The Effects of Unfavorable Cultural Factors in Remote Regions on English Education in Primary Schools-- with Reference to Three Schools in Central Taiwan

• Main Authors: Ching-chuan Su, 蘇清泉
• Other Authors: Ben-ran Jai
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/08958313281008763344

碩士 === 南華大學 === 教育社會學研究所 === 93 === 　　The objective for the present study is to understand the influences on English teachers and the quality of the education caused by issues of cultural inferiority in remote regions from an educational social perspective. Furthermore, mediator variables through which the background of the cultural inferiority has an influence on the English education in primary schools were analyzed. 　 The procedures for the present study are described in the following. 1. The collection and the arrangement of associated literatures from both Taiwan and overseas. 2. Semi-structured in-depth interviews, a type of qualitative research, were conducted for collecting textual materials. The targets were three primary schools in remote regions. 3. Through the procedures of content analysis proposed by Hycner, R. H. (1985) in Human Studies, the contents of the textual materials obtained from the interviews were analyzed. Reviews, analyses and interpretations of associated literatures were conducted, in order to portray the truth in more depths. 　 The findings of the present study are: 1. In terms of the English teachers 1. The sources of English teachers in remote regions are general class teachers who have the academic background of foreign languages. 2. English teachers in remote regions tend to have a frequent moving rate, and they are often less willing to teach English again. 3. Since remote regions are often inconvenient in terms of the transportation and the living, there is always a shortage of teachers. 4. Due to the inconvenient transportation and the heavy pressure from the work, the majority of teachers are not keen about the teachers’ support system. 5. Due to the strict regulations for the application of foreign teachers, they are not much help to the education in remote regions. Most of the schools have a negative perspective for them. 2. In terms of the English education 1. Due to the lack of resources in remote regions, apart from class times, the schools often schedule some opportunities for learning English in the morning. 2. Most of the contents of English teaching materials are designed to be used as stories, games or songs, and thus the students participate in the class with a playing attitude. This leads to ineffective learning, as well as some difficulties in the teaching for the teachers. 3. Students in remote regions have no contact of English uses apart from in the class; furthermore, there are currently only two hours of English classes per week, thus are not of much help for the English learning. 4. Due to the shortage of teachers, the requirement for supporter teachers or supply teachers is often great. This leads to concentration of English classes in the subject time table, which further elicits frustrations from the students, and thus the low teaching effect. 5. The shortage of teachers in remote regions makes the corrective teaching policy that extends below the fourth and third graders difficult to be put into practice. 6. There is often a great difference in the students’ levels in remote regions, and that the students’ English levels tend to be in two extremes, thus makes the teaching difficult. Its main reason is that the society is had relatively high expectations for children by the parents with higher position, can offer English education resource to children voluntarily , let children have higher achievements by the background pupil than the low society in study in English. 7. Generally speaking, the English level of the students in remote regions is not high, therefore the English classes are often taught in Chinese. 8. Although long-distance teachings bring short-term relieves for the shortage of teachers, the lack of facilities hinders the actual practice of long-distance teachings. 9. There are often a less number of students in a remote region class, and as a consequence, there are more interactions between the students and the teacher, that the teacher would have a better understanding of the students’ needs. Nevertheless, the small student number restricts events of large scaled performances. 10. Although English teachers urgently need trainings of teaching to avoid potential issues brought by the teaching materials, more training sessions and longer training hours could not be held due to the lack of funds. 11. There is a significant difference of English levels between children in the city and children in country sides. The main reason for this is that children in the city have more contacts of English, especially for those who take private English lessons. 3. Mediator variables that influence the English teaching 1. Financial capitals: parents in remote regions have poor financial capitals, and thus are less able to provide more English learning opportunities for the children. 2. Personnel capitals: Parents in remote regions tend to be less educated, thus they are not able to provide help for their children in the English learning. 3. Social capitals: There are more single parent families, families with foreign spouses and children, and families of only grandparents and grandchildren, single parent in remote regions. Those parents tend to be less attentive to their children’s school studies, and there are often less interactions between the parents and the teachers, which disadvantages the children’s learning of English. 4. Cultural capitals: Parents in remote regions tend to work longer hours, spend less time with their children, and have lower academic expectations for their children. All of these lead to poor outcomes for the English learning. 5. The English learning environment in remote regions is lack of cultural stimulation, and thus leads to poor English learning outcomes. 6. Schools in remote regions should overcome difficulties and create a bilingual learning environment, in order to provide the students with a better English learning environment. 7. There is often a deficiency of English teaching materials in remote regions, and the subsidizing policy proposed by the government has not yet been fully practiced. 　 Recommendations are provided by the present study based on the above findings. It is with the hope that the recommendations will serve as references for future studies, as well as for balancing the English learning difference between the cities and countrysides by educational institutions.