Inter-cultural communication became especially important in Taiwan after the government decided to develop Taiwan into an Asian-Pacific economic center. This economic decree resulted in communication abilities becoming a primary expectation for all Taiwanese citizens. Knowing that, an appropriate place to begin to assess or improve the ability to communicate is to examine the educational system, and that review is the subject of this study. The researcher conducted a telephone survey that collected data from a random sample of 150 elementary English teachers throughout Taiwan to investigate teacher’s practices and beliefs toward Elementary English Education in Taiwan. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to measure respondents’ practices and beliefs. Data was analyzed using SPSS according to the seven pre-selected variables: teachers’ qualifications and training, materials, teaching methods, assessment polices and practices, content/curriculum of English enclosures, environment, and culture. The open-ended questions revealed the survey participants found teachers hope to implement in the programs for increasing the number of qualified teachers, adding teacher qualification policies, and dividing students according to their English abilities. In addition, the teachers reflected that MOE made a smart move by implementing the program immediately upon realizing the importance of the English learning needs among elementary students.
목차
REVIEW OF LITERATURE Policies and Practices of Elementary English Education in Taiwan Beliefs of Elementary School English Teachers in Taiwan METHODOLOGY Demographic Information Instrumentation and Data Analysis RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Differences between Teachers’ Practices and Beliefs Changes Teachers Hope to Implement Dividing Students According to Their English Abilities The Most Successful Policy and Practices CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS THE AUTHOR REFERENCES
저자
Kate Tzu-Ching Chen [ HungKuang University, Taiwan ]
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.