ABSTRACT
Affective computing (AC) has been regarded as a relevant approach to identifying online learners' mental states and predicting their learning performance. Previous research mainly used one single-source data set, typically learners' facial expression, to compute learners' affection. However, a single facial expression may represent different affections in various head poses. This study proposed a dual-source data approach to solve the problem. Facial expression and head pose are two typical data sources that can be captured from online learning videos. The current study collected a dual-source data set of facial expressions and head poses from an online learning class in a middle school. A deep learning neural network using AlexNet with an attention mechanism was developed to verify the syncretic effect on affective computing of the proposed dual-source fusion strategy. The results show that the dual-source fusion approach significantly outperforms the single-source approach based on the AC recognition accuracy between the two approaches (dual-source approach using Attention-AlexNet model 80.96%;single-source approach, facial expression 76.65% and head pose 64.34%). This study contributes to the theoretical construction of the dual-source data fusion approach, and the empirical validation of the effect of the Attention-AlexNet neural network approach on affective computing in online learning contexts.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the educational experiences of diverse student populations throughout the country and among Virginia public schools. English Learners (ELs) had a unique set of needs and services prior to the pandemic, and potentially were more vulnerable to pandemic-related disruptions in typical school operations than other student groups. We analyze statewide, student-level administrative data on the composition of the EL population, the identification for and reclassification out of EL services, and the exit of ELs from public school enrollment in kindergarten through grade twelve between the 2010-11 and 2020-21 school years to examine changes between the pre-pandemic period and first post-pandemic onset year (2020-21). Our key findings include the following: (1) Following the onset of the pandemic, the number of students classified as EL decreased for the first time in a decade. Specifically, whereas the number of students classified as EL increased by 26.0% (25,171 more students) between 2010-11 and 2019-20, the number of students classified as EL decreased by 3.2% (3,852 fewer students) between 2019-20 and the first post-pandemic onset year (2020-21). (2) There was a 21.6% decline (6,223 fewer students) in the number of Virginia K-12 public school students newly identified for EL services in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20. The drop in new EL identification occurred across student groups, but was largest among Hispanic students, economically disadvantaged students, and ninth graders. (3) The number of EL students reclassified as fully English proficient decreased by 57.3% (8,169 fewer students) in 2020-21 as compared to the pre-pandemic period. This decline is nearly three times the size of the previous largest year-to-year change. The drops in reclassification among ELs occurred across student groups and were somewhat larger among Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. (4) EL students' exits from Virginia public schools in the post-pandemic onset were a continuation of pre-pandemic trends and did not meaningfully vary by race/ethnicity, economically disadvantaged status, or disability status.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to examine the opinions of secondary school students about mathematics lessons taught with distance education. The research was carried out by taking the opinions of 286 secondary school students from one state school selected from each of the provinces (Manisa, Izmir, Mugla, Antalya, Sirnak, Bitlis). Quantitative and descriptive survey method was used in the study. According to the findings, it was seen that the opinions of female and male students were very close to each other, there was no significant difference according to the variables of the number of siblings and whether they had their own study room, and there was a significant difference between 5th grade students and 8th grade students. Students;It was seen that there was no difference in their views on understanding the lesson better and increasing their success, they did not have any problems in accessing the Mathematics lesson, but they had problems due to internet interruptions during the lesson, they did not have any problems in communicating with their teachers and delivering homework during the lesson, but they still preferred face-to-face education at a high rate. It was observed that the motivation of the 5th grade students during the lesson and their better understanding of the lesson were higher than the 8th grade students.
