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This study examines the expectations and effectiveness of a teacher training program for early childhood music education, specifically focusing on the Holistic Music Educational Approach for Young Children (HMEAYC) and its integration with local cultural frameworks. Participants (n = 30) from a private university’s Department of Early Childhood Development and Education, aged between 22 and 25 years old, were about to obtain their early childhood education teaching qualification. The 36-week training, consisting of 3 hr per week, employed collaborative teaching methods and collective reflection to gather pre- and post-training data. The results indicate a 90.91% pass rate for participants who successfully obtained the HMEAYC teacher qualification. While overall expectations regarding course identity, musical skills, and pedagogical competence did not exhibit significant changes, participants with better training outcomes experienced significant positive changes in psychological cognition of musical skills and curriculum identity, with no significant difference in pedagogical competence cognition. Furthermore, Spearman’s correlation coefficient analysis revealed positive correlations between cognitive changes in musical skills, course identity, and pedagogical competence after training. Conversely, negative correlations were observed between cognitive changes in musical skills and both course identity and pedagogical competence before training, suggesting a strong association between changes in music skills and other variables. Plain Language Summary This study examines the expectations and effectiveness of a teacher training program for early childhood music education, specifically focusing on the Holistic Music Educational Approach for Young Children (HMEAYC) and its integration with local cultural frameworks. Participants (n = 30) from a private university’s Department of Early Childhood Development and Education, aged between 22 and 25 years old, were about to obtain their early childhood education teaching qualification. The 36-week training, consisting of 3 hr/week, employed collaborative teaching methods and collective reflection to gather pre- and post-training data. The results indicate a 90.91% pass rate for participants who successfully obtained the HMEAYC teacher qualification. While overall expectations regarding course identity, musical skills, and pedagogical competence did not exhibit significant changes, participants with better training outcomes experienced significant positive changes in psychological cognition of musical skills and curriculum identity, with no significant difference in pedagogical competence cognition. Furthermore, Spearman’s correlation coefficient analysis revealed positive correlations between cognitive changes in musical skills, course identity, and pedagogical competence after training. Conversely, negative correlations were observed between cognitive changes in musical skills and both course identity and pedagogical competence before training, suggesting a strong association between changes in music skills and other variables.

This study examines the integration of technology into the Holistic Music Educational Approach for Young Children (HMEAYC) by analyzing children’s movement sequences during musical rhythm activities. Specifically, it investigates the effects of technology-enhanced music on children’s initiating actions and movement patterns, comparing those with prior music experience to those without. A total of 75 children (43 boys and 32 girls), aged 3–6 years and enrolled in central Taiwan kindergartens, participated in the study. They were categorized into two clusters: Cluster 1 (n = 23) with minimal prior music exposure and Cluster 2 (n = 52) with previous musical experience. Researchers analyzed over 10 h of video recordings using a coding scheme that classified behaviors into six categories: Observation, Execution, Correct Performance, Abandonment, and Restart. Sequential behavior analysis revealed that children in Cluster 2 demonstrated significantly higher adaptability and reflective learning, showing more effective transitions, particularly from Observation to Execution and from Execution to Correct Performance. In contrast, Cluster 1 children exhibited limited behavioral flexibility, frequently repeating actions without evident improvements. Individual Performance (IP) did not manifest a statistically significant disparity among the clusters; nevertheless, a trend-level variation was detected. This indicates a plausible differentiation in children’s independent rhythmic execution, which necessitates additional inquiry. These findings suggest that technology-integrated HMEAYC enhances young learners’ engagement and adaptability. Future studies should explore targeted interventions to support children with minimal musical experience and conduct longitudinal research to assess the long-term cognitive and social impacts of technology-enhanced music education.

Seasonal influenza epidemics circulate globally every year with varying levels of severity. One of the major drivers of this seasonal variation is thought to be the antigenic drift of influenza viruses, resulting from the accumulation of mutations in viral surface proteins. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between the genetic drift of seasonal influenza viruses (A/H1N1, A/H3N2 and B) and the epidemiological severity of seasonal epidemics within a Canadian context. We obtained hemagglutinin protein sequences collected in Canada between the 2006/2007 and 2019/2020 flu seasons from GISAID and calculated Hamming distances in a sequence-based approach to estimating inter-seasonal antigenic differences. We also gathered epidemiological data on cases, hospitalizations and deaths from national surveillance systems and other official sources, as well as vaccine effectiveness estimates to address potential effect modification. These aggregate measures of disease severity were integrated into a single seasonal severity index. We performed linear regressions of our severity index with respect to the inter-seasonal antigenic distances, controlling for vaccine effectiveness. We did not find any evidence of a statistical relationship between antigenic distance and seasonal influenza severity in Canada. Future studies may need to account for additional factors, such as co-circulation of other respiratory pathogens, population imprinting, cohort effects and environmental parameters, which may drive seasonal influenza severity.

