The transition of Taiwan's upper secondary education
Laih, Hueih-Lirng
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/21671
Description
Title
The transition of Taiwan's upper secondary education
Author(s)
Laih, Hueih-Lirng
Issue Date
1996
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Page, Ralph C.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Administration
Education, Secondary
Language
eng
Abstract
This study seeks to develop a systematic understanding of the pressures for educational reform and change in Taiwan's upper secondary school system. Through an analysis of official documents and a set of focus group interviews, we sought to gain insight into Taiwan's current situation in order to anticipate the future development of the school system.
For about 20 years, upper secondary education has been structured as a dual system with most places in the vocational sector; moreover, most of the vocational places have been within the private sector. This structure presents a mismatch between public demand and provision: the demand for college-preparatory education is not being met by the dual system, and, the mismatch is also exacerbated by the role of private schooling--both parents and students expressed their deep concern about educational costs in private schools.
The mismatch between the demand and the education system has resulted in significant pressure on youth at the point of entry to upper secondary schools: access to the third level is mainly limited to graduates of academic high schools, while, costs and educational quality are very different between public and private vocational schools. Thus, we concluded that the dual system, which largely determines educational destinations at third level, and the issue of public and private, are major problems which educational policy makers must deal with as the system undergoes change.
To explore the issue in the transition facing Taiwan's educational system, we used a theory of democracy, Dreeben's (1971) notions of the rights of citizenship, and Craig's (1982) analysis of the interactive relationship between the public demand and the state systems as the base of our argument. Thus, provision of more equal access to third level and the minimization of the effect of costs on the choice of secondary schools are the tasks for the authorities to face. Given Taiwan's complicated situation--a dual system and a mix of public and private provision--we suggest a flexible dual track system as an immediate goal for policy making with the ultimate goal being a single unified upper secondary and third level system.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
