Purpose
To align with the national, institutional, and departmental development goals, a new course titled “Professional English Presentation and Reading in Special Education” was introduced in the second semester of the 2021 academic year within the daytime master’s program curriculum. This course aimed to address the limited experience of our graduate students in presenting research results in English, their ongoing development of research methodology knowledge, and their ability to apply evidence-based strategies. The study aimed to explore whether the use of prompting strategies would improve graduate students’ abilities in self-management and English presentation. The empirical significances of this study included: (a) the integration of both stimulus and response prompts in the instructional approach, (b) the investigation of higher-level cognitive behaviors not widely explored in the literature, (c) the combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and (d) the evaluation of participants’ independent learning outcomes after fading prompts.
Methods
This study adopted action research to solve practical teaching problems, integrate theory and practice, and provide diverse options for educational decision-making. The researcher followed the process for action research in higher education proposed by Arnold and Norton (2018), focusing on reflection as a central element and including a final step: writing the research report. The action research process started with identifying practical problems or challenges. The next stage involved exploring literature for course problem-solving strategies, focusing on prompt strategies in higher education EMI courses. The third stage involved selecting appropriate strategies (prompts) and planning an action plan. In the fourth stage, the action plan is implemented, using prompt strategies to teach students self-management, the reversal design in single-subject research, and English academic presentations. Finally, in the fifth stage, data is collected to evaluate the effectiveness of the action plan, using quantitative and qualitative research tools to analyze student learning outcomes. The quantitative part of this study primarily aimed to collect data on the learning outcomes of graduate students and the factors that may influence these outcomes. The research tools included the “Prompt Strategy Procedure Fidelity Checklist,” “Self-Management Procedure Fidelity Checklist,” “Target Behavior Activity Record Form,” “Social Validity Questionnaire,” and “Final Mini Research Project Presentation Evaluation Form.” For content validity of these tools: the first four items were reviewed by two university teachers from other institutions, and the last item was reviewed by two English teachers from our school. For the qualitative part, the research tools included “Researcher’s Classroom Observation Notes,” “Researcher’s Reflective Journals,” “LINE Communication Interactions,” “Student Reflection Surveys,” “Student Comprehensive Interviews,” and “Student Learning Outcomes.” The validity of these tools was reviewed by a colleague from our school who has taught qualitative research and also served as a peer reviewer.
Results
In order to explore the impacts of this curriculum, this study analyzed from three perspecitves suggested by Kemmis (2021): overcoming the dilemmas of curriculum practice, promoting professional growth, and improving the context of curriculum. The second perspective was further categorized into “transforming theory into practice,” “enriching personal knowledge,” and “satisfying professional recognition,” based on the classification by Lin (2009). In terms of learning outcomes, the findings of the study revealed that prompting strategies effectively offered systematic support, and graduate students reached the intended learning objectives after the prompts were faded. In addition, this study also aimed to explore the various factors that promote professional growth. Firstly, the research highlighted that concepts and practices should be firmly integrated, and both professional knowledge and experiences must be concurrently emphasized, while teaching and practice should progress hand in hand. Secondly, systematic reflection revealed that the response time required after prompts varies among individuals, and there needs to be a balance between learning outcomes and teaching reflections. Limitations of the research effectiveness included coping with potential confounding variables, the tension between experimental control and ethics, distinguishing individual and group needs, and the limitations in inferring research results. The improvement of course outcomes required the resolution of conflicts between expectations and decisions as well as the maintenance of identity balance and enhancement of confidence through professional development.
Discussions and suggestions
This study examined the impact of prompting strategies on curriculum practice across three dimensions: overcoming curriculum practice dilemmas, promoting professional growth, and improving the curriculum practice context. Drawing on Kemmis (2021) and Lin (2009), the second dimension, professional growth, was further divided into “theory into practice,” “enriching personal knowledge,” and “meeting professional recognition.” Utilizing a single-case experimental design (ABAB), participants’ self-management learning effectiveness was assessed. Results showed varying trends during baseline and intervention periods, with overall positive outcomes suggesting the efficacy of self-management strategies in English teaching. Assessing participants’ English presentation skills pre- and post-intervention, the study found significant improvement of learning outcomes. Theoretical knowledge was effectively applied in classroom practice through the integration of stimulus and response prompts, contributing to individualized learning experiences and practical contributions to the field. Personal knowledge was enriched through the seamless integration of theory and practice, ensuring a balance between teaching and practical application. Professional recognition was achieved through course design flexibility and ongoing reflection, enhancing both student learning outcomes and instructor self-awareness. Addressing conflicts between institutional expectations and personal decisions, the study highlights the importance of flexibility in curriculum design and the need for ongoing adaptation to meet evolving educational needs. This research underscored the value of action research in enhancing curriculum practice, promoting professional growth, and addressing the complex challenges inherent in educational contexts. Recommendations included utilizing stimulus prompts for conceptual guidance and response prompts for practical training to develop professional competencies, and systematically planning for prompt fading to align with scaffolding theory, while considering students’ language abilities in non-native EMI settings. Additionally, the integration of subject content and language learning can provide balanced support through collaborative courses between subject and language teachers. Future research should focus on developing customized course modules tailored for diverse course goals, analyzing key components for such modules using big data, enhancing interactivity and feedback mechanisms to identify individual and group needs, and broadening the research scope by conducting similar studies across various disciplines, learning tasks, and student backgrounds to improve the generalizability of findings.
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