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the lived experiences of (12) elementary and middle school principals in the Northeast United States throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the emergency COVID-19 guidelines that have been implemented across schools in the United States, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how principals support the social-emotional wellbeing of their school community and make emergency policy decisions during crisis. Through virtual interviews, elementary and middle school principals shared their unique perspectives around the perceived impact that COVID-19 emergency guidelines had on their schools, actions they took to support their schools' socio-emotionally, and the ways in which they made decisions around emergency policy. The study revealed that leaders and teachers experienced higher levels of stress due to the COVID-19 emergency guidelines, and students had fewer opportunities for social interactions. Principals also had to leverage existing socio-emotional supports and develop innovative methods to promote the socio-emotional wellbeing of their school communities throughout the pandemic. Throughout the crisis, policy decisions were made by leaning on experts, considering safety and operational feasibility, and deliberating community perception. The ways in which principals individually perceived and interpreted emergency guidelines also influenced the decision-making process and implementation. School communities were impacted by emergency guidelines in profound ways and principals recognized the critical importance of supporting their school community socio-emotionally during crisis. Principals prioritized the overall safety of their school communities regardless of the impact on socio-emotional health. Lastly, this study provided recommendations not only for future policy in education, but potential practices that will provide targeted socio-emotional interventions to students and strengthen community connections. Recommendations for future studies are also included to help bring to light the degree COVID-19 emergency guidelines have impacted schools throughout the United States for generations to come. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The spread of the COVID-19 all over the world have negatively affected many areas, leading to a number changes throughout the world. Being one of these areas, education had to undergone some changes and shifted to distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, distance education has also brought some discussions and problems. This study was carried out to investigate the thoughts of middle school students on distance education and face-to-face education. Based on quantitative research design, this study adopted a phenomenological design Data were collected from a participant group consisting of 240 secondary school students (60 5th grade, 60 6th grade, 60 7th grade and 60 8th grade) through a scale prepared by the researchers. The data were analyzed using SPSS package program with descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage. As a result of the study It was found that middle school students' views on distance education and face-to-face education differed significantly with regard to parents' education level, gender, grade level and average monthly family income.
ABSTRACT
People with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may be especially vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic due to their unique characteristics. This qualitative case study used interviews with instructional staff and parents to understand the experiences of both families and practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this can inform the use of virtual instruction for students with ASD. Through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (1979) we examined how the different layers of our world shifted due to the pandemic, and what influence this had on our students with a diagnosis of ASD. Findings revealed several themes of among the interview transcripts, five main themes were observed: COVID-19, conflict of no control versus freedom, setting, technology use and preparation, and perspective.
ABSTRACT
This study implemented a school-based intervention aimed at improving coping flexibility, and to determine the intervention effects on coping and anxiety in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 692 first and second year of junior high school students (347 boys, 320 girls, and 25 neither) participated. Of the 19 classes first and second year of junior high school, 10 participated in the intervention in July 2021 and nine participated in January 2022. The results showed that the intervention program effectively reduced students' anxiety. With regard to coping, there was no change in "seeking support," a decrease in "problem avoidance," and an increase in "positive interpretation and recreation." The current intervention, which aimed at improving coping flexibility, was effective in reducing anxiety and promoting coping among junior high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In future it may be necessary discussed to reduce the burden on schools to accept outside experts by using information-technology equipment and other means to conduct the intervention remotely.
ABSTRACT
Growth mindset has shown its unique potential in countering the growing prevalence of mental distress in the general population. However, the role culture plays in this process remains somewhat unanswered. In the current prospective study, we tested if early growth mindset of Chinese university students predicts less mental distress later, and how cultural values (i.e., individualism–collectivism, traditionality–modernity) affect the process. We found that growth mindset was prospectively predictive of mental conditions, and the positive effect of growth mindset was more salient among students endorsing lower collectivistic and higher modern cultural values. Our findings added evidence to the potential benefits of growth mindsets in an Asian context and highlighted the role of cultural values.
