In this research I investigated the views preschool educators in Taiwan on play and the role of play in the curriculum. Adopting a qualitative methodology, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 educators at preschools affiliated with elementary schools. The results indicate that preschool educators generally agree that, in addition to…

Learning to teach is a complex process that hinges on teacher candidates' personal experiences, values, beliefs and characteristics, as well as the contexts they are exposed to. Student teaching as a transitional period may create dilemmas for teacher candidates, who are new to the profession and still learning about what it means to be a teacher.…

The importance of music teachers reflecting on their teaching practise has been discussed for a long time [(Gaunt 2008. "One-to-one Tuition in a Conservatoire: The Perceptions of Instrumental and Vocal Teachers." "Psychology of Music" 36 (2): 215-245; Schön 1987. "Educating the Reflective Practitioner." San…

This study unveils a tertiary EFL reading teacher's reader identity and its interconnectedness with her pedagogical decisions through narrative inquiry. Community of Practice was employed to elucidate the sources of this reading teacher's reader identity and the interplay between that and her teaching practice. Findings from the categorical…

Teachers' professional identity influences the ways teachers think and teach. Research on native English speaking teachers' (NEST) professional identity construction and development has not been widely explored. This study analyzes six NESTs' identity in 31 lesson plans and activity designs for intensive English camps at an English Wonderland in…

This study mainly aimed to explore the effects of project-based learning (PBL) integrated into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities and to analyze the creativity displayed by junior high school students while performing these activities. With a quasi-experimental design, 60 ninth-grade students from a junior high…

English-medium instruction (EMI) has become a driving force behind the curriculum reform in higher education around the world. The current study, drawn from a larger project that involves an EMI teacher development program, explores subtle nuances of change in teachers' self-efficacy beliefs, employing Bandura's theory of self-efficacy (Bandura,…

Researchers of learner and language use strategies have long suggested that appropriate application of strategies can facilitate second or foreign language learning. Listening is the most fundamental skill in language learning, but for decades this skill was not emphasized in secondary schools in Taiwan. However, in 2012 a new national English…

Language teachers can uncover new understanding of the teaching and learning process through reflecting on critical incidents [Richard, J.C., and T.S.C. Farrell. 2005. "Professional Development for Language Teachers." New York, NY: Cambridge University Press]. Based on the data analysis of workshop handouts, observation notes, and…

The textual and interpersonal functions of modifiers are extensively discussed in the literature. However, how these linguistic devices can be strategically used to assist lecture comprehension has been under-investigated, particularly in EFL/ESL contexts. Drawing on corpus analyses, interviews, and questionnaires, this study compares Taiwanese…

The internationalization of higher education has resulted in the growth of English-medium instruction (EMI) practices and research. The existing EMI research has documented learners' favorable attitudes toward EMI but not necessarily its practices. Learners' dissatisfaction has not been viewed as a form of resistance. Through the notion of learner…

This study investigated two science teachers' meta-strategic knowledge (MSK) of argumentation teaching by applying the repertory grid technique (RGT). One teacher was a novice, while the other was experienced in teaching argumentation. Using the RGT, we elicited the objectives and strategies of the two teachers regarding their argumentation…

Many East-Asian countries are actively positioning themselves as receiving countries of international students. Consequently, the number of international students in these countries is steadily growing. Given the differences between Eastern and Western conceptions of teaching and learning, it could be expected that Western learners studying in the…

With the rapid growth of technology, many language acquisition approaches have been added to computer-assisted language learning applications. Thus, this study investigated the impact of online autonomous learning on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' reading ability. Sixty-five students from two reading classes at One University in…

This study investigated students' perception of a flipped classroom approach to facilitating online project-based learning (FC-OPBL) in a marketing research course at a technical university. This combined strategy was aimed at improving teaching quality and learning efficiency. Sixty-seven students taking a marketing research course were surveyed.…