Students’ Perceptions toward Native Speaking English Teachers’ Teaching Contents in Taiwan

Instructor : Dr. Pi-Ying Teresa HsuAdvisor : Dr. Chin-Ying LinPresenter : Wallis TeyDate : 2015 / 6 / 8

1. Introduction

2. Literature Review

3. Methodology

Content

Introduction

Background and Motivation

Statement of the Problem

Purpose of the study

Research Questions

Learning preferences tend to vary with cultures. Students from different cultures might exhibit different learning styles and prefer different learning approaches due to distinct cultural influences and social effects.

(Park, 2000: Richardson, 1994)

IntroductionBackground and Motivation

The culture influences their thoughts and values about what constitutes proper learning / teaching behavior, which, in turn, affect how they learn / teach language.

(Byram & Morgan, 1994)NESTs expect their students to be more critical and independent learners.

(Cortez & Jin, 1996)

IntroductionBackground and Motivation

NESTs should be aware of Asian ESL / EFL students’ learning motivations, needs, and interests in order to understand differences in cultural values and language learning that affect their classrooms.

(Ballard & Clanchy, 1997)

Many researchers have explored Asian students’ adjustments in the oversea academic setting.

(Kambutul & Nganga, 2008)

IntroductionStatement of the Problem

To investigate if the way of instruction Taiwanese students preferred matched their learning experiences in NEST speaking course.

To explore the effect of Taiwanese students’ learning expectations on NESTs, using questionnaires and interviews.

IntroductionPurpose of the Study

What are the differences between the expectations and actual

experiences of Taiwanese English majors concerning the

teaching content in an English conversation class taught by a

NEST at a university of technology in central Taiwan?

How do Taiwanese English majors and their NEST adjust to

each other in the class?

IntroductionResearch Questions

What are the differences between the preferences and

actual experiences of Taiwanese English majors

concerning their NEST’s teaching approaches in the

English conversation class?

How did Taiwanese students and their NEST teacher

adjust to each other in one English speaking course?

IntroductionResearch Questions

In language learning and teaching environments,

academic culture gap is regarded as an “invisible

yardstick” which shows teachers’ teaching approach,

content and students’ learning style, expectation and

preferences in classroom.

(Rasekh &Valizadeh, 2004)

Literature Review

Other researches emphasized that Western teachers are more willing to tolerate students’ different point of views in learning and they more often encourage students to express themselves and think critically.

(Chen; Neuygen, Terlouw & Pilot, 2006)

Literature Review

Teachers and students have to be culturally responsive, culturally respective, culture - sensitive, culturally rooted and culturally relevant.

(Biggs, 1998)Few studies has certain limitations, might not be generalized to native English-speaking teachers and Taiwanese students population as a whole.

(Lin, Hu & Tsai, 2010)

Literature Review

•Participants

•Data Analysis

•Questionnaire (Appendix A, B, C, D)

Methodology

English majors students from

3 different universities

Questionnaire& Interview

Native Speaking Teachers

MethodologyParticipants

•SPSS 18.0 will adopt to analyze the quantitative data in this study.

•T-test will use for data processing and analysis.

MethodologyData Analysis

  

  Skills and Knowledge in English Learning Field 

 In the English conversation class, I want to learn or improve my….

Strongly agree Agree No commend Disagree Strongly disagree

1 Abundant vocabulary 1 2 3 4 5

2 Knowledge of Modern technology and internet 1 2 3 4 5

3 English grammar 1 2 3 4 5

4 Western culture 1 2 3 4 5

5 English slang/idioms 1 2 3 4 5

6 English oral capability 1 2 3 4 5

7 English pronunciation skills 1 2 3 4 5

8 English listening comprehension skills 1 2 3 4 5

9 English communication skills 1 2 3 4 5

10 English reading skills 1 2 3 4 5

I. The comparison

of what students

wanted to learn and

what they had learned in

their native English

teacher’s English

conversation classes.

Appendix A

   

 Skills and Knowledge in English Learning Field 

 In the English conversation class, I want to learn or improve my….

Strongly agree Agree No commend Disagree Strongly disagree

11 English writing skills 1 2 3 4 5

12 English certificate exam skills 1 2 3 4 5

13 Computer skills (e.g., PPT) 1 2 3 4 5

14 The capability of independent study 1 2 3 4 5

15 The capability of applying knowledge 1 2 3 4 5

16 The capability of learning from errors 1 2 3 4 5

17 The capability of critical thinking 1 2 3 4 5

18 The capability of expressing myself 1 2 3 4 5

19 Brainstorming and imagination 1 2 3 4 5

20 The capability of asking questions and answering questions correctly

1 2 3 4 5

21

The others things that I want to learn or strengthen in the NESTs’ classes are, for example：  

I. The comparison

of what students

wanted to learn and

what they had learned in

their native English

teacher’s English

conversation classes.

