英語教育起步早，國中學生學得好? 以臺灣中學英語教師之觀點看英語向下延伸

When to Start Teaching English in School in Taiwan? Perspectives from Taiwanese Junior High School English Teachers

呂宜珊(Yi-Shan Lu)

指導教授 ： 柯宜中

元智大學/人文社會學院/應用外語學系/碩士(2013年)

https://doi.org/10.6838/YZU.2013.00201

摘要

英語已是一種全球化語言，在國際溝通及全球經濟活動上扮演重要的角色，英語程度好被認為是可以找到好工作及高社經地位的一個工具。在臺灣，教育部自民國90年開始實施小學英語教育政策，規定小學五年級開始上英語課，而小學英語教育策政也逐年改變，民國100學年度，桃園縣政府實行向下延伸自小學一年級開始上英語課。
本研究的目的在探討國中英語教師在教導不同起始點開始學習英語的學生時，他們自身的經驗，以及評估此英語教育政策對於國中英語教育和課程的影響。本研究採訪談法，以質性研究法收集及分析訪談資料。被訪談者為五位擁有豐富教學經驗的資深英語教師，任教於桃園縣內一所公立中學，透過本研究，幫助了解現職國中英語教師們對於英語教育向小學一年級延伸的政策的反應、看法及其因應和準備。
結果顯示，有關政策負面影響，教師們指出過早的學習可能促使班級內嚴重的雙峰現象，而程度落後學生增加且容易提早放棄學習。正面影響方面，教師們認為是讓社會上弱勢家庭能增加英語學習的機會，而越早學英語，學生的口語能力可能較佳。國中教師認為學習英語最重要的因素是學習動機，學習環境和家庭資源，英語學習的起始年齡和學生英語成就無直接明顯的相關影響。
總結而言，提升學生英語能力，受許多相關因素影響。因此，本研究建議:（1）教師信念應秉持對於不同程度學生給予符合需求的教學及協助; (2)課堂內學生的學習參與度普遍降低，教師可改變其教學活動設計來引起學習動機，積極調適或改變教學方式; (3)政府在執行英語教育政策時，應不只考量學習英語起始年齡，而應多加考量學生及教師的需求，提供充分的教育資源，傾聽教師的聲音，並改善英語教育環境。

關鍵字

國中學生 ； 英語學習 ； 英語教育政策 ； 英語能力 ； 英語表現

並列摘要

English has become a global language and plays an important role of international communication and global economic activities. High English proficiency has been regarded as a tool to have good jobs and high social status. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Education (the MOE) has implemented the policy of English education which started English curriculum at elementary school level since 2001. The fifth graders started English classes as a compulsory curriculum. The English education policy for children has been changed by years. In the school year, 2011, English curriculum was compulsory for the first graders in Taoyuan County. The purpose of this study is to investigate the teachers’ experiences with teaching students of different starting ages, and to evaluate the impacts on this policy of junior high English education and curriculum. The method was to interview five junior high school teachers with rich teaching experiences. Qualitative research design was employed in this study to gather and analyze data. The subjects were from the public junior high school in Taoyuan County. Through the research, the teachers’ reactions, perspectives and preparations for the new policy were revealed.
Results of this study showed that junior high school English teachers thought the important factors impacting on English learning included motivation, exposure to English at school and resource. The starting age of learning English were not directly related to students’ English achievement. As to the negative side of the policy, the teachers claimed that too early learning of L2 would lead to serious double-peak phenomenon in class. The students who fell behind would increase and they may give up learning easily. As to the positive side of the policy, the teachers thought the policy would increase the opportunities of English learning for disadvantage families. Then, students’ English oral skills would be better when learning English at young age.
In conclusion, successful English learning is impacted by a lot of relevant factors. Therefore, this study suggests that: (1) Teachers should teach and help students’ learning according to students’ diverse levels of English proficiency. (2) Teachers should adjust or change their teaching and design activities to motivate students for solving the problem of low degree of participation in class. (3) When implementing an English education policy, the government should take account of not only the starting age of learning English but also students’ and teachers’ needs. It is important to provide a plenty of education resource, listen to what teachers’ think and improve English education environment.

並列關鍵字

Junior High School Students ； English Learning ； English Education Policy ； English Proficiency ； English Performance

參考文獻

Tsau, C. -C. & Hao, C. -H. (2010). The influence of the elementary students’ early English learning experience on their English motivation and academic achievements. Journal of Educational Practice and Research, 23(2), 95-124.

Lin, C. -I. 林政逸 (2004)。國民小學英語教育政策執行影響因素及實施現況之研究。臺中師範學院國民教育研究所碩士論文，未出版，臺中。[The influencing factors and the current status of elementary school English education policy implementation.]

English References

Butler, Y. (2004). What level of English proficiency do elementary school teachers need to attain to teach EFL? Case studies from Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. TESOL Quarterly, 38(2), 245-278.

Crystal, D. (1997). English as a global language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.