The Implementation of Bilingual Education in Taiwan: A Case Study of Two Junior High Schools with a Bilingual Curriculum in Taipei City Using the FERTILE Model
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- What roles do school administrative teams play in the implementation of bilingual education within schools?
- How do BPLCs function in the implementation of bilingual education within schools?
2. Methods
3. Findings
3.1. The Role of School Administrative Teams in the Implementation of Bilingual Education
3.1.1. Providing Flexibility and Sufficient Time
“I believe that the best thing school administrative teams can do is to offer teachers freedom, flexibility, and support. …When there is strong cohesion and a positive atmosphere within the school community, it positively influences the students as well.”(Interview AHE)
“The school has been very supportive of me. They don’t comment on using too much Mandarin, because I feel that as long as the children are learning during class, that is what truly matters.”(Interview BM)
“Many schools are hesitant to make too many changes at once, as most teachers are not accustomed to significant shifts…Gradual adjustments will allow teachers to slowly accept and adapt to the changes.”(Interview AFD)
“Making teachers feel that implementing bilingual education in schools is meaningful and valuable involves spending a lot of time communicating with each teacher individually.”(Interview BH)
“Usually, I show concern for them and listen to their feedback. For instance, teachers often tell me that the workload is too heavy. … If the course load is too much, I tell them that I’ll adjust for the next academic year to ease their burden. I listen to their concerns and if what they propose seems feasible, I generally try to meet their needs. It’s crucial to support these teachers because they are incredibly important.”(Interview BD)
“How to schedule lessons is crucial because my previous schedule was too packed, and it left me feeling exhausted. …I realised that with such a heavy workload and complexity, I couldn’t teach three classes in a row. I needed to have breaks in between, like teaching two classes and having a break after. So, my scheduling needs to be a bit more flexible.”(Interview BV)
3.1.2. Establishing a Bilingual Environment and Applying Role Modelling in Schools
“During a bilingual event, students were given 20 puzzles in English. Those who correctly solved all the puzzles could visit the Educational Affairs Division to receive a stamp from a teacher.”(Document A04)
“Efforts are made to present all forms bilingually, such as classroom journals, timetables, or attendance sheets …. Further steps may include bilingualising forms required for transferring schools and other various documents.”(Interview BS)
“I feel the head teacher has already made an effort. For instance, a speech was delivered in English during the school anniversary celebration.”(Interview AS)
“In school broadcasts or morning assemblies, common phrases are delivered in both languages. For example, daily announcements, including reminders about cleaning time, are made bilingually.”(Interview BS)
3.1.3. Engaging Stakeholders
“Sometimes, some teachers feel uneasy, thinking that the head teacher only values certain aspects. Everyone needs to feel cared for, and when they don’t feel acknowledged, feelings of dissatisfaction can arise. I often tell teachers, it’s okay if you don’t want to participate, but please don’t obstruct the process.”(Interview AH)
“We do our best to support teachers. If teachers need certain teaching materials, we will purchase them without hesitation, provided we have sufficient funds.”(Interview AS)
“At that time, we would approach teachers who seemed interested to see if they were willing to participate. Most of our teachers were willing, although a few refused. … So, I didn’t force those who refused me. I decided to put the refusals aside for now and begin with those who were willing to participate.”(Interview BH)
“The Educational Affairs Division has various projects. I usually compensate them [bilingual teachers] with lecturer hourly fees, amounting to about a thousand per session. Typically, as the semester nears its end, I review the remaining hourly pay budget, and start distributing it among the bilingual teachers.”(Interview BD)
“Teachers may have different opinions during the BPLCs meeting. If opinions diverge, school administrative teams need to intervene, starting from the needs of the students’ learning. This approach can facilitate finding common ground among the teachers.”(Interview AFD)
“When I collaborate with another teacher, I sometimes feel hesitant to speak up due to my inexperience. In such instances, I ask the director to speak on my behalf. Once the director has spoken, it seems everyone pays attention, and following their intervention, coordinating work with my colleague becomes much smoother.”(Interview BV)
3.2. The Function of BPLCs in the Implementation of Bilingual Education
“The location for the Scout leaders’ meeting was the Integrative Activities Office. Before the meetings, teachers opened their lesson presentations and worksheets on their laptops.”(Document A02)
“Before the collaborative preparation meeting began, health education teachers arrived early at the meeting location to download their teaching presentations and worksheets from the cloud onto a computer connected to a projector.”(Document A03)
“I participated in a collaborative preparation session and found that they first discussed whether there were any issues with last week’s classes, what they would do next week, and the conditions of specific classes. Thus, they were continuously making rolling adjustments and accumulating valuable learning experiences.”(Interview AFD)
“There was even a time when everyone was sharing websites related to teaching resources, all related to bilingual education. Some teachers would share which ones they used, like how they used Padlet, and how they implemented it. We all thought that was quite good and everyone could try to learn from it. I’ve noticed that younger teachers are very adept at this, so as soon as they share something, some of the other teachers feel encouraged to try it out.”(Interview BD)
“Teachers often look forward to participating in BPLCs, because working alone can be stressful. Therefore, forming a team to prepare together puts them more at ease. In fact, professional communities have already established teachers’ confidence. The team-oriented community comes first, followed by the development of plans.”(Interview AFD)
4. Discussion and Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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School | Code | Participant Role |
---|---|---|
School A | AH | Head Teacher |
AD | Director of Educational Affairs Division | |
AS | Section Chief of Curriculum Development | |
AFD | Former Director of Educational Affairs Division | |
AFS | Former Chief of Curriculum | |
AHE | Heath Education Teacher | |
AP | Performing Arts Teacher | |
ASL | Scout Leader | |
School B | BH | Head Teacher |
BD | Director of Educational Affairs Division | |
BS | Section Chief of Curriculum | |
BM | Music Teacher | |
BV | Visual Arts Teacher |
School | Code | Document Description |
---|---|---|
School A | Document A01 | Weekly Bilingual Newspaper Issue No. 108 |
Document A02 | 1st BPLC Meeting Record | |
Document A03 | 2nd BPLC Meeting Record | |
Document A04 | School Anniversary Celebration Record | |
Document A05 | 3rd BPLC Meeting Record | |
Document A06 | 4th BPLC Meeting Record | |
School B | Document B01 | BPLC Meeting Record |
Document B02 | Bilingual Worksheet for A Visual Art Course |
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Tsai, P. The Implementation of Bilingual Education in Taiwan: A Case Study of Two Junior High Schools with a Bilingual Curriculum in Taipei City Using the FERTILE Model. Educ. Sci. 2024, 14, 887. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080887
Tsai P. The Implementation of Bilingual Education in Taiwan: A Case Study of Two Junior High Schools with a Bilingual Curriculum in Taipei City Using the FERTILE Model. Education Sciences. 2024; 14(8):887. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080887
Chicago/Turabian StyleTsai, Po. 2024. "The Implementation of Bilingual Education in Taiwan: A Case Study of Two Junior High Schools with a Bilingual Curriculum in Taipei City Using the FERTILE Model" Education Sciences 14, no. 8: 887. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080887