Asia Pacific Education Review最新文献

This study aims to compare the influence of learners’ self-regulation and sense of presence on online learning. Due to the increasing influence of online learning, self-regulation has received considerable attention. However, it is also claimed that an increased sense of presence can enhance online learning effects. For comparison, a meta-analysis was conducted on correlation studies. A total of 47 studies from 2000 to 2022 that investigated self-regulation or sense of presence in the context of online learning were analyzed. Average effect sizes were used to compare the influence of self-regulation and sense of presence on the levels of satisfaction with online learning. The moderating effects of self-regulation and sense of presence were also analyzed and compared. The results indicate that the average effect sizes of self-regulation and sense of presence were significant. Regarding the relationship between sense of presence and satisfaction with online learning, the type of sense of presence had no moderating effect. In addition, the average effect size of sense of presence was slightly greater than that of self-regulation. Based on these results, we conclude that sense of presence had a stronger influence on satisfaction with online learning. The importance of sense of presence and various ways to increase it in the context of online learning are also discussed.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the prediction–observation–explanation (POE) strategy using worksheets designed for the “living things and life” topic on conceptual understanding and science process skills (SPS) of students with mild intellectual disabilities (SMIDs). The sample consisted of 12 SMIDs (eight students for the main study and four students for the pilot study). The data were collected using SPS forms and interview protocols. The results showed that the POE worksheets enriched with active learning techniques positively developed SPS levels and helped the students overcome their alternative conceptions of the “living things and life” topic. The study also indicated that the SMIDs’ differences and prior knowledge significantly impacted their learning outcomes. Accordingly, future studies should develop teaching activities and interventions based on SMID differences.

In response to the urgent need for teachers to be better equipped with strategies for responding to students who suffer the effects of complex trauma (CT), this inter-disciplinary study investigated the lived experiences of professionals (social workers, psychologists, criminal justice workers and community workers) working with school students with CT in out-of-school contexts. The aim of this study was to formulate strategic approaches from the expertise of out-of-school professionals and specialists that might be adapted for use within pre-service teacher education programs to better prepare the next generation of teachers with the skills needed for working with trauma-affected students. Using a phenomenological methodology and working through an ecological-psychosocial theoretical lens, this qualitative study found three key categories of understandings and skills used as a common approach amongst specialists working with students suffering the effects of CT: an applied understanding of child development, a capacity to read and adjust classroom environment and climate; and underpinning theoretical knowledge of the effects of trauma on young people’s behaviour.

This research applied the perspectives of volition theory and goal setting theory to analyze the effects of teachers’ volitional strategies and task value on goal commitment in remedial teaching. The samples were collected from 92 elementary schools and 460 teachers with remedial teaching experiences were invited to participate in this study. There were 296 responses, recovery rated of 64.3%. Multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling were employed to analyze the data. The results revealed, first, significant differences in volitional strategies and goal commitment were observed among teachers with different degrees of teaching experiences. Those who possessed more remedial teaching experiences had better volitional strategies and goal commitment; Second, significant differences were displayed in volitional strategies between remedial teaching teachers from different professional backgrounds. Teachers with a good professional background had shown higher volitional strategies in self-efficacy enhancement dimension. Finally, teachers’ volitional strategies and task value were found with strong and moderate effects, respectively, on the goal commitment of remedial teaching. The findings provided useful information for teacher preparation programs.

Acting as a governmental tool to enhance competitiveness and integrate research and education by merging a local university and a provincial academy of sciences, this case study provides an example of a novel cross-sectoral complementary merger in higher education in China. Through a qualitative analysis of its three-stage process and the factors influencing its preliminary positive outcomes from the university leadership perspective, this study examines a unique higher education merger, emphasizing the effects of cultural issues and leadership. This study adds an interesting example to the growing literature on higher education mergers and offers suggestions for future research and practice.

Research has demonstrated the crucial role of creative metacognition and risk-taking in creativity. However, little empirical research has examined how creative metacognition and risk-taking work on creative performance in educational practice. This paper explored the moderating effects of creative metacognition on the relationships between different types of risk-taking (i.e., propensity for taking a risk, willingness to take a risk) and creative performance (i.e., general creativity, originality, usefulness) in a middle school context. The sample consisted of 350 7th- and 8th-grade students from three middle schools. They completed a survey and  a creative performance task. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that creative metacognition moderated the relationships between willingness to take a risk and both originality and usefulness. The results indicated that creative metacognition reinforces the positive effect of risk-taking on originality and mitigates the negative effect of risk-taking on usefulness. Our findings suggest a potential role for creative metacognition in enhancing curriculum-based creative performance in middle schools. In the end, practical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Differentiated instruction (DI) is a beneficial approach to addressing students’ diverse learning needs, abilities, and interests to ensure that each student has the opportunity to make academic progress. To answer the question of how teachers utilize DI in K-12 classrooms, this systematic review was based on 61 empirical studies on DI published between 2000 and 2022. It examined the current status and trends of implementing DI in K-12 education and integrated various factors involved in the process of DI, including educational levels, subjects, student difference analysis, instructional methods, content, tools, assessment methods, and instructional effectiveness. The findings indicated that (1) DI was most commonly used in primary school mathematics and language classrooms, with the majority of studies having sample sizes exceeding 100 and lasting for more than 6 months; (2) The most frequently employed form of DI was ability grouping, often grouped based on academic achievement; (3) Information technology tools and resources can empower differentiated instruction; (4) Most studies utilized standardized tests, questionnaires, and scales as evaluation tools, with a focus on the impact of DI on students’ academic achievement and skills; and (5) The effectiveness of DI was controversial and influenced by multiple factors, such as may be associated with the instructional methods. In response to these findings, the study introduces a comprehensive DI model. This model, rooted in the perspective of instructional design, elucidates the interconnected factors of DI. It serves as a valuable reference for the future design and implementation of DI, offering a practical guide for educators aiming to create inclusive and effective learning environments.

There is limited research that holistically explains the characteristics of creative students in nurturing creative behaviors. This lack of a holistic approach to studying creative behaviors may inhibit accounting for the tangled dynamics among explanatory variables. Thus, the present study examined personal and environmental characteristics that predicted creative behaviors using a random forest (RF) analysis in a large-scale dataset collected in South Korea. The responses of eighth graders (N = 6,546) to the 20 questions measuring creative behaviors were explained by 67 explanatory variables in an RF analysis. Results indicated that the top five variables were identified for predicting creative behaviors by two types of importance indices: civic engagement, self-regulation, information and communication technology skills, career maturity, and positive attitudes toward school/learning. Environmental characteristics did not appear in the top five variables, emphasizing the importance of personal characteristics in shaping student creative behaviors. Educational and theoretical implications are discussed, with suggestions for future research.