THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNING MOTIVATION, PROFESSIONAL COURSES AND PASS RATES OF SKILLS CERTIFICATION: A CASE STUDY OF VOCATIONAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN TAIWAN: Received:28April2025, Revised:5May2025,20May2025, Accepted:03June2025, DateofPublication:18July2025

This study investigates the relationship between learning motivation, professional courses performance, and the pass rates of skills certification among students in vocational senior high schools in Taiwan. In response to the growing demand for professional competencies in the labor market, skills certification has become a crucial indicator of students’occupational readiness and a determinant of their future career trajectories.The research employed a questionnaire method to collect data regarding students’learning motivation, professional courses performance, and skills certification outcomes .A quantification method was adopted, utilizing descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and logistic regression analysis to examine the relationships among the core variables.The results indicate a statistically significant positive relationship between professional courses performance and the pass rates of skills certification, confirming course performance as a key predictive factor. While learning motivation was positively correlated with course performance, it did not exhibit a statistically significant direct effect on certification outcomes.Additionally, different preparation strategies were found to impact course performance significantly. Among these, participation in after-school programs and group study demonstrated the most favorable outcomes. These findings provide empirical insights into how instructional design and preparatory practices can enhance students’performance in professional courses and increase their likelihood of success in skills certification.The study recommends integrating simulated certification exercises and diversified instructional resources into professional courses to optimize learning outcomes and improve certification pass rates across the vocational education system in Taiwan

SCREENING POST-COLONIALISM AND RED SCARE ABOUT THE 1950S MALAYAN EMERGENCY IN “THE 7TH DAWN” (1964)

The goal of my paper is to examine the movie “The 7th Dawn (1964)”, directed by British filmmaker Lewis Gilbert (1920-2018) and distributed by United Artists. Based on the novel The Durian Tree (1960) by Australian writer Michael Keon (1918-2006), the film is set during Malaysia's process of independence from Britain in the 1950s. I argue that “The 7th Dawn (1964)” displays sympathies for the peaceful methods of opposing colonialism, stigmatization for the repressive methods of the British but, at the same time, emphasize the existence of the widespread belief in various Western European countries and in USA that independence movements in Southeast Asia were actually a way of creating a communist system in that part of the worl

SUCCESSFUL SELF-EMPLOYMENT RE-EMPLOYMENT AMONG MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS IN TAIWAN: AN ADULT LEARNING PERSPECTIVE

Global aging presents a significant challenge, leading to the rise of the concept of "encore career," where continue working after retirement benefits individuals, families, and society. This study aims to explore the re-employment process of middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan through self-employment. Using qualitative research methods, 33 successfully self-re-employed individuals were interviewed, with an average age of 57.3 and an average self-employment duration of 5.6 years. Findings include: (1) External factors for re-employment include meeting economic needs and ensuring financial security, while intrinsic motivation centers on self-fulfillment; (2) Learning motivation stems from acquiring knowledge and experience in new work; (3) Participants overcame employment challenges through self-empowerment, consulting experts, persistent efforts, and leveraging past experiences and resources; (4) Benefits of re-employment include a sense of achievement, expanded social networks, and enhanced quality of life. These findings provide insight for policymakers and middle-aged or elderly individuals considering self-employment. &nbsp

EFFECT OF TRANSFORMATIONAL, TRANSACTIONAL AND AMBIDEXTROUS LEADERSHIP ON PUBLIC HEALTH EMPLOYEE SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF GOVERNANCE QUALITY

