| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 93 === ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study is to investigate the responses to an English theme-based Cyber Fair (CF) program on the English learning of teachers and students in middle schools in Taiwan. Twenty teachers applied the program in their English instruction to the forty-four students from junior high schools to senior high schools in the CF. The study attempted to compare the responses of both teachers and students who took part in the CF program. The teacher and the student responses to knowledge construction in the CF are investigated first. Then, the teacher and student responses to English learning in the CF are discussed. Moreover, the teacher and student responses to cooperative learning in the CF are explored. Next, the teacher and student responses to the project topics in the CF are analyzed. Finally, suggestions of the teachers as well as the students for the CF are probed and compared.
The subjects for the study were 20 teachers and 44 students in middle schools in Kaohsiung. The subjects of each middle school were assigned to group of more than five people. During a ten-month project program, the subject was requested to work cooperatively with teammates to accomplish the assigned task, including choosing the topics, brainstorming the content, researching on the topics, conducting interviews, and composing web page in English. Furthermore, a questionnaire was designed to collect all the 20 teachers and 44 students responses to the project program. Besides, the subjects’ comments and suggestions for this study were translated from Chinese to English and discussed qualitatively.
Based on the quantitative and qualitative data analyses, the findings of the study are summarized as follows:
1. The teachers and the students responded positively to the improvement of knowledge construction ability after the CF program. Most teachers as well as students thought that the application of theme-based English learning program in the present study significantly helped improve the students’ ability of knowledge construction after the CF. The program helped in the areas of the students’ thinking, creativity, comparing data, analyzing data, profiling data, and inferring data. Both the findings of the teachers and the students are very similar.
2. Both teachers and students found that CF was effective in improving the students’ English reading and writing ability, but it had little impact on the improvement of speaking and listening ability of the students. Moreover, they expressed that the theme-based program did help improve students’ grammar, vocabulary, and increase their interest and motivation in learning English. As for promoting students’ English grades, most students found CF helpful, but some teachers found it not helpful.
3. The majority of the teacher and student responses to cooperative learning in the CF were positive. Most of the students expressed that cooperative learning helped increase their English learning motivation and abilities.
4. The teachers and the students held different views on their favorite topics in the CF. The teachers’ life experience and educational background had influence on their favorite topics, while the students’ favorite topics were influenced by their interests.
Based on the study findings, it is suggested that the English teachers in middle schools make use of a theme-based English learning program to provide meaningful and efficient learning environments for students to use the target language. In addition, English teachers can apply a theme-based English learning program to promote students’ ability of knowledge construction. What’s more, English teachers can do cooperative learning activities to help develop interpersonal relationships among students.
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