Learning English in the shadows: Taiwanese students’ reflections on their English private tutoring learning experiences

Chih-Hao Chang

doi:10.30827/portalin.v0i35.15228

Abstract

Private tutoring has received increasing research attention as a global phenomenon, but awareness of its impact on students’ language learning and pedagogical discussions is lacking. This study investigated 35 Taiwanese learners’ English private tutoring (EPT) experiences based on their reflections on language learning after finishing their secondary education. A background questionnaire and one-on-one semi-structured interviews were administered to collect participants’ data. The present study found that the participants had complex, inconsistent, and contradictory attitudes toward EPT. Although the interviews revealed the students’ needs that could be met by private tutoring institutions, the students’ reflections on EPT indicated that students were negatively affected in terms of language learning, educational experience, pressure, and values. Moreover, EPT was not considered an effective way to learn to use authentic English to communicate because of its overemphasis on examination skills. The effects of the contextual realities of learning for the purposes of assessment and achievement in language proficiency scores were explored to determine whether these realities undermined the aim of education. This study sheds light on the impact of private tutoring as it has become more than a form of shadow education and has emerged into the mainstream.

Highlights

Learning both a foreign language (FL) and the contents of a specific academic subject at the same time is a framework that has become increasingly common in the education field
The goal of this systematic review was to describe and assess studies that used content and language integrated learning (CLIL) programmes to teach a foreign language via physical education in a school setting. 35 articles met the selection criteria
CLIL has been described as a pedagogical approach that focuses on two goals: learning the academic subject content and learning the FL, which represents the medium of instruction for the content (Coyle et al, 2010)Philip Hood and David Marsh and drawing on their experience of CLIL in secondary schools, primary schools and English language schools across Europe, this book gives a comprehensive overview of CLIL

Summary

Introduction

Learning both a foreign language (FL) and the contents of a specific academic subject at the same time is a framework that has become increasingly common in the education field. CLIL has been described as a pedagogical approach that focuses on two goals: learning the academic subject content and learning the FL, which represents the medium of instruction for the content (Coyle et al, 2010)Philip Hood and David Marsh and drawing on their experience of CLIL in secondary schools, primary schools and English language schools across Europe, this book gives a comprehensive overview of CLIL It summarises the theory which underpins the teaching of a content subject through another language and discusses its practical application, outlining the key directions for the development of research and practice. Physical education (PE) is considered ideal, as it promotes learning in a playful and interactive manner (Chiva-Bartoll & Salvador-García, 2016)

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Conclusion