To foster academic exchange among PhD students and showcase their achievements in research methods training, the School of Education, City University of Macau, held the “Concept Decoding: 3-Minute Academic Flash Talks” showcase at the Golden Dragon Campus at the end of the first semester.
The event enabled PhD students to present innovative research methods and preliminary findings through concise academic presentations.

Assistant Professor Zhang Jiawei opened the event and noted that the 3-minute flash talk format encourages students to present core ideas clearly and efficiently, while strengthening academic expression, logical structuring, and interdisciplinary dialogue.
Subsequently, Associate Professor Qiu Xue Lan, Assistant Professor Cheng Yihong, Assistant Professor Zheng Pei Wen, and Associate Professor Xu Xiaoshu introduced their research areas and encouraged active academic exchange.

A total of 15 teams participated, covering a wide range of research topics and methods, including: Research design: research question formulation, literature review, quasi-experimental research, case study, focus group, and classroom observation, Data analysis: Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson correlation, ANOVA, EFA/CFA, linear regression, thematic analysis, narrative analysis

Each team clearly and concisely presented core logic and method application within three minutes.
For instance: Group 3 demonstrated group design and instrument selection in quasi-experimental research. Group 5 presented interview outline design and theme extraction in focus group interviews.

Many presentations featured vivid demonstrations and critical reflections: Group 4 used role-play to illustrate how to conduct a case study with a patient example. Group 11 explained that correlation does not imply causation using the example of ice cream sales and drowning rates. Group 14 conducted a research ethics simulation, raising ethical issues including informed consent and data confidentiality.

In her concluding remarks, Professor Li Ying Cheng, Dean of the School of Education, stated: “This activity is not only academic training but also a demonstration of teach to learn — turning knowledge of research methods into practical application.
The 3-minute limit sharpens students’ ability to distill core ideas, while the diverse topics show the breadth and depth of educational research.”

She encouraged students to strengthen collaborative learning, enhance self-regulation, and take ownership of their learning journey.