Reclassifying the SILL: Validation Using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

For decades, the Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL) has been extensively used in the previous studies on foreign/second language (L2) learners’ learning strategies, which have yielded a substantial amount of empirical findings in the field of L2. The conventional classification of the SILL questionnaire, however, has not gone without challenges, especially given the tremendous diversity of the EFL context. In this study, we revisited the SILL and reclassified the language learning strategies in this popular questionnaire. The data were collected in an EFL context in which a total of 282 Taiwanese senior high school students filled out the SILL questionnaire. Validity was the paramount concern during reclassifying and was demonstrated via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmation factor analysis (CFA). EFA was first used to extract factors from the SILL, which helps to conceptualize the new classification. CFA was then performed to confirm the exploratory model. At the end of the study, the SILL was reclassified into the 6 dimensions which were labeled as: 1) Social Strategies, 2) Metacognitive Strategies (Type I), 3) Metacognitive Strategies (Type II), 4) Affective Strategies, 5) Cognitive Strategies and 6) Memory Strategies. Keywords: Language learning strategy, the Strategy Inventory of Language Learning, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysi

Senior High School EFL Students’ L2 Motivational Configurations and Learning Outcomes: A Person-centered Approach

This study utilized a person-centered approach to explore senior high school EFL students’ motivations and their learning outcomes. Cluster analysis extracted four second language (L2) motivational configurations among the 922 participants: 1) the High Motive group which is characterized by high amount of L2 motivation, 2) the Performance-focused group which is characterized by low intrinsic motivation and a focus on examination scores, 3) the Socioculture-focused group characterized by low intrinsic motivation but an interest in the L2 culture, 4) and the Low Motive group characterized by low motivation. It was found that a good quality group was absent from this particular EFL context. The High Motive group and the Performance-focused group outperformed the other two groups in terms of the L2 learning outcomes. Integrative motivation emerged from the person-centered approach. Contextual factors such as the economic situation and influence of Confucianism were discussed in relation to the results. Keywords: Second language learning motivation, Motivational configuration, English as a foreign language, Learning outcomes, Person-centered approac

A Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing Stroke Recurrence Rate in Ischemic Stroke Patients With and Without Acupuncture Treatment.

Little was known about the effects of acupuncture on stroke recurrence. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ischemic stroke patients receiving acupuncture treatment have a decreased risk of stroke recurrence. A retrospective cohort study of 30,058 newly diagnosed cases of ischemic stroke in 2000 to 2004 was conducted based on the claims of Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The use of acupuncture treatment and stroke recurrence were identified during the follow-up period from 2000 to 2009. This study compared the risk of stroke recurrence between ischemic stroke cohorts with and without acupuncture treatment by calculating adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of acupuncture associated with stroke recurrence in the Cox proportional hazard model. The stroke recurrence rate per 1000 person-years decreased from 71.4 without to 69.9 with acupuncture treatment (P < 0.001). Acupuncture treatment was associated with reduced risk of stroke recurrence (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.84-0.91). The acupuncture effect was noted in patients with or without medical treatment for stroke prevention but its impact decreased with aging of stroke patients. Compared with stroke patients without acupuncture treatment and medication therapy, the hazard ratios of stroke recurrence for those had medication therapy only, acupuncture only, and both were 0.42 (95% CI 0.38-0.46), 0.50 (95% CI 0.43-0.57), and 0.39 (95% CI 0.35-0.43), respectively. This study raises the possibility that acupuncture might be effective in lowering stroke recurrence rate even in those on medications for stroke prevention. Results suggest the need of prospective sham-controlled and randomized trials to establish the efficacy of acupuncture in preventing stroke

Sensor placement in the noise source identification based on acoustic radiation modes

The noise source identification technology based on acoustic radiation modes could identify the noise source under less measuring points, while the sensor placement has great influence on the result of noise source identification. Under the prescribed number of sensors, a method to configure the measuring points is proposed. By the means of successive removal, select a set of measuring points in the candidate field points, which make the orthogonality of the acoustic field distribution modes matrix achieve the maximum value. The results of numerical simulation and sound box experiment have shown that when sensors are arranged in accordance with the measuring points selected by this method, the noise source could be identified effectively, and the identification result is better than that when sensors are arranged evenly

State Transportation Improvement Program for Federal Fiscal Years 2011-2014

OBJECTIVES:To develop and validate a Taiwanese version of the Health Enhancement Lifestyle Profile (HELP-T) for community-dwelling older Taiwanese adults (≥ 55 years). METHODS:The original Health Enhancement Lifestyle Profile (HELP) is a 56-item self-report questionnaire measuring various aspects of health-related lifestyles in older adults. The standard cultural-adaptation procedure was used for questionnaire translation and modification. A field test was conducted for culturally specific item selection, rating-scale analysis, and psychometric validation of the HELP-T in a sample of 274 community-dwelling older adults via classical test theory. RESULTS:The 59-item HELP-T is culturally adapted from the original 56-item HELP. The original 6-point rating scale was modified to a 3-point scale for easy use by Taiwanese older adults. The HELP-T had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82). The test-retest reliability for the total score was high (0.92), and moderate to high (range: 0.57-0.92) for subscales. The construct validity was supported by the significant correlations between each subscale and the total score (Spearman's rho = 0.41-0.67, p < 0.0001) and by the ability of the scores to significantly discriminate between participants with different levels of self-rated health (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS:The HELP-T is a suitable clinical tool for assessing and monitoring lifestyle risk factors, establishing client-centered lifestyle intervention goals, and determining the outcomes of lifestyle interventions

Chinese Herbal Medicine as an Adjunctive Therapy Ameliorated the Incidence of Chronic Hepatitis in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

We conducted a National Health Insurance Research Database-based Taiwanese nationwide population-based cohort study to evaluate whether Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) treatment decreased the incidence of chronic hepatitis in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. A total of 81171 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer within the defined study period. After randomly equal matching, data from 13856 patients were analyzed. Hazard ratios of incidence rate of chronic hepatitis were used to determine the influence and therapeutic potential of CHM in patients with breast cancer. The patients with breast cancer receiving CHM treatment exhibited a significantly decreased incidence rate of chronic hepatitis even across the stratification of age, CCI score, and treatments. The cumulative incidence of chronic hepatitis for a period of seven years after initial breast cancer diagnosis was also reduced in the patients receiving CHM treatment. The ten most commonly used single herbs and formulas were effective in protecting liver function in patients with breast cancer, where Hedyotis diffusa and Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San were the most commonly used herbal agents. In conclusion, our study provided information that western medicine therapy combined with CHM as an adjuvant modality may have a significant impact on liver protection in patients with breast cancer