news & photos

Designing Play, Creating Happiness: Global Scholars Gather at NCCU to Advance Affective Education

Taipei, Dec. 13, 2025 —

As schools around the world confront mounting concerns over student well-being, mental health, and social cohesion, scholars from across continents convened on Saturday at National Chengchi University (NCCU) for the 3rd International Conference on Affective Education, a gathering that placed play, happiness, and the public good at the center of educational research.

Held at the College of Education’s Jing-Tang Building, with simultaneous online participation, the conference brought together 124 authors and presenters from more than a dozen countries, including Australia, Germany, Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Paraguay, the Philippines, Poland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Over 60 research papers were presented in oral, poster, and symposium formats, alongside seven Best Student and Practitioner Paper Award presentations.

Under the theme “Designing Play, Creating Happiness: Advancing the Public Good for People, Schools, and the World,” the conference explored how game design, playful pedagogies, and affective learning environments can respond to global educational challenges—from promoting student mental health and empathy to reducing bullying, advancing inclusive education, and supporting moral and character development.

Opening the conference, Professor Hu, Yueh-Luen, Vice Dean of the College of Education at NCCU, welcomed participants on behalf of the university and emphasized the growing urgency of affective education in a rapidly changing world. Drawing on frameworks such as the OECD’s Learning Compass 2030 and UNESCO’s Global Report on Happiness in and for Learning, she described happiness in education not as an optional enrichment, but as “a public good essential to sustainable societies.”

The conference also resonated strongly with Taiwan’s national education agenda. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education announced a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Medium- to Long-Term Plan (2025–2029), committing more than NT$4.4 billion over five years to promote student well-being in alignment with the 12-Year Basic Education Curriculum. Conference discussions on play-based learning, emotional intelligence, and digital pedagogies closely mirrored these policy priorities, situating Taiwan within a broader global movement toward holistic education.

Five internationally recognized scholars delivered invited talks: Professor Emmanuel Manalo (Kyoto University), Professor Yuri Uesaka (Kyoto University), Professor Sheng-Shiang Tseng (NCCU), Professor Sophia Ming-Lee Wen (Professor Emeritus, National Taiwan Normal University), and Professor Henrik Saalbach (University of Leipzig). Their lectures addressed topics ranging from learning strategies and cognitive–emotional integration to the role of playfulness across the lifespan.

Beyond formal presentations, the conference underscored its mission of collective mentoring, intentionally connecting early-career researchers, graduate students, and senior scholars through symposium dialogues and project-based learning exchanges. Professor Sheng-Ming Wang (National Taipei University of Technology), Professor Pei-Hsuan Hsieh (National Chengchi University), and Professor Hsin-Min Chen (National Chiayi University) also served on the advisory committee, providing additional academic guidance. Organizers noted that this intergenerational model aims to turn research into practice and ideas into public impact.

Participation in the conference was offered free of charge, reflecting a commitment to inclusivity and global access. Selected papers will be invited for publication in the peer-reviewed Conference Proceedings (ISBN), extending the reach of the research beyond the one-day event.

As the sessions concluded, one message resonated across disciplines and borders: in an era of technological acceleration and social uncertainty, play, empathy, and emotional safety are not peripheral to education—they are foundational. At NCCU, scholars came together not only to present research, but to imagine a future in which learning is joyful, humane, and deeply connected to the public good.

Conference Organizing Committee

Yu, Min-Ning — Professor & Dean, College of Education, National Chengchi University
Chiu, Mei-Shiu (Conference Contact) — Professor, College of Education, National Chengchi University
Hasumi, Toshiyuki — Instructor, International College, Ming Chuan University;
PhD Student, College of Education, National Chengchi University

以遊玩設計幸福：全球學者齊聚政治大學推動情意教育發展

台北，2025年12月13日 —

在全球各地學校日益面臨學生福祉、心理健康與社會凝聚力等挑戰之際，來自不同洲別的學者於週六齊聚國立政治大學（NCCU），共同參與第三屆情意教育國際研討會。本次研討會以遊玩、幸福與公共善為核心，探討其在教育研究與實踐中的關鍵角色。

研討會於政治大學教育學院井塘樓舉行，並同步開放線上參與，共吸引來自澳洲、德國、冰島、印尼、日本、馬來西亞、荷蘭、紐西蘭、巴拉圭、菲律賓、波蘭、臺灣、英國與越南等十多個國家的124人次作者與發表人。會中以口頭發表、海報與專題論壇等形式，發表超過60篇研究論文，並頒發7篇最佳學生／實務論文獎。

本屆研討會以「以遊玩設計幸福：促進人、學校與世界的公共善」為主題，深入探討遊戲設計、以遊玩為導向的教學法，以及情意學習環境，如何回應當代全球教育所面臨的挑戰，包括促進學生心理健康與同理心、減少霸凌、推動融合教育，以及支持品格與道德發展。

開幕致詞中，政治大學教育學院副院長胡悅倫教授代表學校歡迎與會者，並強調在快速變遷的世界中，情意教育的重要性日益提升。她援引OECD《2030學習羅盤》及 UNESCO《為何世界需要幸福學校：學習中的幸福全球報告》指出，教育中的幸福並非可有可無的附加價值，而是「攸關社會永續發展的重要公共財」。

本次研討會亦與臺灣國家教育政策方向高度契合。教育部於今年公布社會情緒學習（SEL）中長程計畫（2025–2029），五年投入超過新臺幣44億元，以十二年國教課綱為基礎，全面促進學生身心健康。研討會中有關以遊玩為基礎的學習、情緒智能與數位教學法的討論，與此一政策目標高度呼應，亦將臺灣置於全球全人教育發展的脈絡之中。

研討會邀請五位國際知名學者進行專題演講，包括：京都大學 Emmanuel Manalo 教授、東京大學植阪友理教授、國立政治大學曾盛祥教授、國立臺灣師範大學榮譽教授溫明麗教授，以及德國萊比錫大學 Henrik Saalbach 教授。其演講主題涵蓋學習策略、認知與情緒整合，以及遊玩精神在不同生命階段中的角色。

除了正式的學術發表，本次研討會亦強調「集體導師制」的理念，透過專題論壇與專題式學習交流，刻意連結年輕學者、研究生與資深研究者。國立臺北科技大學王聖銘教授、國立政治大學謝佩璇教授、國立嘉義大學陳欣民教授亦擔任顧問委員，提供跨領域的學術指導。主辦單位指出，此一跨世代的交流模式，旨在將研究成果轉化為實際行動，發揮更大的公共影響力。

為促進教育平權與國際交流，本次研討會全面免收報名費。部分優秀論文將受邀收錄於經同儕審查、具 ISBN 的研討會論文集，使研究成果得以在會後持續發酵。

隨著研討會圓滿落幕，一項共識逐漸浮現：在科技快速發展與社會不確定性升高的時代，遊玩、同理心與情感安全並非教育的邊緣議題，而是其根本。在政治大學，來自世界各地的學者不僅分享研究成果，也共同想像一個更加幸福、人性化，並與公共善深度連結的學習未來。