Parents' perspectives on the effects of the primary EFL education policy in Taiwan

摘要

It has been almost a decade since the introduction of the primary EFL education policy in Taiwan. Many controversial issues and problems have emerged from this implementation that continue to constitute great challenges for the Taiwanese government in reforming current policies and practices related to English language teaching at the primary level. The purpose of this study was to explore these implementation problems and issues that have arisen through an investigation of Grade 5 parents' perspectives on the effects of the primary EFL education policy using questionnaires and follow-up interviews. The results of the study show that parents place an overemphasis on English education policy, reflecting their worries and insecurities that derive from the government's stress on international competitiveness, and that this in turn has resulted in parents putting even greater pressure on policy-makers to reform English language education in Taiwan. As a consequence, problems and controversies have arisen related to inconsistencies that exist between the macro- and micro-level implementation forces. The study includes a discussion of and implications for the possible reforms of primary EFL education policy that aim to improve implementation in order to better serve the EFL learning needs of students in Taiwan.