The importance of employee well-being in healthcare is crucial because of the urgent and ongoing demands for the delivery of care and service to patients. The service level and treatment delivery are often inefficient, ineffective, and not patient-friendly due to high workloads, unforeseen tasks, emergencies, bad working circumstances, lack of managerial support, and inadequate equipment. These difficulties require comprehensive healthcare solutions that address all aspects of employee well-being. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on how factors such as leadership styles and governance quality might improve employee sustainable performance in the healthcare sector.  This study examined the correlation between transactional, and ambidextrous leadership styles and the sustainable performance of employees in healthcare units. The study also examined how governance quality influences the connection between leadership styles and the sustainable performance of employees. The main objective of this research was to provide a framework for healthcare leadership and employee sustainability in order to improve healthcare services for the population of Nigeria. The study employed a cross-sectional quantitative approach, gathering data using both online and in-person survey questionnaires. The study sample comprised medical physicians employed in the public healthcare sector of the southeastern states in Nigeria. A method of sampling called proportionate stratified random sampling was employed to select a subset of individuals from the intended population. The software program SPSS was utilized to do descriptive statistical analysis, while the SmartPLS software was employed to examine the correlations between the variables using structural equation modeling.  We received a total of 117 responses that were usable. The results indicated a strong and favorable correlation between transactional, ambidextrous leadership styles, governance quality, and employee sustainable performance. The conditional path analysis indicated that there was no mediating effect of governance quality on the association between ambidextrous leadership styles and employee sustainable performance.  The transactional leadership styles and employee sustainable performance is totally mediated by governance quality. The study was noteworthy because its findings aligned with the theories of leadership, governance excellence, and employee sustainable performance. The study has furnished empirical evidence to practitioners and policymakers in health and public sector organizations regarding the correlation between leadership styles, employee sustainable performance, and the role of governance quality as a mediator. The findings emphasized the necessary leadership behaviors required for managing healthcare institutions and achieving long-term employee engagement. Health managers can enhance their understanding of organizational leadership, employee well-being, and institutional quality dynamics by utilizing a framework that enables them to reevaluate their competencies and identify areas for improvement. Future researchers are advised to employ larger sample sizes and qualitative research approaches in order to generalize the findings of this study. It is imperative to extend the inclusion of other groups, such as administrative workers and technicians, as they play a crucial role in the functioning of the healthcare delivery system. Conducting research on the extensive private healthcare sector, despite the fact that their employees' sustainable performance is not as poor as that of the public healthcare sector is needed

A FORUM FOR CONSTRUCTIVE PUBLIC DISCOURSE: A NEEDS ANALYSIS

The recent prevalence of various AI tools and online platforms has digitized how L2 learners approach learning English in higher education. Learners can now easily access not only language support online but can also share their ideas and voice their opinions on a range of platforms. With more opportunities to interact online, instead of the more traditional transactional usage of language tools, learners need to be prepared for how to express themselves and how to deal with feedback. Current research has largely focused on medical forums when analyzing the posting of Japanese higher education learners. Before constructing a public forum for English language learners in Japanese higher education to share their voices on a host of opinions and issues, a needs analysis study was conducted to assess what online tools and platforms language learners currently utilize, what they learn from their experiences, and how they would like to shape future interactions and platforms. A survey was carried out with 150 first-year university students anonymously, online, and in English. Semantic analysis (Liu, 2022) was employed to draw out pertinent findings, along with a modified version of Chun, Kern, and Smith’s (2016) framework for analysis. Findings suggest that learners are typically passive with their interactions on public forums, but a sizable minority seek to learn more about being more involved in public discourse. This presentation will detail the study’s findings and discuss how they will shape the creation of a forum for constructive public discourse aimed at Japanese university students

FOSTERING COLLABORATIVE ENGAGEMENT: STRATEGIES FOR STAKEHOLDER COOPERATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA

Investigated strategies for stakeholder cooperation in Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Zambia. Emphasized collaboration between government, educators, families, and community organizations. Applied an interpretivist-phenomenological design with qualitative methods (interviews, observations, document review). Involved 10 purposively selected participants. Identified key barriers and enablers of stakeholder engagement. Recommended improved communication, stakeholder training, and formal collaboration policies

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF SENIOR NURSE MANAGERS IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL: AN ASSESSMENT

This descriptive correlational study assessed the emotional intelligence of senior nurse managers in a tertiary hospital utilizing the “Schutte Self-report Emotional Test (SSEIT)” by Schutte et al. (2009). Results showed that most senior nurse managers belonged to the 36-40-year-old group; female; married; have served in their current position for more than 5 years but less than 10 years; BSN holders; and Roman Catholic. They have a moderate level of emotional intelligence in all the dimensions: Perception of Emotion, Managing Own Emotions, Managing Other Emotions, and Utilization of Emotion. There was a significant relationship between the senior nurse managers' profile sex and their level of emotional intelligence in all the dimensions except managing their own emotions; the senior nurse managers' profile years served in the current position, and their level of emotional intelligence in the dimension - utilization of emotion; and lastly, there were no significant relationships as to their age, sex, marital status, educational qualification, or religion and their level of emotional intelligence in all the dimensions. It was recommended that senior nurse managers must be: willing to explore more and understand emotions – theirs and others; continue practicing mindfulness and be attentive to their thoughts, feelings, and reactions in various situations in the workplace; utilize their inner strength and resilience to steer difficult situations in the hospital with grace and composure like stepping outside their comfort zone even when it feels uncomfortable so they can seek new experiences and perspectives and embrace opportunities for emotional growth and self-discovery; lastly, they must continue practicing active listening skills and being connected with others like their co-workers or their patients on a deeper emotional level

