The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in educational disruption at a global scale. Based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 4, “achieving inclusive and quality education for all”, this study designed two feasible learning models for the solution of sustainable learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, GPAM-WATA and Paper-and-Pencil test (PPT). The GPAM-WATA, a web-based dynamic assessment, offers online learning to most of the populations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, while PPT makes the vulnerable groups’ access to learning possible with the aid of paper-based delivery. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, and both learning models were applied to a junior high school English reading course in Taiwan. A total of 122 seventh graders were randomly assigned to the GPAM-WATA group and PPT group for self-directed learning. The findings show that the GPAM-WATA is a sustainable educational technique that facilitates a better improvement in English reading performance. The PPT also has a positive effect on English reading performance, although not significantly if compared with the GPAM-WATA. This study suggests that GPAM-WATA is effective for English reading instruction in an online learning environment. The PPT can be an alternative approach for students stuck without access to online delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study examined the motivation of Chinese mature students toward learning English. The participants in the study were ten Chinese mature learners, of whom four were English majors and six were non-English majors. Each underwent a semi-structured interview. Their responses were then coded and analyzed based on Matsuzaka-Carreira’s motivation framework. Furthermore, the Keyword Extraction and Link Terms techniques of PolyAnalyst^TM were used for further analysis. The results showed that English majors tended to be goal-oriented, and non-English majors were more likely to be means-oriented. English majors were identified as having additional integrative motivation. The factors influencing the motivation of English majors were more diverse than those influencing their non-English major counterparts. The obvious distinction between the two groups was their attitude towards the target language and culture. These findings suggest that instruction for adults should be aligned with mature learners’ practical needs and individual characteristics.

This research applied a web-based dynamic assessment system, GPAM-WATA system, to help low English achievers to perform self-directed learning of junior high school English grammar. A quasi-experimental design was adopted. A total of 124 seventh graders from four classes participated in this research. Participants were randomly divided into the GPAM-WATA group and the paper-and-pencil test (PPT) group. A total of 33 students were identified as low English achievers, among which 17 belonged to the GPAM-WATA group and the remaining 16 belonged to the PPT group. All participants in the GPAM-WATA and PPT groups performed self-directed learning through the GPAM-WATA and the PPT, respectively. Only 33 low English achievers from both groups took the pre- and post-test of learning achievement assessment and the English learning motivation scale. The research findings reveal that low English achievers in the GPAM-WATA group exhibit significantly better improvement in terms of learning effectiveness than those in the PPT group. Moreover, it is found that the IPs in the GPAM-WATA are effective in compensating for low English achiever’s lack of grammatical knowledge.