2016 ANNUAL REVIEW Ministry of Science and Technology

5. Science Education Science education research includes research in the fields of mathematics education, science education (including multiethnic science education), information education, applied science education, medical education, technology, society, and mass communications, and science education practice. Addressing issues of special importance in science education, MOST plans the implementation of research projects in key areas, and seeks to achieve goals of enhancing academic standards of science education, boosting the effectiveness of science education instruction and learning, realizing research- based science education practice, and training future science and technical manpower. The following were among some of the most significant research results of 2016: (1) Teacher professional development focused on children's mathematical reasoning in elementary school This project seeks to create opportunities to let schoolchildren in elementary school math classrooms experience the process by which mathematicians form mathematical knowledge. This process consists of the steps of observation of data, discovering rules, forming conjectures, validation of conjectures, generalization, verification, and submission of conclusions. The stages of observation of data, searching for rules, forming conjectures, validation of conjectures, and generalization can enhance schoolchildren's inductive reasoning, and the proof stage can also boost inductive reasoning. Research has shown that elementary school students can use counter- examples to refute claims that are unreasonable or with which they disagree, and the students can also use their prior mathematics knowledge to explain and support their own claims. The results of this project have included the holding of six results announcement conferences, the holding of three international forums on mathematical argument and reasoning, and the invitation of the American mathematical problem- solving master Alan Schoenfeld to Taiwan, where he saw mathematics argumentation in the classroom together with mathematics argumentation and reasoning scholars from Britain, Israel, and the US. Furthermore, the book "Mathematics Conjecture Task Design: Theory and Practice," which was published by Lucky Bookstore, records the conjecturing activities designed by classroom teachers on the research team in accordance with mathematics textbook needs, and includes such topics as range numbers, quantities, geometry, and algebra. The results of this project can provide a reference for the writing of textbooks and drafting of the core mathematics qualifications of classroom teachers in the twelve-year basic education system. (2) Research on serious educational games and emotions: The relationships among cognitive appraisal, emotions, motivation, learning strategies, self-regulated learning, and cognitive resources Game-based learning integrates game elements with learning content, and appropriately incorporates learning activities in game tasks. In game-based learning, students can employ a series of problem- solving processes to acquire knowledge and Research manpower in humanities and social science specific-topic research projects, 2012-2016 Units: person-times Item 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 1 Research personnel Professors 1,912 2,025 2,079 2,067 2,072 Associate professors 1,886 1,915 1,890 1,928 1,799 Assistant professors 2,141 1,928 1,731 1,587 1,480 Lecturers 43 34 22 16 12 Other 435 445 430 445 491 Subtotal 6,417 6,347 6,152 6,043 5,854 Research assistants Full-time assistants 538 625 648 628 631 Part-time assistants 108 136 108 114 24 Graduate students 10,452 10,383 9,918 9,946 9,298 Subtotal 11,098 11,142 10,674 10,688 9,953 Total 17,515 17,489 16,826 16,731 15,807 1 2016 data is to February 5, 2017. Support for Academic Research Ministry of Science and Technology 45