Xin-Dong Ye

Understanding learners’ conceptions of artificial intelligence (AI)-supported learning can inform the sustainable integration of AI into education. This study examined primary school students’ conceptions of large language model-based (LLM-based) chatbots-supported learning and explored differences associated with learning motivation. Seventy-two students participated in learning activities designed around the CLEAR prompt-engineering framework. A mixed-methods approach combined the draw-and-write technique with questionnaires assessing learning motivation, self-efficacy, and critical thinking tendencies. Students represented LLM-based chatbots as resources supporting a range of learning activities. Exploratory comparisons indicated motivation-related differences in the representation of learning content, usage times, and locations. Students with lower learning motivation more frequently depicted specific learning content and home-based use, whereas those with higher learning motivation more frequently depicted classroom-based use. Students with higher learning motivation also reported significantly higher self-efficacy, while no statistically significant between-group difference was found in critical thinking tendencies. By integrating young learners’ draw-and-write representations with questionnaire data and motivation-based comparisons, this study extends existing research by providing learner-centered evidence on how primary school students conceptualize LLM-based chatbot-supported learning and how these conceptions vary according to learning motivation. The findings may inform differentiated instructional guidance and learner-responsive task design that support purposeful and responsible AI use, contributing a learner-centered perspective to the development of inclusive and sustainable AI-enhanced learning environments.

The continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decline in people's subjective well-being and emotional states. Digital travel based on 360° videos provides an alternate way for people to improve their mental health at home during this specific period. Yet, how to construct effective digital travel content that improves emotions remains an issue. This investigation assessed the impact of people's perceived presence and sense of place (SOP) on emotional improvement during a 360° digital travel experience. A total of 156 undergraduate students volunteered to participate, and anxiety, emotion levels, and life satisfaction were measured before and after the digital travel experience; presence and SOP ratings were also collected after the experience. A Latent Change Score model was then developed, and the results indicated that the greater presence and SOP individuals experienced during their digital travel, the better their digital travel experience and emotional improvement. Furthermore, the current data highlight that SOP has a greater impact on emotional improvement than presence. This result provides a novel understanding that how SOP is generated may be more critical to digital travel than presence. This new understanding should help improve relevant applications in the field of digital travel, such as the possibility of providing meaningful narrative context in a virtual environment to induce SOP more effectively, and improve the digital travel experience. Overall, the findings of this study expand our understanding of the digital travel experience and lay the groundwork for future research on SOP and digital travel.

Executive functions (EFs) are essential for early childhood development, and effective programs to improve EFs in preschool education are becoming increasingly crucial. There is rising evidence that combined physical–cognitive intervention training utilizing active video games (exergames) could be a viable strategy to improve EFs. However, there is a shortage of empirical evidence on the application of this approach in preschool education. The effectiveness of exergame intervention training in preschools must be evaluated. This study conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of exergames intervention training on preschool children’s EFs. A total of 48 participants aged 4–5 years were enrolled; 24 were randomly allocated to receive exergames physical activity training, and the remaining 24 received conventional physical activity training. After a four-week intervention, the children who received the exergames intervention training exhibited considerably greater gains in all three EFs tasks than children who received the conventional physical activity program. Follow-up interviews revealed that the children accepted the exergames well. The results demonstrate the viability of incorporating exergames into preschool education to improve children’s EFs, supporting prior findings and offering more empirical evidence from early childhood research.