Journal of Educational Practice and Research

Implementation and Support Measures for Mixed-age Teaching in Elementary and Junior High Schools: A Multiple Case Study

Hsin-Yi Lin & Chang-Hua Chen, & Su-Hsien Liao

As a result of low birth rate and population decline, mixed-age teaching is critical for accommodating the needs of classes with fewer students and for effectively integrating and utilizing school resources to provide students with adaptive learning opportunities. Through literature analysis, classroom observations, and interviews, the underlying reasons for mixed age teaching, methods of implementation and support measures employed by schools are explored. The findings of this study are as follows: 1) The justifications for mixed-age teaching are based on educational philosophy and practical considerations; 2) mixed-age teaching is implemented through four approaches; namely, inquiry-based instruction, team teaching, cooperative learning, and differentiated instruction; and 3) measures for supporting mixed-age teaching can be analyzed and discussed from three aspects: teachers’ professional development, curriculum planning, and school administration support. Overall, implementing mixed-age teaching requires further support on aspects of pre-service teacher education, professional development, curriculum planning, teaching implementation, and administrative measures. Studies on mixed-age teaching in elementary and junior high schools in Taiwan are preliminary. The results of the studies may assist the educational research community in understanding and implementing mixed-age teaching.

A Comparative Analysis of the Semantic Meaning Patterns of ‘OR’ in Physics Texts in English and Mandarin Chinese

Chia-Ling Chiang

In terms of cross language comparisons, this study aims to explore the semantic meaning patterns of the logical connective ‘or’ between English and Mandarin Chinese. An ‘OR Corpus’ was constructed with the source of the texts drawn from Conceptual Physics and its Chinese translation. The texts include topics of motion and forces. The semantic meanings of related translations were mainly analyzed and categorized using Webster’s College Dictionary, Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary compiled by the Ministry of Education and the Academia Sinica Balanced Corpus of Modern Chinese. By looking into the free translations of ‘or’ in Mandarin Chinese and cases of translating ‘and’ into ‘huo’, seven meaning patterns of ‘huo’ (or) in Mandarin Chinese were identified. The free translations of ‘or’ and ‘and’ show that ‘huo’ encompasses ‘inclusive or’, ‘exclusive or’, ‘identity’, ‘all’, ‘enumeration’, ‘approximation’, and ‘addition’ meanings in Chinese. More importantly, the word ‘or’ by itself in English text does not quite express the meaning of addition. Besides, ‘or’ in English is not only translated directly into ‘huo’, but there are also 14 representative forms in Chinese to express various meanings of ‘or’ in English without the word ‘huo’. Accordingly, the implications of Chinese science text editing and science language teaching were discussed and suggested.

Students’ Aesthetics Experience, Creative Self-Efficacy and Creativity: Is Creativity Instruction Effective?

Yuan-Cheng Chang & Chia-Chun Hsiao

Based on creativity component theory, creativity system theory and creative self-efficacy theory, this study aims to explore the influence of college students’ aesthetics experience and creative self-efficacy on their creativity and the role of creativity instruction as a mediator variable. The participants were 338 college design majors in 50 teams who were working on their graduation exhibitions, and 50 advising professors from departments related to design. Hierarchical Linear Models were applied for analysis. The result showed that instruction on enhancing students’ creative intention positively affect students’ aesthetics experience. Students’ aesthetics experience affects their creativity and creative self-efficacy. Creativity instruction with focus on creativity skills by means of promoting aesthetic attitude, aesthetic understanding, and offering complete experiences had a moderating effect on students’ perception toward creative product. However, there was a negative moderating effect of creative instruction on perceived aesthetic pleasure and students’ perception toward creative product. There was no moderating effect of creative instruction on the relationship between students’ creative self-efficacy and creativity. Accordingly, the study concluded that in order to enhance students’ creativity, universities should stress on the development of students’ aesthetics experiences and re-evaluation of approaches to creativity instruction.

The Managers’ Experiential Learning of Program Planning in Active Ageing Learning Centers

Chun-Ting Yeh

Planning older adult learning programs is really a complex work. Program planners go through different learning stages and accumulate experiences to be able to undertake the task alone. This study aimed to explore the experiential learning process of older adult learning program planners who work in the Active Ageing Learning Centers (AALCs). Semi-structure interviews were conducted with seven program planners. The findings of this study were identified as follows. 1) Before being a program planner, the participants’ knowledge results from grasping and transforming experience gained from their family, their daily lives and past learning experiences; 2) after being a program planner, the participants’ experiential learning focused on leadership, training in the institute, professional development, as well as involvement in organizations for elderly people; and 3) the participants’ experiential learning outcomes in the older adult learning program planning include: their ability to reflect on the appropriateness and fulfillment of program planning, to apply theoretical knowledge and professional background in the field, and to make plans for future learning and business strategies.

Post-Modern Perspective of Career Happiness: An Integrated Model of Career Theory and Career Counseling for the Changing World and Steady Core

Su-Fei Huang

Through literature review, career theories and practices with focus on the shift from positivist to constructivist views in both domestic and international literatures are explored. At first, post-modern perspective of career happiness including three career features, are discussed: 1) The career character in the 21st century emphasizes flexible wisdom. The uncertainty of risk society has triggered young adults to take the load road to adulthood in the 21st century; 2) Multiple career types have replaced traditional collective narrative path; 3) Career happiness is gained through subjective satisfaction. Secondly, via review the frontier theories and the postmodern career personalization literatures, I discuss both related theories for changing society and counseling method for unchangeable career decision making. Then, an “Integrated model of career counseling and career theory for changing world/anicca and steady core/ anitya” as a conceptual basis for career counseling is proposed. The horizontal axis indicates the unpredictability and uncertainty of the 21st century "changing world" suggesting a need to learn from four career theories to meet the challenges: 1) Hold on to positive uncertainty attitude; 2) acknowledge the planned happenstance; 3) greet career chaos; and 4) experience the synchronicity intuitive experience. The vertical axis indicates a “steady core" for subjective career decision-making. There are four paths for counseling: 1) build career vision; 2) engage in life design; 3) explore life story; and 4) increase career adaptability. Finally, suggestions are offered and limitations of the study are explained.

Developing and Refining Film Appreciation Instruction for Feminist and Life Education Films

Fu-Ju Yang

Film is a medium to which contemporary university students have the most exposure. However, little research has been conducted on teaching film appreciation. In this study, art appreciation methods are adapted for film appreciation in the attempt to establish a new teaching model for film appreciation in Taiwanese universities that enables students to express personal responses. This approach opens up new possibilities for future teaching practice and research while serving as a reference for improving film appreciation education. This study employs an action research method for data collection and analysis. A model for teaching film appreciation was established based on literature review and implemented in a freshman course titled “Introduction to Visual Communication” for two consecutive years. Four films were used over 14 weeks in both years the course was offered, and data was collected through observation, interviews, document analysis (worksheets, feedback forms, reflection notes), and questionnaires. Results show that the implementation of teaching film appreciation must be adjusted in accordance with the characteristics of films studied by addressing student (viewer) reaction, personal views and experience. Students were able to understand and analyze film formats, techniques and meaning. Their self-reflection encouraged changes in their thinking and sometimes even behavior. Guided discussions were found to be more effective than free discussion. Well-designed worksheets and both oral and written reports were useful for evaluating learning outcomes.