Understanding English Reading Instruction and EFL Teacher''s Attitude towards Community Joining through A Teachers'' Professional Group

• Main Authors: Yen, Hung-ju, 顏宏如
• Other Authors: Chang, Chien-ju
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2003
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/45643765516329534642

碩士 === 國立台北師範學院 === 兒童英語教育研究所 === 91 === This study aims to explore on-job teachers’ attitude towards English reading, understand the difficulties and problems the teachers face in implementing reading instruction, and investigate the teachers’experiences in joining a teachers’ professional community. In this study, the researcher and eight elementary English teachers cooperatively run a professional community. Issues discussed in weekly meetings were chosen by participants. They are (1) the significance of reading instruction in elementary school (2) phonemic awareness (3) phonics (4) vocabulary learning (5) Whole Language Approach and Literature-based Instruction (6) story telling and (7) Collaborative Strategic Reading. The findings of present study are listed as follows: (1) Teachers all held positive attitude towards English reading and reading instruction in elementary school. The significance of sound teaching, vocabulary learning, and storytelling were thought to be essential in primary English education. (2) Regarding teaching problems, teachers worried about their own English pronunciation. Besides, inappropriate textbooks, the tight budget received from school and students’ diverse linguistic background were also their problems in implementing reading instruction. (3) With respect to community experience, participating teachers agreed that they were more aware of their teaching philosophy, and tended to identify the role of being a teacher after joining the community. Implications for classroom practice and suggestions for future study are also discussed in this study. Key word: EFL teaching, reading instruction, teacher’s development, professional community, qualitative research