ABSTRACT
This study is positioned to contribute to our growing understanding of how COVID-19 has impacted our students and the individuals tasked with promoting their mental health and wellness. The overarching aim was to understand the lived experiences of middle school professional school counselors (PSCs) in addressing student mental health, during the COVID-19 pandemic, after a return to in-person instruction. The study strived to learn, if and how, the PSC's role has changed since returning to in-person instruction and to gauge the kind of support, if any, that they received with their counseling program. The researcher utilized convenience sampling from the Counselor Education and Supervision NETwork-Listserv, the American School Counselor Association listserv and Facebook. The study involved interviews with 10 participants who were employed as a middle school PSC, served in at least the fourth year as a PSC, held a master's degree in counseling, and had internet access. The researcher used Giorgi's descriptive method of phenomenology to analyze the data, which yielded three themes and three subthemes: 1) Awareness and Psychoeducation on the Mental Health Impact of COVID-19, 2) Adapting to Meet the Needs of Students (Utilizing Innovation;Structure and Intention with Direct Service Delivery;Shift to Reactive Services), and 3) Emotional Impact of Being a Helper During the Pandemic. The findings provide stakeholders, PSCs, and school counselor educators with a deeper understanding of factors related to addressing student mental health after a return to in-person instruction and how to better support PSCs in addressing these mental health concerns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The current study investigated the effectiveness of three distinct educational technologies-two game-based applications (From Here to There and DragonBox 12+) and two modes of online problem sets in ASSISTments (an Immediate Feedback condition and an Active Control condition with no immediate feedback) on Grade 7 students' algebraic knowledge. More than 3,600 Grade 7 students across nine in-person and one virtual schools within the same district were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. Students received nine 30-minute intervention sessions from September 2020 to March 2021. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses of the final analytic sample (N = 1,850) showed significantly higher posttest scores for students who used From Here to There and DragonBox 12+ compared to the Active Control condition. No significant difference was found for the Immediate Feedback condition. The findings have implications for understanding how game-based applications can affect algebraic understanding, even within pandemic pressures on learning.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Restorative practice programs in the USA and Western elementary and secondary schools have been the focus of intensive, large scale field research that reports positive impacts on school climate, pro-social student behavior and aggressive behavior. This paper aims to contribute to a gap in the research by reporting a case study of transformation of an urban middle school in a multi-year implementation of restorative practices. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reports how Creative Response to Conflict (CRC) supported the transformation of Middle School 217, in Queens, NY, from a school with one of the highest suspension rates in New York City to a model restorative school. CRC's model, which incorporates the themes of cooperation, communication, affirmation, conflict resolution, mediation, problem-solving, bias awareness, bullying prevention and intervention, social-emotional learning and restorative practices, helped shift the perspective and practice of the entire school community from punitive to restorative. Findings: Implementation of a full school advisory program using restorative circles for all meetings and classes and development of a 100% respect program committing all school community members to dignified and respectful treatment aided the transformation. Key to MS 217's success was the collaboration of multiple non-profit organizations for provision of peer mediation training, after-school follow-up work, staff coaching and preventative cyberbullying training through the Social Media-tors! Program. Research limitations/implications: Challenges to the restorative practices implementation are reviewed with attention to the implementation online during COVID-19. Originality/value: Next steps in the program post-COVID are articulated as a best practice model for other schools interested in adopting MS 217's commitment, creativity and community-building to become a model restorative school. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
