In the News

The problems with English teaching in Taiwan

• Publication Date：04/01/2011
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Scott Sommers

English has historically been the most influential foreign language in Taiwan. It is often described as playing an important role in personal career preparation, as well as the development of an internationally competitive workforce.

Despite the emergence of a large number of highly skilled Taiwanese English teachers, language issues remain a significant obstacle for the country. While local schools get blamed for this, the real issue is that homegrown instructors are being ignored in favor of educational fads.

Beginning in the early 1990s, education reform in Taiwan increasingly began focusing on the improvement of English language skills. Compulsory instruction was expanded from elementary school to university and in 2002, as part of a six-year national development plan, English was given quasi-official status. Universities and the Ministry of Education even toyed with the idea of using demonstrated English proficiency as a requirement for university graduation.

In addition to curriculum changes, major language tests in Taiwan increasingly reflect the reality of these pressures. Historically, official exams used to select students and employees contained questions about English. But it was widely understood that good results on these tests did not mean the same thing as a strong ability to communicate in English.

More recently developed assessments such as the MOE-commissioned General English Proficiency Test, which meets international standards of language testing, have gone some way toward addressing this problem. Similarly, the Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students—planned by the Research Center for Psychological and Educational Testing at National Taiwan Normal University—is making solid headway, with the English section of the exam meeting the same standards as the renowned Test of English for International Communication and International English Language Testing System.

The careful selection and training of teachers is also playing an important part in changing the focus of English language instruction in Taiwan while ensuring a higher standard of local instructor. But rather than equipping these assets with the best pedagogy and resources, foreign native English speakers and untested ideas about language teaching imported from abroad have become de rigueur.

Copying programs that originated in Japan and South Korea, Taiwan’s public and private schools are placing increasing numbers of foreign English teachers in their classrooms. Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe this idea works. The use of foreign teachers has never been properly evaluated and although parents may be happy their children are being taught by foreigners, this is much more of a marketing scheme than one with any pedagogical content.

Also borrowed from the land of the morning calm comes the idea of English villages. Various versions of this concept have been tried in Taiwan, from the large tourist attraction-like venues in Taoyuan and Kaohsiung to smaller day camps, with mixed results.

In general, the English village concept and its educational value are yet to be fully understood. So despite consuming huge amounts of money—outfits in Taoyuan reportedly cost NT$18 million (US$610,500) to set up and NT$2.5 million a year to operate—it is not at all clear what benefit is accrued from their existence. As renowned language educator Dr. Stephen Krashen puts it, the idea is so problematic that, “countries should think twice before investing in English villages.”

Another initiative being experimented with is private foundation-funded language education. Conducted predominantly in rural Taiwan, the programs are of questionable value given their use of unqualified volunteers supplied by foreign Christian missionary organizations. Yet even this seemingly budget-conscious option costs more than one using local teachers.

At the end of the day, every dollar ploughed into these initiatives comes at the expense of developing and training local teachers—the pillar of Taiwan’s education system. These individuals should receive the highest salaries and the strongest support, and any policy built on a system that neglects their development—no matter how well planned and executed—is bound to have problems. The quality of the country’s education hinges on its teachers and no expense should be spared in funding their development.

Scott Sommers is a doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology at National Taiwan Normal University and an English instructor at Ming Chuan University. These views are the author’s and not necessarily those of Taiwan Today. Copyright © 2011 by Scott Sommers

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