Selected Papers from the Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2019

1. Introduction

The Second Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2019 (ECEI 2019) was held in Singapore on 27–29 January 2019, and provided a communication platform for researchers on the topic of educational innovations. This conference aims to enable interdisciplinary collaboration between educators and experts from other areas in the academic and industrial fields as well as international networking. Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102) is a scholarly international open access journal. It publishes extended full-length research papers that have the scope to substantively address current issues in the education sciences, and encourages researchers to publish their experimental and theoretical research relating to the education sciences. This Special Issue “Selected Papers from Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2019” selects excellent papers from ECEI 2019 on topics related to the scope of educational innovation. Its main goal is to discover new scientific knowledge and innovations on education science.

2. The Topics of Educational Innovations

This Special Issue selected eight excellent papers from 220 papers presented in ECEI 2019. The published papers are introduced as follows:

Hsieh et al. presented “Undergraduates’ Out-Of-Class Learning: Exploring EFL Students’ Autonomous Learning Behaviors and Their Usage of Resources” [1]. This study employs techniques of email interviews for data collection from 35 EFL college students to interview their learning experiences at an English self-access center and specifically it investigates what may be possible forms of independent learning of the students using self-access resources. Based on the findings of this study, suggestions on pedagogical designs of SAC (Self-Access Center) activities and applications for SACs in educational contexts outside of Taiwan were made.

Han et al. presented “Study on the Attractiveness Factors of Online Courses” [2], a study employing the evaluation grid method for consideration of Miryoku engineering. In order to make the charm factors more accurate and representative, this study summarized the charm elements using the Kawakita Jiro (KJ) method, and then quantified the factors in the form of a questionnaire. Through the statistical analysis of the questionnaire and quantification theory type I, the correlation between the charm feeling and the online course as well as the weight of each item (original evaluation item) and category (specific evaluation item) were calculated. Through the research and discussion on the charm factors of online teaching, the results analyzed and integrated in this study could provide more substantive suggestions and help to the education industry.

Yu et al. presented “Predicting Learning Outcomes with MOOC Clickstreams” [3]. This study used the course materials on the OpenEdu platform, which is a MOOC platform based on the edX open-source program. Because the platform provides a complete teaching environment, including course details and learning history records, it was possible to learn about the behavior patterns of students by browsing videos and processing and analyzing the collected data. This study also classified the course videos and provided possible links between video viewing behaviors and learning outcomes through the analysis of a combination of different video types.

Chang et al. presented “ARCS and RGT Integrated High-Efficiency E-Books” [4]. This study used the attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) method and Kelly’s repertory grid technique (RGT) to develop a high-efficiency e-book. Its main design concepts were to use the ARCS model to create a highly interactive human–machine interface and multimedia learning content that would enhance the learning motivation of users, and to use RGT and a knowledge map to supplement the learning strategy and help users effectively build personalized knowledge. This study adopted learning about Taiwanese cherry blossoms as the learning objective and recruited 70 freshmen from a university in Tainan as research participants.

Cheng et al. presented “Difference between Learning Basic Form Generation and Automotive Exterior Design” [5]. This study explores the correlation between learning about basic form factors and learning automotive exterior design (AED) for the first time. To help beginner AED students learn smoothly, we developed modular courses and proposed teaching basic form generation. Six modular assignments were developed for the courses on ‘Form Theory’ and ‘Transportation Design’, and 22 and 20 students, respectively, completed all the assignments of each course. All students were guided to become familiar with the five form factors: proportion, contour, volume, surface, and detail. According to the student self-assessments and responses for the Form Theory course, students gained a statistically equivalent learning experience of form factors from the four assignments; however, they gained significantly different levels of understanding and confidence. There was also a significant difference in understanding form factors during AED clay modeling.

Hsu et al. presented “Curriculum Design in Construction Engineering Departments for Colleges in Taiwan” [6]. This study analyzed the teaching of seven subjects and performance indicators by collecting data from the literature of diversified fields, proficiency training courses, and syllabi of construction management curricula provided by Taiwanese higher education institutions. Research incorporated both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative approaches comprised a literature review and an in-depth interview with experts; the quantitative approach was the fuzzy Delphi method, which was used to identify the syllabus constructs of major subjects and rate their performance indicators of secondary subjects. Interpretive structural modelling helped construct a systemic structure and relationships among different types of subjects in order to analyze curriculum frameworks and systematize teaching models. This study can be referenced for designing syllabi for systemic courses in departments of construction engineering and management in order to educate future construction engineers at higher education institutions.

Choi et al. presented “Promoting Young Children’s Interest in Learning English in EFL Context: The Role of Mothers” [7]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a mother’s motivation for providing English education to a young child on the provision of English education and the child’s interest in learning English. Also, the mediating role of the type of English education provided (English interaction at home and English private lessons) between a mother’s motivation and a child’s interest in learning English was examined. In total, 414 Korean mothers of 3- to-5-year-olds reported their motivation for providing English education to their child, frequency of English interaction at home, and the duration of English private lessons the child experienced. The degree of a child’s interest in learning English was measured by both the child’s mother and the teacher.

Choi et al. presented “What Affects Middle School Students’ English Anxiety in the EFL Context? Evidence from South Korea” [8]. This study examines what affects adolescents’ English anxiety in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context. A total of 414 adolescents in South Korea participated in the study and IBM SPSS AMOS 20.0 was used in structural equation modeling for statistical analysis. The results are as follows. Girls showed a higher level of English anxiety and self-directed learning ability than boys. Second, adolescents’ English self-efficacy had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between parental pressure expectations and English anxiety. Third, parental pressure expectations had a significant effect on English anxiety through self-directed learning and English self-efficacy. Fourth, a gender difference in the paths of the models was significant. This provides supporting evidence to many educators and parents for the implementation of effective support practices for adolescents who learn English in EFL contexts similar to Korea to reduce their English anxiety.