This research discusses the impact of environmental and social crisis events, how these events affect schools, and how administrators can make informed decision in response to those events. The qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of K-12 administrators in Mississippi Public Schools and how their perceptions of planning for the 2020- 2021 school year differs from past school years. The study is based on open-ended, in-depth interviews of K-12 administrators at the elementary, middle and high school levels in Mississippi Public Schools. The researcher examined the data and search for emerging themes. The data can be used to inform administrators of future school decisions. Findings revealed the need for proactive approaches to virtual learning, increased crisis management training, and increased collaboration among school staff. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Background: Students' attitudes and satisfaction are important predictors of educational quality, especially under such special situation as large scale home-based online education during the COVID-19 epidemic. Objectives: This study investigated middle school students' attitudes and satisfaction about home-based online education during COVID-19 epidemic and potential influential variables. Methods: Survey data were collected from 788 middle school students in two typical Chinese public schools. Multinomial logistic regression analysis and ordinal logistic regression analysis were used to identify influential variables. Findings: We found that more than half of surveyed students felt that home-based online learning was either the same as (35.9%) or better than (18%) traditional face-to-face learning, while 46.1% felt that it was worse than traditional face-to-face learning. More than six tenth of surveyed students felt satisfied or very satisfied with their home-based online education, while less than one third kept neutral attitudes and very few felt unsatisfied or very unsatisfied. Importantly, the study found some influential variables impacting students' attitudes and satisfaction about home-based online education and they included individual variables (gender, time spent in doing homework, level of learning engagement), organizational variables (school type), and relational variables (time spent on communication and relationship with family members). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The study examined whether parental care and family support moderate the association between school bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization among college students by applying the social anthropological approach and social control theory Method: Data were collected for 261 college students (57.9% female) aged between 18 to 24 or older from a university in the Midwest region of the United States. A latent moderated structural equations approach was utilized Results: The data revealed that bullying victimization was positively associated with cyberbullying victimization. Moreover, parental care was a significant moderator between bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization Discussion: These findings have implications of preventing victims of bullying becoming victims of cyberbullying. Parental involvement especially needs to be emphasized for college students' cyberbullying prevention and intervention programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The study aimed to explore teachers' general working conditions, job demands and resources, and teachers' general well-being in four middle schools in the Southeastern U.S during COVID-19. Methods: The methodology for this study was qualitative. The sampling strategy was purposeful and comprised 15 educators. The data were collected utilizing two semi-structured interviews and documentation. The data analysis consisted of thematic analysis. Results: The study's results revealed seven themes that emerged from the data: (1) Changes in working conditions;(2) teachers' well-being and working conditions;(3) perceived teachers' new job demands and additional workload;(4) emotionally draining job demands;(5) perceived available job resources;(6) perceived need for job resources;and (7) strategies teachers used to cope with stress. Discussion: The lessons learned during the pandemic in these four organizations may assist leaders in designing new policies and avoid further deterioration of teachers' well-being. Limitations: Access to the organization's documentation and the sample size were limitations. Conclusions: The shift in job demands and job resources during the pandemic placed teachers at risk of emotional exhaustion and burnout.
ABSTRACT
As the COVID-19 pandemic upended the 2019–2020 school year, education systems scrambled to meet the needs of students and families with little available data on how school closures may impact learning. In this study, we produced a series of projections of COVID-19-related learning loss based on (a) estimates from absenteeism literature and (b) analyses of summer learning patterns of 5 million students. Under our projections, returning students are expected to start fall 2020 with approximately 63 to 68% of the learning gains in reading and 37 to 50% of the learning gains in mathematics relative to a typical school year. However, we project that losing ground during the school closures was not universal, with the top third of students potentially making gains in reading.
ABSTRACT
We explored the effect of positive psychological group guidance on the hope and mental health of junior high school students. The experimental group received positive psychological group guidance, while the control group lived and learned as normal. We used the Middle School Students' Hope Trait Scale and the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale to evaluate participants (N = 96). Results showed that the experimental group's hope levels were higher and depression, anxiety, and stress levels were lower before (vs. after) the intervention. Further, after the intervention, hope levels were higher and depression, anxiety, and stress levels were lower in the experimental group compared to the control group. Two months after the intervention, the experimental group's levels of hope, depression, anxiety, and stress were maintained. The results show that positive psychological group guidance can improve the mental health of students.