Motivation matters? The relationship among different types of learning motivation,engagement behaviors and learning outcomes of undergraduate students in Taiwan     

Tzu-Ling Hsieh 《Higher Education》2014,68(3):417-433

The purpose of this study is to understand predictors of different learning outcomes among various student background characteristics, types of learning motivation and engagement behaviors. 178 junior students were surveyed at a 4-year research university in Taiwan. The scales of motivation, engagement and perceived learning outcomes were adapted from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the National Survey of Student Engagement College Student Report. Multiple hierarchical regression analysis was used in data analysis. Findings confirm that different student background characteristics and learning motivation can predict different learning outcomes. However, student engagement behaviors cannot significantly predict different types of learning outcomes when student background and learning motivation variables are included. This study also finds that student’s majors play an important role in explaining learning outcomes. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of learning motivation and suggest that instructors can provide students with more successful learning experiences to ensure more confidence in their learning abilities.  相似文献   

Gender Implications in Curriculum and Entrance Exam Grouping     

Hsieh Hsiao-Chin  Yang Chia-Ling 《Chinese Education & Society》2014,47(4):32-45

While access to higher education has reached gender parity in Taiwan, the phenomenon of gender segregation and stratification by fields of study and by division of labor persist. In this article, we trace the historical evolution of Taiwan's education system and data using large-scale educational databases to analyze the association of institutional factors and educational outcomes. Grouping in the college entrance examinations in the 1950s led to grouping in the high school curriculum, which, in turn, seems to have enlarged the mathematics performance gap between the natural sciences group and the social studies group, and extended to a performance gap between the two groups on the college entrance examination. Because men concentrate in science and engineering and women concentrate in humanities, the superiority of the former disciplines over the latter was consolidated along with the stereotype that male fields were better than female fields.  相似文献