45 research outputs found
Teachers’ Use of Multiple Instructional Strategies: A Comparison of Reading Performance of Third Grade English Language Learners in ESL/Bilingual Programs
The purposes of this dissertation are three-fold. The first purpose is to identify the effects of four different English as a Second Language/English as a Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) instructional strategies (graphic organizers, scaffolding, interactive read aloud, and leveled questions) on reading performance of English language learners (ELLs) across grade level, intervention duration, ESL/EFL environment, and sample size. The second purpose is to ascertain how frequently teachers should use these four strategies to enhance third-grade ELLs’ reading performance. The third purpose is to discuss how Project English Language and Literacy Acquisition (Project ELLA) curriculum can be modified to fit Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy.
To respond to the first purpose, a meta-analysis for quantitative synthesis was adopted to review and examine the effectiveness of the four instructional strategies on ELLs’ reading performance. For the second purpose, a multilevel path analysis using structural equation modeling was adopted to examine if teachers’ frequency of using these four instructional strategies moderates the relationship between ELLs’ reading performance on pretest and on posttest. For the third purpose, a case study was conducted to discuss incorporating Project ELLA into Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy.
The overall findings supported an educational belief that explicit instruction coupled with multiple instructional strategies is essential for enhancing ELLs’ reading performance. The findings further indicated that higher frequency of using multiple instructional strategies had a significant interaction effect on the relationship between ELLs’ reading performance on the pretest and the posttest.
To conclude, the use of multiple instructional strategies is a key factor in predicting successful reading performance. To enhance ELLs’ performance in reading, teachers are strongly suggested to adopt multiple instructional strategies. When using these strategies, teachers should pay special attention to the frequency of use. A more frequent use of multiple instructional strategies should help improve ELLs’ reading performance. The four strategies combined with the curriculum of Project ELLA should strengthen Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy
A STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF ENGLISH FACULTY AND STUDENTS OF EXIT ENGLISH EXAMINATIONS AT TAIWAN\u27S TECHNOLOGICAL AND VOCATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
The mix-method research aimed to investigate the attitudes toward the implementation of Exit English Examination (EEE) from the perspectives of English faculties and their students at Taiwan\u27s technological and vocational higher education institutions. The survey participants were 66 English faculty and 1009 students in ten first-tier Universities of Technology and Institutes of Technology in Northern Taiwan based on the admission scores of the Technological and Vocational College Entrance Examination in the school year of 2009-2010. Descriptive statistics, Chi-Square tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman Correlation tests of the SPSS were conducted to determine the characteristics and statistically significant differences of participants\u27 survey questions.
Findings indicated the following: various factors for the faculties and students played significant roles in attitudes toward EEE implementation; motivation and desire to learn English were highest in those students with medium English performance; a majority of students perceived a stronger influence from the EEE than the faculties; influence of the EEE on future jobs was recognized by both groups, as well as the need for assistance with fees, monetary incentives, and the subsidization for financially challenged students; faculties and students had conflicting opinions in regard to teaching to the test, the curriculum, and teaching effectiveness; the qualitative data analyses was predominated by concern regarding the test standard, test choices and future jobs.
Suggestions for this study included: a continuous implementation and overhaul of the EEE in Higher Education; help in facilitating professional development and a learning community; a review and adjustment of the existing English curriculum, methods and test standards; an alignment of the curriculum with the EEE standard and student preparation; a review of existing preparation programs, including monetary incentives and fees; professional assistance for juniors and seniors; utilization of international counterparts\u27 assessment tools. Further research could include (a) covering major stakeholder\u27s participation in decision making, implementation and gathering of information and analysis, (b) longitudinal work tracking students who failed the EEE, and (c) replicating a similar study in other geographical areas of Taiwan. Numerous implications for future studies were also provided
The Globalization of English: Its Impact on English Language Education in the Tertiary Education Sector in Taiwan
The overall agenda for the research reported here grew out of semi-structured
interviews with senior educational managers from a tertiary educational institution
in Taiwan. These managers raised a number of issues, including the changing
profile of tertiary students, the changing nature of English curricula, the
increasing need for English teaching staff to be adaptable, highly qualified and
research-active, and the growing pressure on institutions to introduce English
language proficiency benchmarking. Each of these issues can be related to the
impact of globalization and, in particular, the impact of the globalization of
English, on the education sector. Following a critical review of selected literature
on the impact of globalization on the teaching and learning of English, each of
these issues, as it affects the tertiary education sector in Taiwan, was explored.