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine middle and high school principal roles prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic to gain a better understanding about how leadership responsibilities adapted or changed. Data collection strategies included one-on-one interviews with nine middle and high school principals in East Tennessee. To qualify for the study participants had to have experience in the principalship prior to the pandemic. The analysis of data was based on the theoretical frameworks of adaptive leadership (Heifetz et al., 2009) and change theory (Fullan, 2020). The results revealed five key themes that were consistent during the interviews both prior to and during the pandemic: (a) instructional leadership, (b) school culture and climate, (c) school management, (d) community partnerships, and (e) relationships. The following four emergent themes were specific to adaptive changes principals identified while leading during the pandemic: (a) social-emotional awareness, (b) digital teaching and learning, (c) communication, and (d) whole child. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory to determine if the affective domain, supported by affective leadership, was prevalent within Alabama's effective middle schools. The objective was to determine if a connection exists between the schools' knowledge, characteristics, and practices relative to the affective domain and produce a theory supporting this premise. The problem investigated addressed the inadequate use of the affective domain in Alabama's public schools. This study was grounded in the real-world experiences of the 36 school leaders representing 14 effective middle schools in the State. The 14 schools rank at the top in promoting student success.In a 21st Century educational environment, the factors affecting students' social and emotional development and learning outcomes are intrinsically enhanced through affective instruction by (a) application of the affective domain, (b) social and emotional learning skill sets, (c) effective leadership styles, (d) school climate and culture, (e) professional development, and (f) student growth and achievement.This qualitative study evaluated school leaders' perceptions of these research factors and school performance data. Based on the evidence, the faculty and staff created supportive teams that provided optimum learning environments;and the instructional leadership profiles supported the prevalence of affective domain learning in most effective middle schools headed by affective leaders.Yet, due to the impact of COVID-19 on students' social and emotional well-being, a greater need exists for affective pedagogy in 21st Century educational environments to enable continued holistic student development. Such learning environments would benefit children in all Alabama schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
[LANGUAGE=”English”] With modern technological advancements, the rise of digital learning has helped teachers and students in many ways;for example, learning is becoming increasingly learner centric. In recent years, learning has been compromised because of school suspensions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital learning has helped to reduce the negative impacts on students' learning, and most students have shown a positive attitude toward digital learning. A learning management system provides a platform for learners to learn and interact with teachers or peers without time and space constraints. Moodle is one of the most popular and widely-used learning management systems. It is open source, offers different functional modules, and is available free of charge. However, according to recent literature, Moodle has several disadvantages. First, the topics discussed by students in the Moodle platform are not focused enough and not easy to be discussed in depth. Second, the interaction is not immediate because of a lack of instant notifications. Third, the interface is not user friendly and is thus difficult to operate. These drawbacks can hinder students' learning. Office 365 is another digital system that assists students' learning. Various functions of Office 365, such as Teams's real-time notifications and OneNote's recording function, complement Moodle. This study investigated the effects of after-school activities conducted through different media on students' motivation, learning achievement, and peer interaction.In present study, after-school activities were conducted face-to-face or via two learning platforms, Moodle and Office 365;the learning platform was considered the independent variables. In total, 143 middle school students were recruited as participants for an after-school activity and distributed into the face-to-face, Moodle, or Office 365 group. The quantitative data of three scales concerning with learning motivation, learning achievement and peer interaction were collected to represent their learning performance. Qualitative data were collected through textual analysis based on student responses to open-ended questions. The quantitative and qualitative data were then statistically analyzed with SPSS Statistics 23.The results of the quantitative analysis revealed the following results: (1) No significant difference was observed in learning motivation among the different groups. The reasons for the result may be that students were not familiar with learning management systems, the interface and function of the learning systems were