Journal of Educational Practice and Research

Journal of Educational Practice and Research

Volume 37, Number 3, December 2024

Table of Contents

【Editor’s Notes】

【Research Articles】

• The Effect of Mobile Learning and Virtual Tour Instructional Models on Cognitive Load and Learning Effectiveness of Junior High School Students（Ya-Ching Fan, Tzu-Hua Wang*, & Jia-Xian Ho）
• The Study of Competency-based Physical Education on University Student Physical Literacy and Basic need Satisfaction: A Teaching Practice of Orienteering Curricula（Che-Chun Kuo & Pei-Chi Chuang*）
• An Attitude Changing Investigation into English Accents with Explicit Instruction on Global Englishes（Ethan Fu-Yen Chiu＊ & Jr-An Lin）

【Literature Review 】

• J. Bruner on Children’s Play and Their Path to Understanding Reality Authors：Meixia Jiang & Yi-Ping Lo*

Keyword：JEPR, Educational Practice and Research, Education, Educational Practice, Educational Research

【Editorial office】

• How educational research is closely connected with educational practice has always been an important issue in the field of education.
  
  Keyword：37卷3期編輯室手記

• The Effect of Mobile Learning and Virtual Tour Instructional Models on Cognitive Load and Learning Effectiveness of Junior High School Students

  Ya-Ching Fan, Tzu-Hua Wang*, & Jia-Xian Ho

   

  This study investigated the effectiveness of a QR code-based mobile learning system in engaging students in a personalized, situated mobile learning environment for a lesson on campus edible plants. The participants were three classes of seventh grade students from a middle school in Taiwan. This study employed a quasi-experimental design. One class received materials by scanning a QR code with the help of a tablet (Experimental group A; n = 23), one class underwent a virtual tour (Experimental group B; n = 24), and one class underwent an in-person campus tour (Control group; n = 23). The students’ posttest responses to a cognitive load perspective survey (on mental load and mental effort) and pretest and posttest scores on a plant knowledge test were analyzed. The results confirm the effectiveness of mobile learning. The mobile learning group significantly outperformed the other groups in terms of total cognitive load and mental effort; no significant difference was observed between the in-person campus tour and virtual tour groups. Furthermore, no significant difference in mental load was observed among the three groups. The largest improvement in PKT scores was observed in the mobile learning group, followed by those in the in-person campus tour and virtual tour groups. However, the design of different instructional models and the cognitive load level of learners had no significant interaction effect on learning effectiveness. A significant difference was observed in the main effect of different instructional models. This study provides suggestions for research on mobile learning, cognitive load, and learning effectiveness.

  
  
  Keyword：cognitive load, mobile learning, plant learning, quick response code, virtual tour

• The Study of Competency-based Physical Education on University Student Physical Literacy and Basic need Satisfaction: A Teaching Practice of Orienteering Curricula

Che-Chun Kuo & Pei-Chi Chuang*

Based on the principles of competency-based physical education, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a competency-based orienteering course intervention on students’ physical literacy, basic need satisfaction, and leisure-time physical activity. Additionally, the study examined the intervention's impact on students’ perception of connectedness to nature. Using a pre-experimental design, students participating in a 16-week orienteering courses were recruited. The competency-based orienteering course intervention was employed and both quantitative and qualitative learning data were collected and analyzed. Quantitative data were gathered through surveys, while qualitative data were obtained from onsite observations and ocuments, including group reports, notes, and class records. Results from 77 valid samples indicated that students’ physical literacy and basic need satisfaction were significantly enhanced after the competency-based orienteering course intervention. However, no significant improvement was observed in leisure-time physical activity. Notably, students’ perception of connectedness to nature increased after participating in the course. Overall, grounded in the principles of the competency-based curriculum, this study not only enhanced students’ physical literacy, basic need satisfaction, and connectedness to nature, but also provided theoretical and practical insights. Through competency-based orienteering course design, the value of physical education in holistic education can be expanded, making it a worthwhile recommendation for implementation in college-level physical education teaching contexts.

Keyword：competency, orienteering, physical education course

• An Attitude Changing Investigation into English Accents with Explicit Instruction on Global Englishes

  Ethan Fu-Yen Chiu* & Jr-An Lin

   

  English plays an essential role as a lingua franca in an increasingly interconnected world. To acclimate to the diversity of English accents, English Language Teaching (ELT) must enable learners to adapt to cultures and accents beyond Standard American English. A total of 88 Applied English major students participated in this study where they were exposed to five English accents: Standard American English, English Received Pronunciation, Singaporean English, Taiwanese English, and Japanese English. The students interacted with speakers from Kachru’s three circles of English to gain cultural insights associated with these accents. Questionnaires were utilized to assess students’ perceptions of each accent in terms of correctness, acceptability, pleasantness, and familiarity before and after exposure and/or instructional interventions. Results from the 45 students in the exposure group showed no significant changes in attitude, leading to an additional 43 participants receiving explicit instruction. The findings revealed that these 43 students demonstrated significant improvements in their ratings of non-native English varieties across correctness, acceptability, pleasantness, and familiarity. Qualitative data in the 43 reflective journals further revealed enhanced awareness of English pluricentricity and an ideological shift from the sole dependency on American English. This shift also included greater tolerance and respect for non-native English accents as well as improved confidence of speaking English. The study offers clear implications for Taiwanese ELT, suggesting a more pragmatic trajectory through the implementation of a Global Englishesoriented approach.

  
  
  Keyword：English accents, English accent exposure, Global Englishes explicit instruction, Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT), language attitudes

• J. Bruner on Children’s Play and Their Path to Understanding Reality

         Meixia Jiang & Yi-Ping Lo*

With the growing recognition of the importance of children’s play in both public and academic communities, research on this topic has steadily increased. However, Jerome J. Bruner’s comprehensive interpretation of children’s play remains underexplored within the field of education. By delving into J. Bruner’s original works and his academic contributions, this article seeks to highlight J. Bruner’s core perspectives and educational practices concerning children’s play. This article first traces J. Bruner’s academic trajectory, from his studies on primate play to his explorations of children’s play, elucidating how J. Bruner drew insights from animal play research and successfully applied them to the study of children’s play. Specifically, J. Bruner illustrated how play functions as a low-risk learning mechanism, enabling children to explore skills and adapt to social rules in a safe environment. Subsequently, the article discusses J. Bruner’s theory of children’s play, emphasizing that play is not only a key medium for children’s cognitive and linguistic development, but also an essential avenue for them to engage with and understand the real world. Play serves a pivotal role in simulating daily life, fostering narrative skills and learning social norms. Furthermore, this article focuses on J. Bruner’s educational stance on practices in children’s play, including the integration of games with subject content, the principle of moderate participation by adults and peers, and approaches to stimulating creativity and problem-solving abilities through games. Finally, based on J. Bruner’s theory and the contribution of children’s play, this study recommends that the play behavior of target children should be further observed. The duration of children’s play rounds and the complexity of the play can be investigated in depth. In this way, the educational value of children’s play can be fully leveraged.

Keyword：children, J. Bruner, play theory, understanding reality