THE DEMAND MANAGEMENT OF ENERGY-SAVING BULBS IN TAIWAN MAJOR MODERN RETAIL CHANNELS: THE FORECAST PERSPECTIVE

台灣現代零售通路之省電燈泡需求管理THE DEMAND MANAGEMENT OF ENERGY-SAVING BULBS IN TAIWAN MAJOR MODERN RETAIL CHANNELS: THE FORECAST PERSPECTIV

Opinions and Comments of Cram Schools’ Teachers’ and Students’ Preferences on Using Six Authentic Materials Activities in the Cram Schools in Taiwan

[[abstract]]The study discusses the students’ preference on six types of authentic materials as an alternative assessment. Moreover, how teachers and students respond to authentic materials activities in the classroom and teachers’ comments and observations on using those materials will be studied. The six-month experimental investigation provides great insights and examines, by interviewing seven cram school teachers, how those authentic materials affect the cram school effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to examine (1) what the students’ preferences are on the six types of authentic materials designed by the researcher, and (2) what are the opinions or comments of cram schools’ teachers on using authentic materials? The population sample consisted of seven teachers of seven cram schools in Taiwan and a total of 152 students who participated in this study. The findings of this study can help both cram school leaders and cram school educators to plan appropriate curriculum in improving cram school effectiveness and teaching quality

Attitude of Students and Instructors toward Authentic Materials in Selected Adult TESL Programs

[[abstract]]The purpose of this study is to examine English as a Second Language (ESL) students’ and ESL instructors’ attitudes toward authentic materials which included resources and activities (Kilickaya, 2004). The findings indicated that both ESL instructors and ESL students had positive attitudes toward authentic materials of discussions and newspapers. ESL students indicated that Internet, discussions, newspapers, telephone, and computer programs were the most important authentic materials in learning English. ESL instructors indicated that discussions, newspapers, maps, stories (printed), and food were the most used authentic materials in ESL class. The results of this study provide important information to help instructors plan appropriate curricula

台南地區國小英語老師對字母拼讀法的教學信念及教學成果及困難

[[abstract]]自民國九十年起國小高年級課程實施英語教學，於民國九十四年英語教育更納入中年級正式課程。本研究旨在了解國小英語教師對自然拼讀法的教學信念、課堂的實施狀況以及其成效，並探討教師在課堂上可能面臨的困難。本研究採用問卷調查法，以「國小英語老師對字母拼讀法的教學信念及課堂實施狀況調查問卷」針對34名在職英語教師進行資料蒐集。受測教師依真實教學經驗與狀況自我評估對自然拼讀教學的觀點: (1)對於字母拼讀法的教學認知，(2)字母拼讀法之課堂實施狀況，(3)實施成果以及困難。受測者的回饋以描述統計處理資料。研究結果顯示教師對於字母拼讀法的教學信念大致相同，多數受測者認為字母拼讀法有助於學生的拼讀和字彙辨識能力。在課堂的實施方面，教師多依據字母拼讀法的教學原則。儘管有學生在學習過程較緩慢，多數的教師對於字母拼讀法教學成效仍抱持著正面的態度。期望本研究結果能提供英語教學者對於字母拼讀法教學有更深入的了解。最後提供建議，作為教育研究者進行更深入國小英語教學研究之參考。 English education has been implemented since 2001 to 5^(th) and 6^(th) graders and was further extended to Grade 3 in 2005 as a formal schooling in Taiwan. The aims of this research project are to investigate the views of the in-service English teachers in phonics and its in-class practices and to examine the effectiveness of the phonics instruction as well as the perceived difficulties that the teachers may encounter in their classes. A questionnaire-based survey with a sample of 34 in-service English teachers from Tainan area is administered to explore the teachers' perception on phonics teaching. The research instrument, ＂the Questionnaire of Teachers' Beliefs on Phonics and its Applications＂, is designed to answer the following research questions: (a) what perception do primary school English teachers in Tainan area hold about the phonics instruction? (b) what are their in-class practices? And (c) what are the results of phonics instruction? The responses from the participants are quantified with descriptive statistics. The results shows that the participated teachers share a similar set of beliefs that phonics as a fundamental gateway to early English literacy and an access to promote decoding, encoding and reading automaticity. In-class phonics practices are basically in accordance with the phonics teaching principles. Despite of learning difficulties of some students, the overall effects of phonics instruction are highly praised by the teachers. It is hoped that the outcomes of this study offer an insight into English phonics teaching and learning at the introductory level. Suggestions are put forward for future researchers