complex, or student motivation to learn English was low. (2) The learning achievement of the face-to-face group was significantly higher than that of the Office 365 group. Office 365 has many functions, but it also increases the cognitive load on students. Additionally, middle school students in Taiwan are inexperienced with using learning management systems because of the lack of opportunities to do so. Furthermore, the focus of this research was not the formal school curriculum but after-school activities;therefore, gauging learning effectiveness was challenging. Finally, students are more familiar with face-to-face discussions, and this comfort increases the effectiveness of this mode of learning. (3) Students in the Office 365 group had a higher tendency to interact with peers than those in the face-to-face group. Interacting through Office 365 (as it provides voice and text input for discussions) removes the stress of public speaking, such as that experienced in face-to-face classes, thus increasing participation. However, the peer interaction in the Office 365 group was not significantly higher than that in the Moodle group because the students using Office 365 mainly used text input, which decreased the efficiency of their discussion. (4) Some groups of students using the learning management system (no matter Moodle group or Office 365 group) posted the answers to assignments in the chat room even before much group discussion, or they divided th work among themselves, and not discussing the assignment at all. The students seemed to be unfamiliar with the way in which group discussions are conducted through digital learning platforms. This inexperience was reflected in their lack of teamwork. (5) The ratio of discussions students posted on the Moodle platform (Moodle group) was positively correlated with their learning achievement and interaction with peers. The ratio of discussions students posted on the Office 365 platform (Office 365 group) was positively correlated with their learning achievement and learning motivation.The results have several implications. First, teachers should consider the most appropriate form of discussion for middle school students when planning group discussion activities during and after lessons. Second, although middle school students are better at learning through face-to-face discussion, the demand for distance learning and the use of digital platforms are increasing. Teachers should encourage the use of digital platforms by planning more exercises to implement through these platforms, thus improving students' learning performance as well as their efficiency in using these platforms. Third, the students in the Office 365 group had a higher tendency to interact with peers than did those in the face-to-face group. Thus, teacher may use Office 365 initially to make students willing to use digital platforms and for them to get familiar with its usage. Once students are comfortable using the platform, teachers can shift the focus to enhancing the effectiveness of learning. Fourth, when students are engaged in group discussions in after-school activities, only a limited number of students may participate, or students may directly provide answers without discussing them with their peers. Providing students with instructions and training on conducting group discussions may help them make more effective use of learning management systems. Finally, regarding the design of learning management systems, the registration and login procedures should be simplified, and the platform interface and operating functions should be more effectively integrated to make them user friendly. Doing so may enable novices to start and consistently use these systems more easily and reduce the time required by users to familiarize themselves with such systems.[LANGUAGE=”Chinese”] 本研究目的在比較以面對面、Moodle、Office 365進行課後活動，對學生英文的學習動機、學習成效與同儕互動之影響。以課後活動形式為自變項，分成面對面組、Moodle組、Office 365組，分別以三種不同方式進行英文課程之課後活動，如課後分組討論、課後作業等，並探討其在不同層面之差異。本研究採量化為主、質化為輔的分析方式，以六班143位國中三年級學生為研究對象進行實驗，每種課後活動形式各兩個班級參與。研究結果顯示：一、不同課後活動形式對學習動機無顯著差異；二、面對面組之學習成效顯著優於Office 365組；三、Office 365組之同儕互動有高於面對面組之傾向；四、針對討論歷程分析發現，透過Moodle、Office 365之學習平台進行討論，會出現特定組員直接貼出解答、各組員直接任務分工等未進行小組討論之情況發生；五、對Moodle組而言，各組員之發言比例與學習成效、同儕互動為正相關；對Office 365組而言，各組員之發言比例與學習成效、學習動機為正相關。Alternate abstract:”English”] With modern technological advancements, the rise of digital learning has helped teachers and students in many ways;for example, learning is becoming increasingly learner centric. In recent years, learning has been compromised because of school suspensions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital learning has helped to reduce the negative impacts on students' learning, and most students have shown a positive attitude toward digital learning. A learning management system provides a platform for learners to learn a d interact with teachers or peers without time and space constraints. Moodle is one of the most popular and widely-used learning management systems. It is open source, offers different functional modules, and is available free of charge. However, according to recent literature, Moodle has several disadvantages. First, the topics discussed by students in the Moodle platform are not focused enough and not easy to be discussed in depth. Second, the interaction is not immediate because of a lack of instant notifications. Third, the interface is not user friendly and is thus difficult to operate. These drawbacks can hinder students' learning. Office 365 is another digital system that assists students' learning. Various functions of Office 365, such