With the spread of globalization and information technology, the status of English as a lingua franca worldwide is undisputable. Consequently, the impact of globalization on ELT （English language teaching） is phenom...With the spread of globalization and information technology, the status of English as a lingua franca worldwide is undisputable. Consequently, the impact of globalization on ELT （English language teaching） is phenomenal. In responding to the impact of global competitors and internationalization, English teaching is often regarded as a principal issue in education. English education is treated as a tool to keep up with the rapid globalization of the world economy. Discussing ELT in Taiwan as an example, this paper aims to raise caution among the periphery educators that under the impact of globalization, the imposition of western culture and language via ELT could be potentially hegemonic and harmful to the local culture and language. This paper will be organized into three parts. Firstly, the impact of globalization on the dominance of English will be discussed. Secondly, the potential threats of linguistic hegemony via ELT will be analyzed. Thirdly, proactive solutions to the hegemonic threats of ELT are proposed as the key to ride out the wave of globalization.展开更多
Because women in Taiwan have had more and more opportunities to receive higher education and engage in different kinds of work, they have had developed increasingly higher standards for their marriage partners. Men wh...Because women in Taiwan have had more and more opportunities to receive higher education and engage in different kinds of work, they have had developed increasingly higher standards for their marriage partners. Men who are in the lower socioeconomic working classes such as those who work in agriculture, or fishing, or who are disabled can no longer compete in local marriage market. As a result, these men have begun to look for their brides from other countries to continue the family line, do the housework, and take care of their parents-in-law. In addition to the fact that these foreign brides are often young and from rural areas, language barriers and cultural differences make it difficult for them to raise and educate their children in Taiwan. The inability of these brides often leads to a higher percentage of children who are developmentally delayed, have poor pronunciation, behavior problems, and low academic achievement. Governmental agencies and schools recognize these issues and have tried to help foreign-born mothers take better care of their children. However, there are several influential factors that can limit the cooperative motivation of these foreign-born mothers, including language barriers, parenting stresses, low socioeconomic status, and cultural limitations. Therefore, governmental agencies and related professionals must take these factors into consideration to provide comprehensive services and a better learning environment.展开更多
This paper reports findings from a longitudinal qualitative study that investigated the use of children＇s literature for Taiwan Residents University English as a Foreign Language （EFL） students＇ reading. During th...This paper reports findings from a longitudinal qualitative study that investigated the use of children＇s literature for Taiwan Residents University English as a Foreign Language （EFL） students＇ reading. During the course of their sophomore year, 17 students participated and each student held two to seven individual reading sessions, to which they brought a self-selected children＇s picture storybook or children＇s novel they had finished reading on their own and orally read it to the researcher. Their oral reading and the discussion of each book with the researcher were audio recorded. To gain insight into the reading progress, these oral data were categorized and analyzed in terms of mispronunciation patterns, misunderstanding of vocabulary, misinterpretation of sentence or passage, and researcher＇s guidance. General findings of the 17 participants were presented in three categories： （1） vocabulary acquisition, （2） common comprehension problems, and （3） common pronunciation problems. Further analysis of two motivated students who read five to seven books revealed that （1） these two EFL learners gradually developed conscious awareness of their own pronunciation and comprehension errors and （2） they progressively acquired better competence to apply the pronunciation tips and reading comprehension techniques provided by the researcher during previous sessions. These findings and corresponding implications are discussed and further research suggestions are made.展开更多
文摘With the spread of globalization and information technology, the status of English as a lingua franca worldwide is undisputable. Consequently, the impact of globalization on ELT （English language teaching） is phenomenal. In responding to the impact of global competitors and internationalization, English teaching is often regarded as a principal issue in education. English education is treated as a tool to keep up with the rapid globalization of the world economy. Discussing ELT in Taiwan as an example, this paper aims to raise caution among the periphery educators that under the impact of globalization, the imposition of western culture and language via ELT could be potentially hegemonic and harmful to the local culture and language. This paper will be organized into three parts. Firstly, the impact of globalization on the dominance of English will be discussed. Secondly, the potential threats of linguistic hegemony via ELT will be analyzed. Thirdly, proactive solutions to the hegemonic threats of ELT are proposed as the key to ride out the wave of globalization.
文摘Because women in Taiwan have had more and more opportunities to receive higher education and engage in different kinds of work, they have had developed increasingly higher standards for their marriage partners. Men who are in the lower socioeconomic working classes such as those who work in agriculture, or fishing, or who are disabled can no longer compete in local marriage market. As a result, these men have begun to look for their brides from other countries to continue the family line, do the housework, and take care of their parents-in-law. In addition to the fact that these foreign brides are often young and from rural areas, language barriers and cultural differences make it difficult for them to raise and educate their children in Taiwan. The inability of these brides often leads to a higher percentage of children who are developmentally delayed, have poor pronunciation, behavior problems, and low academic achievement. Governmental agencies and schools recognize these issues and have tried to help foreign-born mothers take better care of their children. However, there are several influential factors that can limit the cooperative motivation of these foreign-born mothers, including language barriers, parenting stresses, low socioeconomic status, and cultural limitations. Therefore, governmental agencies and related professionals must take these factors into consideration to provide comprehensive services and a better learning environment.
文摘This paper reports findings from a longitudinal qualitative study that investigated the use of children＇s literature for Taiwan Residents University English as a Foreign Language （EFL） students＇ reading. During the course of their sophomore year, 17 students participated and each student held two to seven individual reading sessions, to which they brought a self-selected children＇s picture storybook or children＇s novel they had finished reading on their own and orally read it to the researcher. Their oral reading and the discussion of each book with the researcher were audio recorded. To gain insight into the reading progress, these oral data were categorized and analyzed in terms of mispronunciation patterns, misunderstanding of vocabulary, misinterpretation of sentence or passage, and researcher＇s guidance. General findings of the 17 participants were presented in three categories： （1） vocabulary acquisition, （2） common comprehension problems, and （3） common pronunciation problems. Further analysis of two motivated students who read five to seven books revealed that （1） these two EFL learners gradually developed conscious awareness of their own pronunciation and comprehension errors and （2） they progressively acquired better competence to apply the pronunciation tips and reading comprehension techniques provided by the researcher during previous sessions. These findings and corresponding implications are discussed and further research suggestions are made.
