An online adaptive learning environment for critical‐thinking‐infused English literacy instruction

Critical thinking (CT) and English literacy are two essential 21st century competencies that are a priority for teaching and learning in an increasingly digital learning environment. Taking advantage of innovations in educational technology, this study empirically investigates the effectiveness of CT‐infused adaptive English literacy instruction using a Moodle system. A one‐group pretest–posttest design was employed to evaluate the effect of the treatment on students' acquisition of CT skills (CTS) and English literacy. A total of 83 students enrolled in two sections of a general studies course at a large university in Taiwan participated in the semester‐long experiment. Adaptive learning was achieved through the use of an online Moodle system for (1) online grouping (based on pretest English literacy scores), (2) delivery of specifically designed adaptive learning materials for each group and (3) provision of individualised feedback. CT‐infused language activities based on social constructivist principles were designed for each level of adaptive instruction, whereas direct instruction for fostering CTS was provided in class and practiced or reflected upon in groups. Empirical results demonstrate that CT‐enhanced adaptive English literacy instruction simultaneously improved students' CTS and English literacy and that students' online discussions developed towards higher levels of interaction. This paper illustrates an effective blended learning model for adaptive instruction and offers recommendations for designing CT‐infused language learning activities that can successfully foster both CT and English literacy outcomes.     

Learning Mathematics： Themes,Concepts, and Relationships

This study investigated the intellectual structure of research into the instruction of mathematics by identifying the most influential scholars and the most important publications using bibliometric analysis and tag cloud analysis. We analyzed 33,021 citations in 1,016 articles published in Science Citation Index （SCI） and Social Sciences Citation Index （SSCI）journals in the field of mathematics instruction between 2002 and 2011 in order to create a knowledge map. The results of this mapping were used to identify the direction of research into the instruction of mathematics, providing a valuable tool for researchers seeking to access the literature in this area.     

Examining the practice of a reading-to-speak test task: anxiety and experience of EFL students

In the literature, little research has hitherto been conducted to examine the implementation of integrated speaking test tasks. This study, in response, set out to compare the anxiety induced by a reading-to-speak task and the anxiety produced by a speaking-only task and to explore students’ experiences of taking the reading-to-speak task. Forty-seven Taiwanese EFL learners completed a reading-to-speak task and a speaking-only task, filled out a state anxiety inventory twice, and responded to an open-ended questionnaire. The paired t-test revealed that the reading-to-speak task produced a statistically comparable degree of anxiety as the speaking-only task, possibly owing to the additional anxiety inflicted by its reading component. The qualitative analysis disclosed that students preferred the reading-to-speak task to the speaking-only task, even though it provoked additional anxiety, featured additional challenges, and entailed different response strategies. In light of these findings, implications are proposed for oral assessment research and EFL oral assessment practices.