A Study of Secondary School Teachers' Perceptions of Their Preparation to Teach English as a Foreign Language in Taiwan, the Republic of China
Perng, Hong-Ying Hsu
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/2142/69162
Description
Title
A Study of Secondary School Teachers' Perceptions of Their Preparation to Teach English as a Foreign Language in Taiwan, the Republic of China
Author(s)
Perng, Hong-Ying Hsu
Issue Date
1987
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Madsen, Alan,
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, Language and Literature
Abstract
Although English as a foreign language (EFL) has long been one of the major focuses in secondary school curricula in Taiwan and a great deal of time, money, and energy have been spent in studying it, a large number of students are still weak in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing at the end of their six-year study in secondary schools.
For years EFL teachers and educators have been trying to determine the causes of students' poor language performance. Some reforms and solutions to the problem of learning English in the country's secondary schools have been offered, and yet none of them has tackled seriously the issue of the preparation of EFL teachers.
The major objective of this study was to assess the character and quality of EFL teacher preparation in Taiwan, as perceived by teachers currently teaching at the secondary school level. To accomplish this objective, a questionnaire survey research was conducted, which gave the sampled teachers an opportunity to assess their own competency and to voice their own views and opinions. In conducting this study, it was assumed that participating teachers accurately describe their perceptions of their EFL teaching preparation.
Results of the study indicate that the preparation of secondary EFL teachers in Taiwan is still not adequate enough as evidenced by: (a) current teachers' evaluation of their overall pre-service training, (b) their perceptions of specific topics covered in both subject-matter and pedagogy training in their undergraduate education, (c) their evaluation of their own pre-service training in achieving the objectives of EFL instruction, and (d) their evaluation of the fulfillment of those objectives in actual teaching.
It is recommended that: (a) colleges and universities that have English major programs reexamine their programs to see if they meet prospective teachers' needs, (b) avenues through which teachers' professional growth and development may be maintained be explored to a larger extent, and (c) Ministry of Education reevaluate the adequacy and practicality of the objectives stated in the latest EFL curriculum. It is hoped that, as a result of this study, both pre- and in-service training for secondary EFL teachers in Taiwan would be further improved.
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.