Analysis of the Taiwanese national curriculum guidelines for schools, strongly
influenced by academics in the tertiary education sector, revealed a number of
problems relating to a lack of proficiency benchmarking and a lack of coherence,
consistency and transparency in some areas. These problems may be associated
with the initial phase of transition from a grammar-based curriculum to a more
communicatively-oriented, outcomes-centered one. Problems of a similar type
were indicated in responses to questions relating to curriculum matters included in
a questionnaire distributed to a sample of teachers of English in the tertiary sector.
Among other things revealed by questionnaire responses was the fact that many
survey participants had received no training in English teaching.
The results of a C-test (one that was initially used in a major European study)
taken by a sample of entry-level and exit-level Bachelors degree students
indicated a wide variation in proficiency, with individual scores differing by as
much as 64 percentage points in the case of exit-level students. Furthermore, there
was a difference of almost 10 percentage points between the mean scores of
students from two different institutions who had majored in English. These results
indicate some of the difficulties that Taiwan faces in attempting to establish
graduation proficiency benchmarking.
-ii-
C-test participants completed a background questionnaire, the responses
indicating a generally positive attitude towards English-speaking people, a general
willingness to use English in situations where there was the option of not doing
so, and a strong tendency towards instrumental motivation. Although one of the
factors that appeared to have a positive impact on C-test performance was time
spent in an English-speaking country, fewer than 18% of respondents had done so.
Although there appears to be considerable anxiety and uncertainty associated with
the teaching of English at tertiary level in Taiwan, and some genuine cause for
concern, there are also many positive indicators of future success. Teachers and
educational managers are aware of the problems they currently face and appear
determined to resolve them. Taiwanese academics are increasingly involved in
language-related research and increasingly prepared to interrogate their own
practices, and Taiwan, unlike some other countries in Asia, is moving towards
graduation proficiency benchmarking
Teachers’ Use of Multiple Instructional Strategies: A Comparison of Reading Performance of Third Grade English Language Learners in ESL/Bilingual Programs
The purposes of this dissertation are three-fold. The first purpose is to identify the effects of four different English as a Second Language/English as a Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) instructional strategies (graphic organizers, scaffolding, interactive read aloud, and leveled questions) on reading performance of English language learners (ELLs) across grade level, intervention duration, ESL/EFL environment, and sample size. The second purpose is to ascertain how frequently teachers should use these four strategies to enhance third-grade ELLs’ reading performance. The third purpose is to discuss how Project English Language and Literacy Acquisition (Project ELLA) curriculum can be modified to fit Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy.
To respond to the first purpose, a meta-analysis for quantitative synthesis was adopted to review and examine the effectiveness of the four instructional strategies on ELLs’ reading performance. For the second purpose, a multilevel path analysis using structural equation modeling was adopted to examine if teachers’ frequency of using these four instructional strategies moderates the relationship between ELLs’ reading performance on pretest and on posttest. For the third purpose, a case study was conducted to discuss incorporating Project ELLA into Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy.
The overall findings supported an educational belief that explicit instruction coupled with multiple instructional strategies is essential for enhancing ELLs’ reading performance. The findings further indicated that higher frequency of using multiple instructional strategies had a significant interaction effect on the relationship between ELLs’ reading performance on the pretest and the posttest.