This study examined how digital technology facilitated early childhood music learning in multi-sensory, engaging experiences. In a 16-week quasi-experimental, mixed-method study that used the Holistic Music Educational Approach for Young Children (HMEAYC) with 103 children and 36 pre-service teachers in Taiwan, sensor-based audio devices and responsive technologies were used instead of screens. Observations and video analysis showed that after an initial phase of adaptation, children exhibited growth in spontaneous and imitative musical behaviors, sensory integration, motor coordination, and creativity.

This study focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the film industry and the effectiveness of government relief policies. Taiwan was a region with a low level of infection at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), and the film industry could be maintained under government policies; therefore, this case study was conducted. Multiple regression models were used to explore the explanatory factors for movie box offices based on running size, production studios and countries, vacations, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis covered a period from September 30, 2019, to September 27, 2020, encompassing a 52-week sample of 5686 films. The results indicated that weekly box office receipts (number of tickets sold) experienced a steep decline of more than 50% despite the implementation of various relief measures. While the number of locally produced films screened diminished significantly, the number of theatres, films, and rerun films and their market share increased substantially. This suggests that although the quantity of films remained stable during the pandemic, their quality or novelty did not correspondingly improve. Key findings from the regression models included the following: (1) there is a size effect (number of theaters screening the film) on the box office; (2) box offices decrease with the number of weeks since the opening week, and films from well-known producers and major studios, as well as products from the US, Japan, and Taiwan, can have positive effects on the box office; (3) student vacations have had a positive effect; and (4) the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect.

This study explores Learning Performance Analytics in the context of the Figurenotes Music course for young children aged 2 to 6 with special needs in Taiwan. Using the ARMA model, the researchers analyze the dynamic learning outcomes of 46 participants in two-stage courses over 32 weeks. The empirical findings reveal that children aged 2 to 3 show a positive change in learning performance, while children aged 3 to 6 exhibit a negative change, regardless of rhythm pairing intervention. When rhythm pairing is added, the learning process becomes more challenging, resulting in lower average learning outcomes than the Figurenotes Music Program group. The study’s ARMA models demonstrate persistent learning outcomes throughout the process, with a notable time trend observed among children aged 2 to 3. These models effectively interpret dependent variables, achieving a determination coefficient of up to 0.9. In summary, this research sheds light on Learning Performance Analytics and its application to evaluating learning performance in the Figurenotes Music course for children with special needs. Plain Language Summary This study explores Learning Performance Analytics in the context of the Figurenotes Music course for young children aged 2 to 6 with special needs in Taiwan. Using the ARMA model, the researchers analyze the dynamic learning outcomes of 46 participants in two-stage courses over 32 weeks. The empirical findings reveal that children aged 2 to 3 show a positive change in learning performance, while children aged 3 to 6 exhibit a negative change, regardless of rhythm pairing intervention. When rhythm pairing is added, the learning process becomes more challenging, resulting in lower average learning outcomes than the Figurenotes Music Program group. The study’s ARMA models demonstrate persistent learning outcomes throughout the process, with a notable time trend observed among children aged 2 to 3. These models effectively interpret dependent variables, achieving a determination coefficient of up to 0.9. In summary, this research sheds light on Learning Performance Analytics and its application to evaluating learning performance in the Figurenotes Music course for children with special needs.

This study uses decision trees to analyze the admissions and enrollment of Taiwan’s 5-year junior colleges to explore the reasons that students might fail in an exam-free admissions process, propose methods for improvement, and view the implementation of the pedagogical theory of multiple intelligences. The college admissions system may produce confusion in Taiwan. Schools in metropolitan areas retain an advantage for screening talent across multiple abilities, and colleges in agricultural counties may unintentionally marginalize people, resulting in insufficient enrollment or an inverse selection of talent. It has been suggested that increasing the number of schools in metropolitan areas will reduce the rates of enrollment failure and improve the compulsory education environment that many are forced to attend.

Many studies have demonstrated that music has many benefits for children’s physical and mental development. However, many preschool educators have scant preparation for or a lack of experience in aesthetic education. The purpose of this study is to explore preschool educators’ perceptions of and reflections on aesthetic education training. We conducted a survey associated with three aspects: “aesthetics appreciation”, “aesthetics implementation”, and “aesthetics evaluation”. The results of the study show the majority of participants agreed that (1) musical participation would strengthen participants’ attitudes toward aesthetic appreciation through proper aesthetic training programs and (2) musical engagement would benefit young children by enhancing their aesthetic experiences. The attitudes toward aesthetic implementation for young children were more favorable among the middle-aged and experienced participants; (3) musical activities are also a good way to improve young children’s aesthetic abilities, which helps to create an aesthetic atmosphere in educational practice. These results indicate that it is vital for preschool educators to receive the appropriate training in aesthetics and continuous assessment to provide high-quality early education to young children.

On 4 March, World Engineering for Sustainable Development Day provides an opportunity to highlight what engineers and engineering have achieved in our modern world and to raise public understanding of how engineering and technology are at the heart of modern life and sustainable development [...]