is impossible to discuss adult education without considering technology. In the decades since the emergence of adult education as its own field of study and research, these two subjects have experienced substantial growth. However, in recent months, societal issues have forced the pace of this growth into unprecedented and sometimes uncomfortable expansion. The theorists and practitioners who have always been instrumental in moving the fields along were challenged to develop an entirely new paradigm. The issues and reactions will be considered in this article as the foundation for a paradigm shift in adult education. Since effective adult education involves not only information dissemination but communication and collaboration among its participants, online learning activities and entire online courses influence how we view the field itself.

Transformative Learning in an Online Environment

The purpose of this article is to explore the potential for fostering transformative learning in an online environment. It provides an overview of transformative learning theory, including the variety of perspectives on the theory that have evolved as the theory matured. Strategies and practices for fostering transformative learning are described, followed by a description of the online environment and how strategies for encouraging transformative learning might be carried into that environment. Students' voices are brought in to corroborate and, as it turns out to question the importance of these strategies. The article concludes with a focus building transformative relationships in the online environment.

Management Leadership and Employee Satisfaction

The study reported in this article examines the relationship between management leadership and employee job satisfaction. Based on 30 participants, self-report survey questionnaires are used for data collection. Results show that a significant, moderate, and positive correlation (ρ = .73, p = .000) exists between employees' ratings of their managers' leadership skills and employees' job satisfaction. A significant relationship (ρ = .39, p = .030) exists between employees' ratings of importance of leadership strategies at civilian personnel advisory centers and job satisfaction of general schedule employees. Employees' job satisfaction is observed to be significantly positively correlated with the employees' rating of management leadership. The work highlights the importance of adequate training in soft skills as well as hard skills leaders.

A Study of the Relationship Between the Use of Grammar Learning Strategies and Student Achievement

The paper is concerned with a study of the relationship between the use of language learning strategies and student achievement. Chastain states that all learners have their learning strategies but only some are successful. It aims to investigate the types of grammar learning strategies that Asian learners use and the differences of using grammar learning strategies between the able learners and the less able learners. The strategy inventory for language learning (SILL) developed by Oxford was used to inquire learners' use of language learning strategies. The findings showed that the able learners and the less able learners showed differences in using grammar learning strategies, and the reasons behind are related to their learning attitudes. In addition, the less able learners found few provided strategies useful whereas the able learners believed that a number of strategies are useful in English learning.

Fostering Self-Direction in Foresight and Skills Anticipation of Undergraduate Students Through University-Industry Engagement

University-industry engagement is an essential factor for students' learning outcomes in higher education. This study aims to describe the unique educational process using foresight and skills anticipation through the university-industry engagement of future signs for the Thailand project as a good practice to foster self-direction of undergraduate students and proposes strategies to enhance collaboration among different key stakeholders. The “Kizashi Project” was organized during December 2, 2019-March 27, 2020, through the collaboration between Hitachi Asia (Thailand) Company Limited and Chulalongkorn University to create the research and development localization activities for identifying future social trends and anticipating new business opportunities in Thailand. The project applied “Kizashi,” the design thinking field, to describe Thailand's future to illustrate an ideal society with a human-centered perspective. This included Target year, 2030, which might be a milestone year before completing Thailand 4.0.

ePortfolio as a Tool to Support Competency Development in Hybrid Learning

This article presents a research-based study of the role of ePortfolios in the development of vocational students' skills. The authors discuss the process of finding a hybrid learning solution that can address the issues faced by vocational teachers and their students. The authors report on a case study using educational design research (EDR) at the Sámi Education Institute in northern Finland. Data were gathered from students in reindeer herding entrepreneurship and nature guide study programs using interviews, focus group discussions, and the feedback collected from workshops. Based on the findings of the initial workshops, ePortfolios were chosen as a tool for students to develop their vocational proficiency and showcase their academic activities. According to the feedback, ePortfolios potentially promote meaningful vocational study, particularly in the context of changing conditions when the student is far away from campus. The successful use of ePortfolios requires cooperation between students and teachers and commitment to support changes in the learning culture.

Impact of Industry-Academia Collaboration on Student Satisfaction in Vocational Education and Training

The contemporary unstable job market is challenging the “traditional” skilling practices adopted by vocational education training (VET) institutions, in favor of demand-driven skill transfer which is characterized by preparing students industry-ready. In this light, student satisfaction plays a pivotal role in assessing the course quality that aids in efficient skill transfer. Despite the relevance of the student satisfaction concept, empirical research has provided little evidence on its predictors in VET. The purpose of the study is to shed light on the quality indicators that predict student satisfaction. Data were collected on students from industrial training institutes (ITIs) of India.

Contextualizing Action Research

This article focuses on designing and conducting action research in diverse settings. Action research is a collaborative approach to problem solving. It involves consultative problem identification, reflects context, encourages reflexive examination, and ultimately encourages and empowers beneficiaries for desirable change. In that regard, it puts all stakeholders at the core of the change process. The process of change from research project conceptualization to analysis and policy implications is thus made more understandable and meaningful to community actors (beneficiaries). The chapter features three empirical models from diverse parts of the world. These are Model 1: Photo-voice as a form action research depicting an underused footbridge in Barbados; Model 2: DANIDA Community Water and Sanitation Project, Ghana; and REACH After School Enrichment Program, USA.