Exploring the Role of English Cram Schools in Taiwan - A Case Study on Four Private Language Schools in Taichung

• Main Authors: Pao, Hui-Chin, 包慧琴
• Other Authors: Chang, Sam-Mao
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/42fb67

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 英語學系 === 107 === Attendance at cram schools is an experience that the majority of Taiwanese have while growing up. However, the incidence and impact of cram schooling are still understudied and have yet to receive much attention. Traditional and modern Chinese cultural values have emphasized human malleability and self-improvement. Even though the Chinese imperial examination was abolished during the Qing dynasty, this system has become deeply ingrained in Chinese society more than a thousand years. As a result, parents then and now set higher standards for their children, with increased focus on their academic performances at school. Therefore, cram schools were created to meet parents’ expectations of their children, boasting formal curriculums and homework support designed to ensure students’ academic success. This research adopted a qualitative case study on four English cram schools in Feng-Yuan District of Taichung with intensive interviews, investigating the net effect of English cram schooling on parents’ expectations, students' academic performances, English teachers’ opinions and the viewpoints of managements from English cram school owners. The three major findings are: The first, English is to be considered as an important foreign language in Taiwan. The second, three diversities of English environments between public and cram schools are the main reasons for parents enrolling their children into English cram schools: (1) English curriculums, (2) Materials and environments, and (3) English teachers. The third, parents place high expectations on their children’s English performance. In this study, more than 85% children started learning English in kindergarten, though as of now this is still banned. The remaining 15% began studying English in grade one at cram school. In 2018, the executive director, Mr. Lai, in Executive Yuan, indicated that the Ministry of Education (MOE) plans to undo the current regulations of prohibiting kindergartens from teaching English as a second language, and hopefully draw up the lesson plan as early as 2019. Meanwhile, he also announced his plan that would transition Taiwan into becoming a Chinese-English bilingual country by the year of 2030. Although of the announcements about English education and goals for the end of 2018, this policy is still unclear. Attending to cram schools has formed a culture and is an experience that most Taiwanese students go through, so it will be hard to eliminate. All parents in this study placed high expectations on their children’s English academic performances, which they relate to the children’s competitiveness in the future. Regardless of whether English is required to begin first grade at public school, parents still enroll their children in English cram school. In the effort to forge children’s English ability in Taiwan, the researcher suggests: (1) To ease restriction on the age of starting English instruction, (2) To increase English instruction hours and materials in public school, (3) To recruit native English-speaking teachers in primary school. To conclude, English cram schools have become the bridge needed to fill the gap among parents’ expectations of their children’s academic performances, students’ requirements and the MOE’s English education policy.