To conclude, the use of multiple instructional strategies is a key factor in predicting successful reading performance. To enhance ELLs’ performance in reading, teachers are strongly suggested to adopt multiple instructional strategies. When using these strategies, teachers should pay special attention to the frequency of use. A more frequent use of multiple instructional strategies should help improve ELLs’ reading performance. The four strategies combined with the curriculum of Project ELLA should strengthen Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy
The requirement of English language proficiency for graduation in Taiwanese universities : its impact on non-English majors and their English curruculum
EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
A cooperative task-based learning approach to motivating low achieving readers of English in a Taiwanese University
EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
English for specific purposes (ESP) in four technological and vocational higher education institutions in Taiwan, with particular reference to the Department of Applied Foreign Languages
This thesis examines problems in the teaching of English for Specific Purposes(ESP) in four technological and vocational higher education institutions in Taiwan,with particular reference to the Department of Applied Foreign Languages - English (DAFL-E)/ Department of Applied English (DAE), a newly established department intended to meet the high demand in the job market for English specialists with adequate business knowledge. The Department provides courses in English for specific purposes, in this study, for business purposes. However, students' low English proficiency results in inadequate meeting of the needs of industry.To understand ESP and the problems that arise in the DAFL-E/DAE, the writer conducted interviews with the Heads and teachers, and surveyed students, in four selected institutions, to seek their views and attitudes towards the work of the Departments and the difficulties they confronted. The policies regarding new teacher qualification requirements and discontinuation of the 5-year junior college programmes were reviewed.It was found that the DAFL-E/DAE face many challenges. First, specific goals and distinctive features have not been established. ESP is neither recognised nor its specific purposes served. Teacher training to teach ESP is also not developed. Secondly, the departments do not adequately prepare students for future employment, in terms of course design, English proficiency qualification and industrial placement. Students express dissatisfaction towards the Departments. Recommendations are made to the departments, teachers and students with respect to teacher training, team teaching, course design, needs analysis, English proficiency qualification and industrial placement. It is concluded that ESP should be incorporated in business-related English courses, in order to promote satisfactory attainment in English competence and business-related knowledge, and so contribute effectively to meeting the growing demands of industry
The English as a foreign language writing classroom and weblog :the effect of computer-mediated communication on attitudes of students and implication for EFL learning
PhD ThesisInnovative forms of communication technology have generated new educational
models and learning environments. Existing literature includes much discussion
concerning the consequences of using communication technology in the context of second
language learning. However, recent research has not reached any convincing conclusion
about the effects of communication technology in EFL teaching and learning. There are
still many variables that need to be accounted for when the use of technology occurs in
real-life educational environments, particularly when the adoption of a newly developed
communication technology - the Weblog - could / may work better for language learners
under specific circumstances.
This empirical study focused on whether the use of Weblogs positively changes
the learners' attitudes towards EFL writing and their informal use of the English language.
Once the focus of this study had been established, the research questions and hypotheses
were then addressed as a means of examining the effect of Weblogs. A
quasi-experimentarl esearchd esignw as applied with a mixed-methodsa pproacht o elicit
data from 119 EFL students in two universities in Taiwan. The collected data included
112p re- and 102 post- GEPT exam papers,1 19 questionnairer esponsesa nd the
qualitative data of interviews with 24 research participants. These data were then
analysed using inductive (qualitative logic) and deductive (quantitative logic) methods to
find out the consequences of the research assumptions.
The results corroborate the theoretical findings on the significance of
computer-mediated communication in learners' affective learning. In other words, the
use of Weblogs influenced the learners' attitudes towards EFL writing. The combination
of quantitative and qualitative findings suggested that Weblog technology engages
learners in active reading and encourages learners' reflectivity, collaboration, and
participation in EFL writing. Finally, the results also echo the theoretical concerns about
the learners' self-efficacy and language register in the context of second language writin
Preparing students for future employment? An exploratory study of English language education in vocational high schools in Taiwan
This study explores aspects of how English language education in vocational high schools (VHSs) in Taiwan prepares students for their intended employment. It looks at the English language curriculum in VHSs and examines the ways in which it aims to equip students with the English necessary for their intended employment. It also looks at teachers’ and students’ experiences of English language teaching and learning in VHSs, particularly in terms of their perspectives on the extent to which English language education at VHSs prepares students for their intended employment, and the extent to which it provides students with the English language skills necessary to compete in a global job market.
The central question that this study seeks to address is: How does English language education at VHSs prepare students for their intended employment?
The above question is shaped through answering the following two sub-questions:
1. What are the ways in which the English language curriculum in VHSs in Taiwan aims to equip students with the English necessary for their intended employment?
2. What are teachers’ and students’ perspectives on English language education, and on the extent to which English language education at VHSs prepares students for future employment, particularly in terms of providing them with the English skills necessary to compete in a global job market?
A mixed-methods research design, involving questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, is used in an attempt to make best use of each approach to explain and answer research questions. The thesis concludes by proposing a model in light of the findings, outlining some of the implications of the research findings, and presenting some recommendations for further research