THE COMMON PROBLEMS OF THAI UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ON ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION ERRORS

Thai students learn English as an international language. One of the goals for English teachers is to help students to be able to communicate in English. However, many factors are involved such as grammatical structure and vocabulary. Pronunciation is also one of those factors. A limited number of researches on Thai university students’ pronunciation errors could be found with the use of teacher’s observation and interview. Therefore, this study aims to bring those aspects into account. There were 122 Thai university participants in this study. Observation checklist and semi-structured interview were employed. Numbers of frequency and percentage were used for observation data; while coding, frequency, and percentage were used for interview data. The majority of them mispronounced (97.54%). Three major errors were found: (1) ending sounds, (2) stress, (3) starting sounds. The top outstanding finding among the pronunciation errors of most students was that they did not realize that their pronunciations were wrong. One interesting finding was that their pronunciation errors had been much influenced from their high school English teachers whose pronunciations might also incorrect and led to their mistakes in pronunciation in the same way. Additionally, the students’ misperception about English pronunciation in some words make them pronounce wrongly because they understand that the pronunciation of the sounds show professionalism, especially the “R” and the “S” sounds. Then, the findings can be applied to plan for English pronunciation lesson that English teachers can focus on while teaching

THE IMPORTANCE OF NAMES: A FOLLOW UP

This study aims to investigate the significance of students knowing each other's names in fostering interpersonal communication, community, identity, and psychological safety within Japanese tertiary EFL classrooms, as well as its impact on academic and social success. Identity is both personal and social (Vignoles, 2017), and students can gain a strong sense of self when reflecting on it. Furthermore, the rapport established through the learning of names can lead to a sense of belonging (Cooper et. al, 2017). Over a two-and-a-half-year period, feedback was collected from participants in ten mandatory tertiary English courses at a Japanese university, including advanced Global Skills, advanced Reading and Writing, and intermediate Listening and Speaking classes. Drawing on U.S.-based research on identity and the use of "name tents" to enhance belonging, research focused on the effect of  using mnemonics as a memory strategy for learning names in the author’s EFL classes. Establishing whether parallels from learning names existed, including any sense of belonging, was investigated. Peer to peer interaction rather than student-teacher interaction was also a main focus. Analysis revealed that a number of students felt that knowing their classmates' names contributed to a more positive learning environment, aligning with similar findings from international studies. The study underscores the importance of name recognition in creating a supportive classroom atmosphere, indicating potential benefits for student engagement and success. This research is in its preliminary stages, with plans for a more rigorous analysis of the collected feedback to further explore the implications of name recognition on student experiences and outcomes. Considering students generally have a positive outlook towards the activity in English, its use could be considered more widely in other classroom situations

THE IMPACT OF CYBERLOAFING ON THE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF PSYCHIATRIC NURSES IN SAUDI ARABIA

Cyberloafing, or the use of the internet in the workplace for non-work-related purposes, is an increasingly common problem in the field of professional development. Nurses face a variety of stressors, including workload and patient conflict, which can negatively affect their emotional wellbeing. While cyberloafing may provide some temporary relief, widespread use could lead to reduced productivity and increased disease transmission. This study aims to examine the impact of cyberloafing on the nurse’s emotional wellbeing in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study will be conducted among about 200 psychiatric nurses, randomly selected from mental health hospitals in Saudi Arabia using sample size equation based on the expected cyberloafing prevalence from the similar study. Data will be collected using self-reported questionnaire including demographic and professional characteristics, Cyberloafing Scale and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Short Form (PANAS-SF). Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 28.0. Ethical issues will be considered. The study is expected to demonstrate that moderate levels of cyberloafing may be relieving in the short term, whereas excessive use may be associated with greater distress and dissatisfaction with the job. The findings will inform workplace policies on preventing cyberloafing and emphasize the relationship between nurses’ emotional wellbeing