Appendix A

II. Taiwanese University students’

preferences in English teaching

approaches in their native

English teachers’ English

conversation classes.

    

English teaching approaches 

The teaching approaches I prefer in the English conversation class are that…..

Strongly agree Agree No commend Disagree Strongly disagree

1 The NEST in class is humorous. 1 2 3 4 5

2 The NEST follows the syllabus strictly. 1 2 3 4 5

3 The NEST has empathy for students. 1 2 3 4 5

4 The NEST employs multimedia resources(e.g., internet, computer) 1 2 3 4 5

5 The NEST gives students enough time to think and answer questions.

1 2 3 4 5

6 The NEST can answer student’s questions in detail. 1 2 3 4 5

7 The NEST will not force students to ask questions in class. 1 2 3 4 5

8 The NEST gives a lecture and students follow that through the whole class.

1 2 3 4 5

9 The NEST focuses on the textbook and provides few extra references.

1 2 3 4 5

10 The NEST can understand Chinese. 1 2 3 4 5

11 The NEST can use Chinese to explain certain words. 1 2 3 4 5

12 The NEST can correct student’s errors when we speak English.

1 2 3 4 5

Appendix B

II. Taiwanese college students’

preferences in English teaching

approaches in their native

English teachers’ English

conversation classes.

    

English teaching approaches 

The teaching approaches I prefer in the English conversation class are that…..

Strongly agree Agree No commend Disagree Strongly disagree

13 The NEST teaching approaches are proceeding in an orderly way. 1 2 3 4 5

14 The NEST has students practice text dialogs and sentence patterns repeatedly. 1 2 3 4 5

15 The NEST focuses on student’s speaking fluency. 1 2 3 4 5

16 The NEST focuses on student’s speaking accuracy. 1 2 3 4 5

17 The NEST adjusts his/her teaching content and approaches based on students’ interests/needs. 1 2 3 4 5

18 The NEST gives remedial classes based on students’ levels. 1 2 3 4 5

19 The NEST assigns students’ individual homework /projects. 1 2 3 4 5

20 The NEST assigns students’ group homework / projects. 1 2 3 4 5

21 The NEST has group discussions in class. 1 2 3 4 5

22 The NEST plays the role of facilitator during group activities. 1 2 3 4 5

23 The NEST can give a summary and conclusion at the end of the group discussion. 1 2 3 4 5

24The other English teaching approaches that I like are：  

Appendix B

IV. Personal Information Gender:□ Male □ Female 2. Years in the college:□ First year □ Second year □ Third year □ Fourth year Student number:_________ 4. Hours of English class per week:□ 0 hour □1-2 hours □3-4 hours □ more than 5 hours 5.How long have you been studying English?□ 0-5years □ 5-10 years □10-15 years □ more than 15 years □ other__________  6. Do you have any English certifications (choose all that apply)? □No □Yes: □GEPT-Elementary (first exam) □GEPT-Elementary (second exam) □GEPT-Intermediate (first exam) □GEPT- Intermediate (second exam) □GEPT-high-Intermediate (first exam) □GEPT- high-Intermediate (second exam)□ TOEIC score________ □ IELTS score________ □ TOEFL score________ Would you agree to participate in a further interview? □No □Yes: Name: ______________________ Phone number: _______________ E-mail address:_____________________________________________   ============= THE END============

Appendix B

Appendix C Interview Questions – Native English-Speaking Teacher 

1. What were your expectations about Taiwanese students’ learning in your English speaking

class?

2. What aspects of teaching your Taiwanese students make you feel confused?

3. What do you think about your Taiwanese students’ learning attitudes?

4. What are the strengths/weaknesses of your Taiwanese students?

5. What do you think about their scores on mid-term/final exams?

6. What do you think about their responses/answers to questions in your class?

7. Are you satisfied with the students’ answers/responses in class?

8. Would you evaluate your students more positively or negatively in comparison to your

expectations?

9. What do you think about the students’ learning situation in class?

Interview Questions – Taiwanese Students1. What were the differences between your expectations and the reality of the

English speaking class?

2. What do you think about your learning/teaching situation in class?

3. Does the native English-speaking teacher’s teaching style match your learning

preferences and expectations?

4. Does the teacher bring cultural issues into class? Do you enjoy this or not?

5. What suggestions can you offer for native English-speaking teachers in

Taiwan?

Appendix D