(Special Issue) Dilemmas and Opportunities in Mandarin Education Policy Implementation from the Perspectives of Teacher Acknowledgment, Resources, and Practice

Author: Ju-Ling Chen (Research Center for Indigenous Education, National Academy for Educational Research), Hwa-Wei Ko (Department of Education and Learning, National Tsing Hua University), Pei-Chen Tsai (Graduate School of Taiwanese Culture, National Taipei University of Education)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 65, No.1
Date：March 2020
Pages：47-91
DOI：10.6209/JORIES.202003_65(1).0003

Abstract：
    Structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 junior-high school Mandarin teachers to explore their opinions regarding three dimensions of Mandarin Education Policy —teacher acknowledgment, resources, and practices. The obtained data were first transcribed into verbal protocol, and classification and analysis were subsequently conducted according to a coding schema. Through discussion of the concepts and situation of Mandarin education, in-depth insight was obtained about the policy’s implementation. Based on the obtained insights, recommendations are proposed for the future Mandarin Education Policy.
    The study results revealed the following: First, teachers were most concerned about their professional development, demonstrating their strong abilities of reflection and evaluation, anticipation of professional growth, and goal of translating theory into practice. However, according to teachers, the in-service training provided by existing educational institutes is unsatisfactory, involves inadequate follow-up evaluations, and provides insufficient time for practice. These factors influence the policy’s effectiveness. Second, the concepts related to literacy presented in the Mandarin curricula were internalized within teachers’ schema, but high-level literacy concepts were rarely mentioned in their reports. Third, the distribution of hardware among schools was reported to be unequal and thus can be improved. Teachers reported that the curriculum textbooks are refined and diverse but fail to form a systematic framework. Finally, teachers claimed that teaching activities are diverse and oriented toward a learner-centered teaching method. However, differences in the abilities of students, assessments, expectations of parents influence their teaching.
Based on the above observations, suggestions are presented for framing future policies pertaining to Mandarin education: First, in-service training courses should be based on the professional knowledge and growth expectations of teachers. Moreover, a habit of implementing theory into practical scenarios should be cultivated. Second, teachers should be encouraged to be more creative and undertake courses more closely related to the high level objectives of the curricula. Third, the Mandarin literature expertise and teaching experience of teachers should be utilized to improve textbook selection and compiling. Thus, the texts could be more relevant, diverse, and appropriate for students’ experiences. Finally, the high-level literacy abilities that are aims of the curricula should be incorporated into teaching materials and assessment, and promoted among parents to gain more support.

Keywords：teacher acknowledgement, teaching resources, teaching practice, mandarin education policy, language curricula

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