as Teams's real-time notifications and OneNote's recording function, complement Moodle. This study investigated the effects of after-school activities conducted through different media on students' motivation, learning achievement, and peer interaction.In present study, after-school activities were conducted face-to-face or via two learning platforms, Moodle and Office 365;the learning platform was considered the independent variables. In total, 143 middle school students were recruited as participants for an after-school activity and distributed into the face-to-face, Moodle, or Office 365 group. The quantitative data of three scales concerning with learning motivation, learning achievement and peer interaction were collected to represent their learning performance. Qualitative data were collected through textual analysis based on student responses to open-ended questions. The quantitative and qualitative data were then statistically analyzed with SPSS Statistics 23.The results of the quantitative analysis revealed the following results:(1) No significant difference was observed in learning motivation among the different groups. The reasons for the result may be that students were not familiar with learning management systems, the interface and function of the learning systems were complex, or student motivation to learn English was low. (2) The learning achievement of the face-to-face group was significantly higher than that of the Office 365 group. Office 365 has many functions, but it also increases the cognitive load on students. Additionally, middle school students in Taiwan are inexperienced with using learning management systems because of the lack of opportunities to do so. Furthermore, the focus of this research was not the formal school curriculum but after-school activities;therefore, gauging learning effectiveness was challenging. Finally, students are more familiar with face-to-face discussions, and this comfort increases the effectiveness of this mode of learning. (3) Students in the Office 365 group had a higher tendency to interact with peers than those in the face-to-face group. Interacting through Office 365 (as it provides voice and text input for discussions) removes the stress of public speaking, such as that experienced in face-to-face classes, thus increasing participation. However, the peer interaction in the Office 365 group was not significantly higher than that in the Moodle group because the students using Office 365 mainly used text input, which decreased the efficiency of their discussion. (4) Some groups of students using the learning management system (no matter Moodle group or Office 365 group) posted the answers to assignments in the chat room even before much group discussion, or they divided the work among themselves, and not discussing the assignment at all. The students seemed to be unfamiliar with the way in which group discussions are conducted through digital learning platforms. This inexperience was reflected in their lack of teamwork. (5) The ratio of discussions students posted on the Moodle platform (Moodle group) was positively correlated with their learning achievement and interaction with peers. The ratio of discussions students posted on the Office 365 platform (Office 365 group) was positively correlated with their lea ning achievement and learning motivation.The results have several implications. First, teachers should consider the most appropriate form of discussion for middle school students when planning group discussion activities during and after lessons. Second, although middle school students are better at learning through face-to-face discussion, the demand for distance learning and the use of digital platforms are increasing. Teachers should encourage the use of digital platforms by planning more exercises to implement through these platforms, thus improving students' learning performance as well as their efficiency in using these platforms. Third, the students in the Office 365 group had a higher tendency to interact with peers than did those in the face-to-face group. Thus, teacher may use Office 365 initially to make students willing to use digital platforms and for them to get familiar with its usage. Once students are comfortable using the platform, teachers can shift the focus to enhancing the effectiveness of learning. Fourth, when students are engaged in group discussions in after-school activities, only a limited number of students may participate, or students may directly provide answers without discussing them with their peers. Providing students with instructions and training on conducting group discussions may help them make more effective use of learning management systems. Finally, regarding the design of learning management systems, the registration and login procedures should be simplified, and the platform interface and operating functions should be more effectively integrated to make them user friendly. Doing so may enable novices to start and consistently use these systems more easily and reduce the time required by users to familiarize themselves with such systems.Alternate abstract:”Chinese”] 本研究目的在比較以面對面、Moodle、Office 365進行課後活動，對學生英文的學習動機、學習成效與同儕互動之影響。以課後活動形式為自變項，分成面對面組、Moodle組、Office 365組，分別以三種不同方式進行英文課程之課後活動，如課後分組討論、課後作業等，並探討其在不同層面之差異。本研究採量化為主、質化為輔的分析方式，以六班143位國中三年級學生為研究對象進行實驗，每種課後活動形式各兩個班級參與。研究結果顯示：一、不同課後活動形式對學習動機無顯著差異；二、面對面組之學習成效顯著優於Office 365組；三、Office 365組之同儕互動有高於面對面組之傾向；四、針對討論歷程分析發現，透過Moodle、Office 365之學習平台進行討論，會出現特定組員直接貼出解答、各組員直接任務分工等未進行小組討論之情況發生；五、對Moodle組而言，各組員之發言比例與學習成效、同儕互動為正相關；對Office 365組而言，各組員之發言比例與學習成效、學習動機為正相關。